Japanese men hold competition to celebrate baldness

More than 30 bald men gathered at a hot spring facility in Tsuruta, Japan, on Wednesday to show off their hairless heads and have fun.

Members of the city’s Bald Men Club took turns competing in a unique game of tug- of- war by sticking a suction cup, which is attached to a single red rope, to each of their heads. Both sides then attempt to pull the cup off of their opponent’s head.

“My head still hurts,” Toshiyuki Ogasawara, 43, said with a smile. “I think I need to ice it!”

The club, which has attracted roughly 65 members since its founding in 1989, encourages people to “view baldness in a positive manner, to have fun, and to brighten the world with our shiny heads,” according to its website.

Teijiro Sugo, 70, the club’s chairman, hopes the gathering will turn into something much larger. “I want all the bald men all over the world to gather here so we can organize a bald men’s Olympic tournament,” Sugo said.

The event is held every year on February 22.