Kendamas are making a comeback this summer, with local retailers reporting a surge in demand and a growing community of players, culminating in the 2026 Hawaiʻi Kendama Expo on Maui.

A kendama craze has swept the North Shore. A couple hundred enthusiasts of the addictive wooden skill toy braved the rainy conditions on a recent Saturday afternoon to show off their kendama moves, ...

At a time when young people of all ages are focused on electronics and apps, the popularity of the kendama — a traditional Japanese toy made out of wood — seems like an anomaly. It hasn't caught on ...

Kendama is a ball-and-cup game, popular in Japan and also among U.S. youngsters. Wabi Sabi in Bend, which sells the toy, held a tournament Saturday at the Boys and Girls Club of Bend. Organizers say ...

Many of you may remember the sudden rise in popularity of a particular game-sport resembling a ball on a stick from almost a decade ago. That toy was none other than the skill toy, kendama. Back then, ...

A worker produces a "kendama" toy at Yamagata Koubou Co. in Nagai, Yamagata Prefecture, on May 1, 2020. (Mainichi/Akane Matono) YAMAGATA -- Before they were sucked into the virtual worlds of ...