The Japanese are no strangers to unusual competitions, so I guess it makes sense that they’ve found a way to turn a rage-induced reaction like flipping a table into an annual contest.

日本人对各种奇葩比赛并不陌生，所以他们将发泄情绪的掀桌子变成一项年度比赛也就不奇怪了。

On June 16, a shopping mall in Japan’s Iwata Prefecture hosted the 12th annual World Chabudai-Gaeshi Tournament, an offbeat competition where participants try to flip a small tea table as far as possible. The premise is pretty simple: anyone can sign up for the competition, from young children to the elderly, and the goal is to flip the small wooden tea table as hard as possible to send the fake food on top of it flying as far as possible. In fact, the winner is judged not by how far they flip the table, but how far a plastic fish set on top of it travels.

6月16日，日本岩手县的一家商场举行了第12届年度世界掀桌大赛，这场离奇的比赛要求参赛者将一个小茶桌掀得越远越好。参赛条件很简单：任何人都可以报名参赛，不论是年幼的孩子还是年迈的老人，参赛者用最大的力气将木头小茶桌掀翻，目标就是让桌子上的假食物飞得越远越好。事实上，评判获胜的标准不是将桌子掀得最远，而是让桌上的塑料鱼飞得最远。

Contestants kneel behind the small tea table, next to an elderly woman dressed in cooking garb, and when she touches their shoulder and says “stop it”, that’s when they get to flip out. Most people channel their rage and frustrations, shouting all kinds of things, like “I want a job offer” or “I deserve a raise”, but any emotion is acceptable. In fact, this year’s winner, a member of the Iwate Big Bulls basketball team, channeled the love for his team, yelling “Go Big Bulls!” and sending the plastic fish flying 8.29 meters.

参赛者跪在小茶桌后面，旁边是一位穿着厨师服的老太太，当老太太触碰参赛者的肩，说“别这样”，参赛者就可以掀桌子了。大多数人都是来宣泄自己的愤怒和沮丧情绪的，一边掀一边还喊出各种各样的话，比如“我想要一份工作”或“我应该加薪”，比赛中可以宣泄各种情绪。事实上，今年的赢家——岩手县大公牛篮球队的一名队员——就抒发了对篮球队的热爱，大喊“大公牛加油！”然后让塑料鱼飞了8.29米远。

The silly contest was inspired by the Japanese phrase “chabudai gaeshi” which literally means “upending the tea table” in anger or frustration, and is used to figuratively describe an outburst and upheaval.

这个有点傻气的比赛是受日本短语chabudai gaeshi的启发，该短语的字面意思是怀着愤怒或沮丧的心情“掀翻茶桌”，用来形象地描述爆发和剧变。