As many of you are aware, Fukiyaman (Dr. Higuchi, co-chairman of the
International Fukiyado Association), has obtained his street
entertainer's license in Japan. His goal is to make more people
aware of the sport blowgun, by following a centuries old tradition
of conducting on-street performances (like musicians, mimes,
jugglers, etc. have done in major cities around the world for
centuries). There is also documented in Japan, of blowgun
performers dating from the EDO era - and doing what Hironori refers
to as "blowgun tricks" - where a "Rube Goldberg"-like contraption
happens when you successfully trigger the target by hitting it with
a dart (papermache balls full of streamers and confetti pop open,
dolls pop up from behind the target backstop, the cork is pulled out
of a wine bottle, filling a glass positioned precariously beneath it
with wine, and so on ... You younger readers - do a web search
on "Rube Goldberg", you'll understand after reading about it. Ever
seen the board game "Mousetrap"???)

In the USA, we are not quite as showy, but we do have our share
of "tricks" (see previous posts for some details ... like suspending
a ball from a string in front of the bulls-eye, or using a knock-
down auto-reset target (borrowed from our pellet shooting
colleagues), or shooting at a "tossed" mini-foam disk (see "Shooting
Star" post about this time last year).

Well ... this year, we add another fun feature to the mix. Have you
ever seen the old science fair trick (you younger readers might not
have), where the air hose on a vaccuum cleaner is hooked on, in
reverse, as a blower, and a ping-pong ball is suspended in the air
flow above it?

Let's take it up a notch! The "Hover Blaster"!
5 balls are suspended in the air a few inches (height adjustable)
above the battery operated base. Perfect for blowgun trick shots.

http://www.bitsandpieces.com/products/sku-15-7982__id-6.html
PRICE: $39.99 USD + S&H
ITEM#: 15-W7982
Test your accuracy with the ultimate high tech target game. The
powerful air jets trigger the floating balls to "hover" in mid-air,
with adjustable controls to fly high or low. Hold your rapid-fire
hand held launcher and aim the soft, foam darts to hit the hover
balls. Comes with 10 hover balls, 8 soft darts, and instructions for
set up and play. Measures 16" long x 12" high x 3" wide. Requires
4 "C" batteries, not included.

But for blowguns - go to the craft shop. Buy a bag of styrofoam
balls having about the same diameter as the plastic ones that come
with this toy.

Step back 10 meters - take 30 shots (6 rounds of 5 shots with
your .40 or .50 cal. target darts). Score 1 point if you knock the
ball out of the airstream. Score 2 points if your dart sticks into
the ball. Stop shooting after all 5 balls are knocked out of the
airstream.

Perfect score = 10 points. Perfect game = 5 darts shot. When
competing - highest score with fewest shot darts wins.

(I love this time of the year with all these "junk" catalogs coming
in the mail! 8-)

May your darts always fly true!