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Each team had to have 3 to 5 people performing 90 sec. to 120 sec. long. The routine was required to include jumping jacks, kicks, and push ups.
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The contestants had to be at least 20 years old, but I think most people looked middle-aged.
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Aerobics team from Hiroshima.
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Aerobics team from Shiga.
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Aerobics team from Tokushima.
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Aerobics team from Miyagi.
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After the aerobics performances, there was a one-hour lunch break at noon, and a group picture-taking session of all the aerobics teams and officials.
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Group shot
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Maibara's official mascot, a family of fireflies.
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Posters for aerobics teams made by local school children.
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Posters for aerobics teams made by local school children.
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Poster for the Tokimeki Silvers
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The hall lobby had posters showing Maibara's major sights.
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The hall lobby also had articles and snapshots of the aerobics event the day before.
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Outside the hall were a few food booths and Spo-rec mascot Caffy walking around.
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After lunch, everyone participated in a joint aerobics session at 1 pm with a well-known instructor.
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This one-hour joint aerobics session was called the "Memorial Program."
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At 2 pm, all the teams sat in the front to listen to the announcement of the winners.
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As each winner was announced, the respective team cheered and went backstage. The senior group was of course a winner.
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The MC was an NHK Otsu TV newscaster.
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The winning teams performed their routines again.
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Aerobics team from Hiroshima.
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Awards ceremony with the winning teams on stage.
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ときめきシルバーズ
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The three South Korean aerobics teams were awarded with the International Exchange Award.
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Athletes from Shiga at the opening ceremony.
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Then representatives from all 47 prefectures marched through the crowd.
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Each flag had the name of the prefecture. This is Miyazaki.
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Athletes from Miyazaki Prefecture hold a sign saying "See you next year in Miyazaki!"
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Shiga athletes applaud as the different athletes marched past.
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Gunma
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Tokyo
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Nagano
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Shiga
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Flags for all the prefectures.
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The contingent from South Korea also marched to their seats from the center stage.
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The opening ceremony stage was at the front and center, looking very tiny to most of us. Shiga Governor Yukiko Kada is in a yellow pants suit.
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Large monitor shows Governor Kada declaring the opening of the Spo-rec event.
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On the right was a large stage for the band.
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Over 20,000 people competed in the sports tournaments held all over Shiga. They included soccer, softball, badminton, bowling, track, gate ball, folk dancing, aerobics, and trampoline.
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This sports meet is designed for adults of all ages. You can be 95 years old and still participate. They call it a "life-long sports meet."
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Caffy cap
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Giant balls were tossed to the audience. They slapped the balls toward the front, but many of them popped like a balloon.
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The next activity, representing water, was having a huge blue sheet covering the spectators. The opening ceremony had a theme based on water, humans, and the sky.
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The ground transformed into a lake.
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Then they tossed these small balls onto the sheet where they bounced all over.
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A taiko troupe performs.
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For the finale, they released these little balloons shaped like doves. This was to represent the sky.
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Dove balloons in the sky.
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Another activity for the sky...
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A tall crane hoists up the Yokaichi giant kite.
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Wish they actually flew the kite, but I guess there wasn't enough room.
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This giant kite is actually an old one, from several years ago. They took it down after the opening ceremony was over.
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Flags
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Spo-rec flags
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They had a whole bunch of Caffy mascots walking around. Caffy is modeled after the Lake Biwa Giant Catfish, a unique species found only in Lake Biwa.
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Caffy, the official mascot of Sports Recreation Shiga 2008, is modeled after the Lake Biwa Giant Catfish, a unique species found only in Lake Biwa.
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Sculpture for Water.
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Sculpture for Humans.
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Sculpture for the Sky.
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Toward the east side of the park was an area where you could try various new sports.
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Throwing Bingo
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Jumping rope en masse.
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Blow darts
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