Grandstanding

12-21 looks like a beekeeper...A picture is worth a thousand words..here its only two words 'poor attendance.'

Spectators watch the action at the Japan Pan Pacific

LOL! Must not be much 'action'

LOL. only in Japan.

This is a No-No in US.

I take it the picture is such a closeup as there weren't that many there.

It is hilarious isn't it! when people try to protect themselves from the sun without slapping a bucktload of chemicals on their skin!! Hahahahaha!!! About as funny as skin cancer!!!!

Seems the sunshine is too strong.

"12-21 looks like a beekeeper"

Ha ha! That would be 11-20, some14some, but yer right! Suddenly I want to eat some honey...

Good to see some islamic ladies supporting their players.

I,ve been watching most matches live , and i gotta tell you the attendances are disgusting, for a WTA event compared to the rest of the tournaments.. You,ve had the top 9 womens players in the competing at this tournament and don,t have the spectators to show for it..As for the picture of the day, it sums up the fact that your average housewife or the retired are the only ones who are there..

I don't understand why these people would attend in person if this is the get-up they force upon themselves. BTW, ever heard of sunscreen? I suppose the fear of a slight tan is what causes such poor attendance. For all the bragging about being an "island country," this place has the most sun-phobic people on Earth.

Japan, a population of over 120 million but they only have 12 professional baseball teams and even that is stretching it. Sports wise... the Japanese just don't seem to be big spectators. But who can blame them... excessive rules and foreign player caps keep the real talent out of the country.

The TSA would have a field day.

is that mother Teresa??

boring boring-boring better time at the beach

Serrano: "Suddenly I want to eat some honey..."

Probably didn't intend it come out the way it sounds...

Anyway, while I would never swath myself in such garb (opting instead for 'water-babies' 50+ SPF by the bucket), since they're not allowed parasols I can see people doing this. I HATE when they dress up like this and ride around (plus sun umbrella) on bikes with the black collapsable sun visors, though. It's dangerous as you have no clue where the person is looking and cannot accurately guess their intended course (especially since they ride on the wrong side of the road most of the time!).

Wow, Islamic ladies...niiiice (^_^)

In Japan total attendance in Nippon Professional Baseball in 2010 was 22,141,003 . In USA total attendance in Major League Baseball in 2010 was 70,255,357. Japan's population is 126,475,664 and USA's population was 313,232,044. (Latest population estimates according to my CIA sources.)

@marcels - maybe people are just sick of sport tournaments and their expensive tickets? Just a never-ending stream of baseball/ tennis/ golf/ olympics/ football/ athletics/ world cups/ paralympics/ asian games/ commonwealth games/ etc.. With the same media companies/ corporate sponsors/ drink and shoe companies advertising everywhere in the hope that people will buy their products, while the execs look on from their air-conditioned VIP boxes and limousines...

I do not think these people look very Islamic but more like a few relatives I know who pick tomatoes, etc..in the USA in the fields that no American citizen would dare to do, but hey this is Japan and if they want to have funny sun tans, oh well! Short sleeve t-shirt and then those crazy black long gloves?? That is going to be one heck of a crazy sun tan!

Tennis Ninjas.

@Globalwatcher Not true. I have seen people with a darth visor in LA

This might be slightly off-topic but relevant in that two of these nomads seem to be purposely covering their mouths - but why so often do we see people in Japan (news stories, photos, etc.) wearing surgical type or dust masks out in public? Particularly in Tokyo and cities. Is the air that polluted and fowl? Is is a shout-out to Michael Jackson? What gives? I happen to notice as the earthquake was happening and they showed some folks evacuating buildings they were wearing these, so it's not a result of radiation fears.

Very beautiful picture