{"id":549724,"date":"2026-04-25T08:36:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T08:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/549724\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T08:36:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T08:36:07","slug":"japan-awakens-to-radio-exercise-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/549724\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan awakens to radio exercise tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

TOKYO (AP) \u2014 This is how Japan<\/a> wakes up. It\u2019s called Radio Taiso \u2014 Exercise Radio in English \u2014 a simple yet dynamic way to start the day.<\/p>\n

Japanese radio plays music every morning at 6:30 to accompany basic instructions for calisthenics<\/a>, and millions perform in the choreography: in parks, workplaces, schools \u2014 and at home.<\/p>\n

Radio Taiso has an almost 100-year history, formally introduced in 1928 and coinciding with the enthronement of Emperor Hirohito<\/a>. The tradition endures because the exercises are suitable for all ages and capabilities, and easily accessible. <\/p>\n

We\u2019re talking about basic exercise movements: reach to the sky to limber up, twist at the torso, bend at the hips, swing the arms and get the shoulders loose, or jump or run in place. <\/p>\n

Exercisers can make it as strenuous as they wish, and it\u2019s over in just 10 minutes, all done to the rhythm of a soft piano melody. Japan<\/a> has one of the longest-lived populations on Earth, and this ritual is credited for promoting physical and social well-being. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested you can find Radio Taiso routines on YouTube in English and in other languages.<\/p>\n

The basic moves for all<\/p>\n

There are about a dozen basic moves that can be done standing or seated. The idea is to keep moving and, though the program runs early in the morning, many devotees repeat it on their own later in the day.<\/p>\n

The routine features a trio of three-minute segments that get slightly more difficult \u2014 but not much. Most Radio Taiso followers know the sequences by heart, but beginners can join in and quickly pick up the routines. No equipment<\/a> is needed.<\/p>\n

The program begins with arms exercises \u2014 lifting the arms, circling the arms and stretching the arms side-to-side. It\u2019s followed by bending from the waist and twisting at the waist. <\/p>\n

Shoulder raises are incorporated with a few mini-jumping exercises and marching-in place moves. Along the way you add in neck exercises, moves to stretch the chest and small squats for leg power.<\/p>\n

Each movement is repeated four to eight times with instructions throughout to relax, breathe, and inhale and exhale slowly.<\/p>\n

A social event, too<\/p>\n

Mieko Kobayashi is 88 and goes to Kiba Park \u2014 an expansive layout in the east Tokyo area \u2014 almost every day, where a large group gathers without fail. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s cold or raining, I don\u2019t go,\u201d she said. \u201cBy moving my body, I feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n

She and her 77-year-old friend, Yoshiko Nagao, said that some who go to the park daily live alone, and this is an important social anchor \u2014 particularly for the elderly.<\/p>\n

\u201cLaughing and chatting while taking a walk after (the exercise) is also good,\u201d Nagao added. \u201cWe come even on New Year\u2019s Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kenji Iguchi is 83 \u2014 he\u2019d pass for 60 \u2014 and he\u2019s been a regular for about 20 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s for my joints, mainly the knees and back, because of my age,\u201d Iguchi said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get up a 5 a.m. anyway,\u201d he added. \u201cI come to the park about 6 and do a round of walking ahead of the Radio Taiso session. Most of the faces are familiar, and coming here and getting together with them is also one of the things I look forward to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Japan has one of the world\u2019s longest-lived populations, attributed to its diet, healthcare system and a lifestyle that encourages the elderly to be active. The average life expectancy is about 85, and only Hong Kong is reported to be slightly higher. By comparison, the United States life expectancy is about 79.<\/p>\n

The Japanese government announced late last year that 99,763 people were alive in Japan at 100 or more<\/a>, a new national record for the 55th straight year. The breakdown was 87,784 female (88%) and 11,979 male (12%). Japan holds the record for the most centenarians relative to its population, which is about 122 million.<\/p>\n

American roots<\/p>\n

Radio Taiso was inspired a century ago by a similar radio program in the United States sponsored by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. The Japan Radio Taiso Federation says officials of the postal ministry visited the United States in the 1920s and returned to Japan with the concept. <\/p>\n

Within a decade, millions were participating. The federation says the program was led by postal workers who distributed pamphlets and organized training sessions.<\/p>\n

Japan was under United States occupation after its defeat in 1945 in World War II, and the exercises were banned \u2014 largely because they were done in groups. The federation says the practice was seen as \u201ctotalitarian\u201d with a possible air of militarism.<\/p>\n

The group exercise were resumed in 1951, backed by popular demand as the American occupation ended in 1952.<\/p>\n

According to a 2023 survey by the federation, more than 20 million people in Japan practiced a Radio Taiso session at least once a week. <\/p>\n

Radio Taiso has caught on in many countries abroad, most notably in Brazil<\/a>, which has the largest population of people of Japanese decent living outside Japan.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Mayuko Ono and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Follow AP\u2019s Be Well coverage, focusing on all aspects of wellness, at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/be-well<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TOKYO (AP) \u2014 This is how Japan wakes up. It\u2019s called Radio Taiso \u2014 Exercise Radio in English…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":549725,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[1296,21473,6647,102,386,5306,189180,655,189178,6745,101,56,54,55,189179],"class_list":{"0":"post-549724","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-asia-pacific","9":"tag-be-well","10":"tag-fitness","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-japan","13":"tag-japan-government","14":"tag-kenji-iguchi","15":"tag-lifestyle","16":"tag-mieko-kobayashi","17":"tag-physical-fitness","18":"tag-sports","19":"tag-uk","20":"tag-united-kingdom","21":"tag-unitedkingdom","22":"tag-yoshiko-nagao"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=549724"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549724\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/549725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=549724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=549724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=549724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}