JAPANESE LESSONS

Bowling was enormously popular in mid-century Japan. Nearly 3,697 bowling centers opened in the country during the 1960s and 1970s. While bowling alleys initially used American-made equipment, Japanese manufacturers quickly entered the scene. Bowl-Mor was one such company. A patron at the Bowl-Mor lanes in Kobe might have gotten help from American Jimbo “Bowla” Hogg, a member of the U.S. Navy serving in Japan. Hogg was also a member of the Japan Inter-Service Bowling Association, an American Bowling Congress affiliate for service members in Japan.