Temple of Ranma's Sailor Senshi Seifuku

In one of the Ranma manga volumes, everyone went to the beach. There, they found Kuno had been training- he had been practising hitting watermellons with his bokken.

I didn't think much of this at the time (since I doubt that japan has giant ghost cats, gender-changing martial artists, or magical girls) untill I was watching the Witchblade anime this morning. In it, everyone was at the beach, and they were hitting watermellons with sticks.

Is this a japanese thing? Do japanese people actually beat up watermellons at the beach? Why

The game seems to be popular in Japan. I've seen numerous anime and manga where kids play it when they are on the beach. Basically they cover someone's eyes, give him a stick and he must trie to hit the melon.

Well, look at the Mexicans and their Piñata. That isn't all that different I'd say.

In case you wanted to know the name of that popular summertime game held at beaches, festivals, and picnics is suikawari.

The most common way it is played is: A watermelon is laid out, sometimes on a tarp, and participants attempt to smash it open. Each is blindfolded, spun around three times, and handed a bokken to strike with. The first to crack the watermelon open wins. After it is broken the chunks of watermelon are shared among participants.

Oh and Japanese myth and legends are full of ghost cats called - bakeneko or if the cat is older and has developed two tails it is called nekomata.

the bakeneko and the nekomata in some cases are interchangeable. i have read in some places before that they are separate creatures, the bakeneko having three tails to the nekomata's two. and in others that bakeneko are actually older nekomata... but yes, there are a lot of cat legends ^_^;