A clip of the moment newly appointed AKB48 member Tanabe Miku won the annual Rock, Paper, Scissors competition in Japan has begun to spread around the internet like wildfire.
The annual Rock, Paper, Scissors competition is known as ‘janken taikai’ – ‘janken’ meaning Rock, Paper, Scissors and ‘takei’ meaning tournament. Its contestants comprise of budding members from the Japanese girl idol group AKB48. The winner of the janken competition earns a place in the all girl group. The pop group has over 100 girls who perform a variety of musical and entertainment acts.
This year, Tanabe Miku was crowned the winner.
Janken dates back to the 17th century and is an evolution of a game imported from China that dates all the way back to 200BC.
The tournament sees contestants often dressed in cosplay competing one-on-one. There’s even a referee to overlook the competition to ensure there is no foul play. At first glance, the competition seems cute and silly but Miku’s excitable reaction upon winning the competition perhaps reflects just how seriously the tournament is taken.
