Despite the popularity of the player Ai Fukuhara, and a series of world champions in both men's and women's singles in the 1950s and '60s, table tennis has long been considered a minor sport in Japan. Often, it is simply associated with hot-spring goers playing in the lounge while clad in yukata and slippers.
Recently, though, the sport seems to be undergoing a revolution as people can be seen enjoying it in rather unconventional places such as cafes and bars.
One of these new table-tennis venues, Famitaku, is located in a Family Mart convenience store in Jinbo-cho in Tokyo, where, in a room divided by glass from the shopping area, there are five tables.