Japan's Office Chair Race "ISU-1 GP" Getting Popular - Taiwan Too
There's no limit in man's imagination and guts to put it in action. This is the story of a most bizarre imagination put into action.
A merchant in Kyoto was trying to figure out some measure to revive his half-deserted shopping arcade and up came an idea popping in his mind - why not an F-1 race with office chairs!?
There you are - a bizarre imagination: a race with office chairs, of all "vehicles". But, somehow or rather an idea materialized. This innovative merchant, Takeshi Tawara by name, 46, talked his neighbors into organizing a race, aptly named it "ISU-1 Grand Prix (GP) after F-1 race. ( Isu, by the way, means chair in Japanese.) It was in 2010.
The first ISU-1 GP turned out to be a hectic event, a chair broke up after another and the riders toppling over. But all such happenings served to elate the participants. The race was a great success.
The ISU-1 GP found its way to spread nationwide. This year Yamagata had one, so did Tokushima, Nagasaki, Okayama, Hiroshima, Akita and Hokkaido. And next month in October, races are scheduled in Iwate, Kanazawa and now Tokyo. So far a total of 1,500 isu racers has run in the ISU-1 GP across the nation.
The ISU-1 GP is an endurance race competing the number of rounds in 2 hours. The course size depends on the location but approximately 180 meters. A chair has 3 racers to ride and by the time it finishes it can often be back-restless, armless and its drivers completely powerless.
The ISU-1 GP has grown so popular now that it found its way into Taiwan. The City of Tainan is planning to organize a Taiwan version of ISU-1 GP next year.
There is one called "ISU-1 Grand Prix Tokyo-Kyobashi 2015" scheduled in Kyobashi, Tokyo, starting 9:30 on October 25. Those athletic foreign tourists who happen to be in Tokyo and willing to join the race can access the official website to check entry details.
