I don't know why, but one of the things Sasebo is known for is spinning tops. They are also called "fighting tops," as it is a popular activity for Japanese kids to have top "battles." These tops are heavy, wooden tops that are elaborately painted and "thrown" by a string. About a 10-minute walk from the Main Base is a tiny family-owned shop called (appropriately enough) Sasebo Tops. (Although I'm not sure, I'd be willing to bet the upstairs is actually the family apartment as there was laundry hanging from the balcony. This is very typical here.)
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I thought it was cool that the top shop was
shaped and painted to resemble a top. |
On July 8, the FRG* arranged an "Out and About" trip to paint tops at Sasebo Tops so Leah, Aaron and I went along with six other family members of the BHR. While it was a short walk, it was extremely hot and the tables with all the materials were outside in the driveway. Luckily, it was shady where the tops were but it was still hot.
The shop owner was a lady who spoke about as much English as I speak Japanese (which is not much), and I'm not sure if her daughter speaks even that much English as she never said a word. There were long tables set up with multiple brushes and paint and at each seat was a cylinder that spun. You set the unpainted top on the small cylinder and paint it while it spins. Luckily there was only one other child on this "field trip," and since she was nine, she was able to paint the top herself. That left the shop owner and her daughter free to help Leah and Aaron. If they weren't able to help and I had to help them, I don't think I would have been able to paint my own top.
The wooden tops were available in three sizes: large (easiest to paint), medium (easiest to throw) and small (makes good Christmas ornaments). Aaron chose a large, Leah chose a medium and I chose a small and made it into a Christmas ornament. (The daughter even wrote "Merry Christmas" in Katakana for me with a paint pen on my top.) Similar to a paint your own pottery-type place, you pay according to what size top you choose and you have to come back another day to pick up the finished top. (A shiny lacquer is applied as well as the metal tip to the top. And in the case of my ornament, they even added a ribbon to the top so I can hang it on the tree.)
After everyone had painted their tops, the lady gave everyone a top to learn how to throw it. If you've ever thrown a yo-yo where the yo-yo sits and spins at the bottom of the string rather than climbing back up, then you can throw a top. It requires that same flick of the wrist. The string gets wound either clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on whether you are going to be throwing it with your right or left hand. It's actually thrown on it's side via the string and then it rights itself onto the tip and spins. After a few practice throws I got the hang of it and then we had our own "battle" where the person whose top spins the longest wins and gets their name written in Kanji on a board on the wall. (I did not win.)
Overall it was an interesting and fun endeavor, but when it was done, we were all glad as it was very hot that day. I asked Leah and Aaron if they would like to do it again and they said no, once was enough and I have to agree. When we came back the next day to pick up our finished tops, we got to see the showroom, and the tops the lady makes are very elaborate and beautiful. From what I could interpret, as it gets closer to Christmas she creates top ornaments too. Now I just have to wait until Christmas to hang my top.
*FRG stands for Family Readiness Group. Most ships have their own FRG. Before the social media explosion, the FRG was a good source of information on the ship during deployments for families. Now it has mostly a social agenda and is a good way to meet people and stay occupied while your sailor is underway. They have things like back-to-school parties, Valentine's Day parties, these "Out and About" field trips, etc.
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