Any! Their keyaki is awesome, the premium paints are bomb, and those plain Jane natty so are on point. You cannot go wrong with an Ozora.
Just got my first two in today. Street black and light blue. I would agree and say you can't go wrong, just scoop the one that grabs your attention.
I received my Ozora today and it SLAYS. Lunars, lighthouses, space walks, everything laces right out of the bag. It's amazingly light as well!
You can't go wrong with any of the Ozora kendama IMO. You should def try one of the hardwoods Keyaki or Maple! @CMFeijóo
My first two Oozora are the pink and green. They've stayed loyal for so long, and they're so honed in right now. Oozoras are the type of kendamas which are sooooo affordable and also perform really well. As for a beginner's suggestion, get one that YOU like! All of them are great jammers.
I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the street. I have one and I think the paint is pretty unique
@Koisuru Stephen I'm not 100% on the street black paint. I consider myself a mid to high range beginner so the paint is just a little slick for me, but I jam on it a little each day hoping the paint will be much better when it's time to retire my current seshed damas.
I have both the Ozora Street and the Ozora year of the monkey. The year of the monkey has a rubber paint, where the street is almost like a flat matte type of paint. Not nearly as sticky as the premiums, and in my case the paint did not hold up that well. Still an Ozora though, still slays! My very first dama was a green Ozora and it treated me well. Taught me to respect balance tricks and hone in on my spike accuracy. In my opinion, you don't have a kendama collection without at least one Ozora and one TK16.
If you want the OG feeling then go for keyaki!...that sound...that smell...damn. If you are a skilled player go for classic ones or premium ( white ). For more grip you should pick the new premium ones or rubber. You can't go wrong with a ozora!
I had a chat with the guy from Ozora and he says the paint is the same on both the Street and Year of the Monkey. If you're feeling any difference perhaps it's the difference in batches or the way the blue vs black mix up. I've run into that with rubber compounds, black was more pliable and the other color additives made the rubber less flexible.
Keyaki all the way. Keyaki is by far my favorite Ozora and with good reason. It's a long lasting ICY kendama that really takes a lot of time to hone to your play style but when it does you will be hard pressed to find a better natty. The...keyaki...kendama...SLAYS! As you play this kendama it holds true to its original form very well but still goes through a really unique transformation. I play mine over grass because it's a harder kendama so mine has grass stains mixed in with my palm sweat, breaks in great.
Ozoras are amazing. Got a keyaki, green, and green premium. I'd recommend premium for beginner. I'd recommend a the keyaki for grinding. Mine is really lightweight though. And the regular ozora for everyone. Love them. and they have excellent strings.
Suggestions. Keyaki Maple Premium (any one, can't go wrong with it) You can find a number of brands who offer custom painted ozoras on their catalog. I got a Battlescar Terra painted maple Ozora and it's super good. Same with a Roots custom painted keyaki.