Everyone has been a part of a pillow fight at one point in their life, but did you know you could actually participate in competitive pillow fights?
In Japan, there is a pillow fight championship called the All-Japan pillow fight championship at Ito Onsen hot spring resort and it happens every February.
84 teams applied and 48 were selected to participate. There were also nine kids teams which totaled 450 players competing.
Typically, each team has 6-8 players with one captain. They have defense players and support players to fetch pillows that have been thrown.
It seems kind of like dodgeball. If a team member is hit by a pillow, they go off to the side. However, if a captain gets hit, the entire match is over.
One team can yell "teacher is coming" which will force the other team to pretend to be asleep for 10 seconds so the team can collect pillows.
They take it pretty seriously and enjoy the fun of being allowed to have the pillow fight but at the same time never forget it's a competition. The organizer of the event says that "a tactical approach is necessary to win. For example, the libero move about on the front lines, and attacks are focused on the opponent's captain." Could you imagine having to make a strategy for a pillow fight?
Would you participate in this if they had it in your town?