JET Programme Series: Oketto - Sadia Glasgow

In early February, I had the opportunity to take part in my city's 20th Anniversary World Oketto Championships. Before coming to TambaSasayama-shi, I had no idea what Oketto was so please allow me to share what I've learnt.

Oketto , also known as tub table tennis, is similar to ping pong. It is played between 2 teams of 2 players with a small spherical, plastic ball. Unlike table tennis however, paddles are not used to hit the ball. Instead, the balls are hit using a wooden bucket called an "oke."

An oke is traditionally used at onsens before entering a hot bath. One would scoop the water and do "kakeyu" (throw water) on one's body. Luckily, for Oketto players, many years ago visitors decided to use these buckets to entertain themselves with a mock table tennis game. More than 2 decades later this onsen game has grown into a very popular past time in Sasayama and other parts of Japan.

This year, more than a dozen countries participated in the 20th Anniversary World Championships. I was the first/sole Trini to participate and I made sure to represent with my customized Oke bucket. It was truly an amazing experience.


Sadia Glasgow
JET (Japanese Exchange & Teaching) Program Assistant Langauge Teacher
Hyogo Prefecture, JAPAN


JET Programme Series: Oketto (Japanese Embassy Facebook)


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