Before moving, I used to drive to the gym, but now that I don't have my car and all the gyms are too far to reach on foot or by bike, I've just been doing some strength training and Tai-Chi in my room. In my hometown of Toyama, I saw a lot of elderly people who can't go anywhere by themselves after giving up driving. It's really difficult to go somewhere without a car in rural areas in Japan. That's one of the reasons why I left Toyama. I want to stay able to get around on my own, hopefully until the last days of my life.
Anyway, I've been looking for something good for my body and found out that a local group does Radio Taisō in a nearby park. I joined them the day before yesterday, so today is my third day. It's only about a 10-minute walk to the park, but the path is mostly steep uphill and downhill, so the round trip is also a great aerobic workout for me.
Radio Taisō has nearly a hundred years of history. Almost all Japanese people know the choreography and automatically start moving when we hear the music. I think very few people outside Japan know it — except Via-chan — so I'll put a link to the video.
Japanese Full-body Exercise "Radio Taiso" in English
There are some jumping parts, so I can't do it in my room; the noise would annoy the people living downstairs. Besides, it's really refreshing to go outside and enjoy the morning sunlight. I hope I can keep this habit for a long time.
I've only heard it be called "radio calisthenics" before. Hopefully we adopt "taiso" because it's so much easier to say & spell 😅 Radio taiso was in the latest Animal Crossing (動物の森) game, released during the COVID-19 pandemic. It introduced the idea to many people in the west, including me. I've not made it part of my routine but maybe I should...
@schmamie Oh, I thought you might know it, but I didn't expect it to be well-known in the West. There are a bunch of exercises of the newest styles, like HIIT or Zumba, but I think Radio Taisō is enough for me. It's easy and simple once you remember the choreography. I highly recommend it.
Having a nice walk to and from the park is just the cherry on top! Sounds like a great way to start the day. I usually go outside and start doing it all tired with a frown, but I always end up smiling (usually because I mess up the timing haha), and by the end I'm in such a good mood. Thanks Japan! haha