In practice though, Flugtag is usually an excuse to build wacky flying machines with little aerodynamics and hope of flying, and launching them off into their doom.

They’re cool at first, but after a while, the novelty wears out. Flugtag’s been running for over 20 years, and you can only watch so many goofy-looking contraptions plummet off of a cliff before it gets old.

But if Flugtag doesn’t cut it for you, then Japan’s got you covered. There’s a Japanese human-powered flight competition every makes Flugtag look like child’s play.

It’s called the Birdman Rally (or 鳥人間コンテスト) and it’s held every year in Lake Biwa (琵琶湖), a massive and culturally significant lake close to Kyoto.

Unlike Flugtag, teams for the Birdman Rally usually come from universities and they push the limits of human-powered flight. The current Birdman Rally record is 23 km, or about 14 miles. Impressive!

Probably the most dramatic moment in Birdman Rally history was just last year. The Wingnauts team, from the devastated Tohoku region, decided to really go for broke to show that while the earthquake and tsunami had destroyed much of their region, it hadn’t broken their spirit.

Even though the team didn’t set any records, their run was incredibly inspirational. You can see the pilot pushing himself to the limit with his teammates cheering him from the sidelines. It’s an incredibly emotional and dramatic moment, and even the hosts tear up at the end of his run.

Check out the full, 13-minute long subtitled video of the Wingnauts’ 2011 run here:

For more info, check the Birdman Rally’s official site here.

(Header image courtesy of the Kyushu University Birdman Team.)

Japan’s video arcades are so popular that there’s even an indie documentary in the works all about them, 100 Yen: The Japanese Arcade Experience.

What’s really incredible is the diversity of games within Japanese arcades. There are racing games, shoot-’em-ups, rhythm games, and, perhaps most importantly of all, fighting games.

Japan has always reigned supreme when it comes to fighting games – it’s birthed pretty much every single notable fighting game over the last thirty years from Street Fighter to Guilty Gear.

Within the world of fighting games, there’s a group of people treat a game of Marvel vs. Capcom less like entertainment and more like a fierce competition. These people compete for prizes and prestige in tournaments both small and large, in and out of Japan.

America’s EVO Championship, one of the biggest fighting game tournaments in the world

The competitive fighting game scene has players from all around the world, but Japan is in a class of its own. Japan’s domestic tournament scene puts other countries to shame, and many of the top competitors in the world are Japanese.

Some of these top competitors have risen to celebrity status. Meet Daigo “The Beast” Umehara.

“The Beast”

There’s maybe no bigger superstar in the fighting game world than Daigo Umehara (梅原大吾). Called “the god of 2D fighters” (２Ｄ格闘ゲームの神) in Japan, Daigo’s career has spanned dozens of different games and nearly 20 years.

During those two decades, Daigo has been one of the winningest players in the game. Winning his first tournament at the age of 16, Daigo continued to dominate the scene, winning over major tournaments worldwide and even earning the Guinness World Record for “most consecutive tournament wins” in 2010.

His games have become the stuff of legend. Daigo’s dramatic comeback win against rival Justin Wong in front of hundreds of screaming fans has spread far beyond the fighting game community, garnering millions of views on YouTube and elsewhere.

And he’s not only a fighting game champ, but a published author as well. He published his first book, VERSUS in 2001, following it up this year with a new book that’s been billed as a kind of “life strategy guide.” Prima, eat your heart out.

From Fighter To Author

Daigo’s new book, Willpower To Keep Winning (勝ち続ける意志力), came out in Japan earlier this week and, by some reports, has been selling like hot cakes. Amazon sold out on the first day, and many brick and mortar retailers are also having trouble keeping it on the shelves.

The book retails for ¥777 (or about US $10), but people are already trying to resell their copies for nearly ¥2,000 (US $25).

Willpower To Keep Winning is currently only available in Japan, and it’s hard to imagine an official English translation and international release. But, knowing Daigo’s following, there will no doubt be a fan translation for his rabid, worldwide fanbase.

Even if Daigo’s book never makes it across the ocean, it’s inspiring that after all these years, he’s able to pursue what he loves and do it so well.