Throngs Gather for... Hole-Digging Contest?

And you thought hot-dog-eating competitions were weird. Try this one on for size: Japan has an All-National Hole-Digging Competition, in which participants, yep, dig holes. The contest, which drew more than a thousand participants to the outskirts of Tokyo yesterday, awards the following feats: deepest hole, most creative digging, and best digging costume, Reuters reports. Entrants have 30 minutes to dig as deep as they possibly can—and to guarantee a semblance of fairness, shovels are measured beforehand to make sure they're regulation size.

The winner dug a hole that measured in at 10 feet, 8 inches deep, and received $1,215 and a Golden Shovel. Said one contestant: “we look at dirt every day. But being here and having people pass by and say it looks really nice, makes me very happy.” All that hard work doesn't last long, though: The holes get refilled once the contest is done.
(More Japan stories.)