Reika Saiki is here to evolve traditional kawaii cuteness into a new form: mukikawa. When she first joined idol mascot group Cheer♡1, Reika Saiki looked pretty much like what you’d expect for someone entering that sector of the Japanese entertainment industry. She had a slender build, and showed up for her audition interview in 2014 […]
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Japan’s unbelievably buff muscle idol shares workout videos, performs wicked clothesline【Videos】
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Middle-aged, left-by-wife Japanese guy goes from schlub to stud, rebuilds muscles and life【Pics 】
Renewed passion for bodybuilding leads to competition-spec body and new love. A few years ago, Japanese Twitter user Shirapyon (@lonestarsde66) hit a low point in his life. His wife suddenly left him, and he was, in his own words, “A bald, dumpy, middle-aged guy.” Looking for something to kick-start his emotional recovery, he recalled how […]
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Sexy Japanese bikini model Waka Inoue snaps back into shape with dramatic before/after video
After being away from the spotlight for a few years, the busty star wants to regain her physique. At the height of her popularity in the mid 2000s, Waka Inoue was one of Japan’s most popular gravure bikini models. The Tokyo-born Inoue wasn’t relying on any sort of waifish appeal, though, as her curvy proportions […]
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Wii Fit sequel to make the jump to Nintendo Switch, promises tons of fun and sore muscles【Video】
It’s back, everyone! Get ready to crush your opponents in the name of exercise. One of the best-selling games of its time, Wii Fit provided countless hours of entertainment to players by cleverly using the console’s unique remote controller, the Wii Board, and a huge variety of fun games that involved lots of body movement. […]
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Nintendo’s crazy new Ring-Con and RingFit Adventure are its new exercise/gaming hybrid【Video】
Developers promise new title is “an adventure game first and foremost.” Despite more or less creating the standard template for modern video came controllers (a pad with thumb-operated directional control on the left, large face buttons on the right, and smaller buttons in the middle), Nintendo has always been willing to go far outside the […]
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Turn your exercise ball into your furry best friend with cute pet character covers from Japan!
The only thing you’ll have to balance here is your love for five different animals. Over the years, Japan has earned itself a reputation as the land of all things cute, or “kawaii“. Here, everyday things like portable battery packs, pouches and cushion cases come covered in adorable designs that make them much more enjoyable to use, and one […]
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Weightlifting is Japanese salarymen’s newest hobby, report says, since “Muscles won’t betray you”
Lead researcher says pumping iron gives salarymen a joy “that they can’t get from work.” The stereotypical life of a middle-aged salaryman is supposed to go something like this: Wake up and go to work. After work, go drinking with your boss and coworkers at an izakaya pub, then go for a second session of […]
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The SoraNews24 Work from Home Health Guide: Stretching with Mr. Sato!【Photos】
Mr. Sato is wiser, and healthier, than people think, and he’s here to help you stay loose and limber. With the coronavirus pandemic ongoing, more people than ever are working from home. If your job isn’t something that involves a lot of kinetic activity, like, for example, being a lumberjack, alligator wrestler, or ninja, you […]
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THIS is how you do a home workout session when you’re suffering from cabin fever【Photos】
With the walls closing in on him in his Tokyo apartment, SoraNews24’s Go Hatori figures out a way to work his body and free his mind. After weeks of working from home due to the coronavirus outbreak, our Japanese-language reporter Go Hatori was starting to feel out of shape. There’s really only so much exercise […]
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Coca Cola Japan is giving away one million free drinks to encourage people to exercise at home
Sometimes all we need is a little extra incentive to get moving. Amid the spread of COVID-19 and the Japanese government declaring a state of emergency for seven Japanese prefectures, the average person’s level of physical activity is likely decreasing. That’s where Coca Cola Japan comes in. They don’t want you to become inactive, so […]
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Get your lazy body movin’ with PPAP singer’s new fitness challenge song, “Hoppin’ Flappin’【Video】
Pikotaro’s unique brand of musical weirdness gives birth to a stay-home fitness routine he can barely complete. As the man behind “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen,” it would be all too easy to dismiss everything singer/comedian Pikotaro does as pure nonsense. He’s the guy who wrote a song where people slap him on the butt while shouting “Pumpkin,” after […]
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Listening to boys’ love during workout at gym causes strange problem in Japan
Seme’s confession of passion turns out to be too hot for the equipment to handle. In any gym, you’ll see people exercising with earphones in their ears. While you obviously can’t hear what they’re listening too, it’s pretty easy to imagine everyone has some sort of energizing soundtrack for their workout, whether it’s an up-tempo […]
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What happens when you strap an electric muscle stimulator to your face? Mr. Sato finds out!【Vid】
A shocking experiment, brought to you by the chief of SoraNews24’s Department of Bad Ideas. You might not have guessed it from watching him drink the biggest cup of tapioca bubble tea in Tokyo or eat the largest sakura sweet bean bun we’ve ever seen, but our Japanese-language reporter Mr. Sato is actually a pretty […]
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Tokyo Tower reopens after coronavirus closure, but now you have to take the stairs 150 meters up
Uniquely beautiful views of the city and a cardio workout like no other. Though it lost its status as the tallest structure in Japan when the Skytree opened in 2012, Tokyo Tower is still, to many, the more iconic symbol of the capital. Situated closer to the city center and with a red-and-white color scheme […]
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Boxing reflex balls are the best way to make you a hit on social media
It’s the Instagram of the tiger; the thrill of the likes. Having spent his period of self-isolation mastering the kendama, our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma is always seeking new skills and challenges to push himself with. He is especially drawn to cool-looking stuff like fight training, but he didn’t want to spend a lot of money […]
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Student baseball players in Japan improve with less training after COVID-19 hiatus
Less practice has resulted in faster pitches and stronger players. Although it’s been an awful disease that has damaged our world in many ways, the coronavirus pandemic also has a way of exposing certain weaknesses in societies and giving us an opportunity to rectify them. One interesting example has appeared in Japan’s vast and complex […]
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Japanese masturbatory aid maker Tenga releases dumbbells so you can pump up while you jerk off
A bold new frontier in multi-tasking. As Japan’s leading maker of masturbatory aids, Tenga is no doubt well-aware that some people may snicker at the vigorous workout its customers are giving their arms and wrists. But with the company’s newest product, that won’t be a snide remark, but an accurate description of what’s happening. The […]
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Weightlifting anime’s theme song video blows past 115 million views with help from muscle idol
Real-life bodybuilders stand in for anime weightlifters in otaku community’s favorite workout anthem. Anime in the “teenage girl starts a new hobby and is surprised to find how deep her passion is for it” genre are a dime a dozen, but 2019 weightlifting series How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? stood out from the […]
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In Japan, even lifting weights is cute, Rilakkuma fitness goods prove【Photos】
Rilakkuma is here to help you be more physically active than he is.
As you’ve probably noticed by now, no country has a soft spot for cute things as soft as Japan’s. A big part of the reason why is that in Japanese society, cuteness isn’t seen as the opposite of maturity, meaning that all sorts of things not just for kids, but for adults too, can be designed with kawaii elements.
For example, Japanese sporting equipment maker Mizuno has released two new sets of workout weights, and they’re adorable.
If you’ve spent much time browsing a Japanese toy store (or Netflix’s Japanese offerings), you’ll no doubt recognize always-relaxed bear Rilakkuma and his pal Kiiroitori. While these might look like cushions or plushies to tie onto the strap of your bag, they’re actually workout weights from Mizuno’s Ballretch lineup.
Covered in soft material for a grip that won’t leave calluses, each weight is meant to be gripped in one hand and used like a dumbbell, as shown in the video below.
Two Ballretch Rilakkuma sets are on offer, the first featuring Rilakkuma and Kiiroitori, and the second providing a double-dose of bears with Korilakkuma and Chairoikoguma.
▼ To the untrained eye, Chairoikoguma (“Brown Bear Cub”) may look just like Rilakkuma, but you can tell them apart by Chairoikoguma’s fangs.
Each weight is identical in size and mass: 14 centimeters (5.5 inches) in diameter and 500 grams (1.1 pounds), so the difference between the four is purely aesthetic. Speaking of aesthetics, fans will be happy to know that Mizuno is staying faithful to the source material and portraying Rilakkuma not as an actual bear, but as a bear kigurumi costume, with what’s inside remaining an unsolved mystery.
A character who celebrates laziness as a virtue does seem, at first anyway, like an odd choice for a fitness spokesperson. The weights are so cute that they still make cute interior decorations even if you decide to take a page from Rilakkuma’s playbook and just take it easy for the day instead exercising, though, and if you’re keeping your weights out instead of sticking them in a box in the back of your closet, it’s that much easier to grab them and start working out if and when the mood does strike you.
The sets can be ordered, priced at 3,960 yen (US$38) here through Mizuno’s online shop, and if you need some workout music, we’ve got just the thing.
Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: Mizuno, PR Times, Mizuno (2)
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Warm-up and exercise with Machamp in new Pokémon-themed calisthenics video
Even if you don’t have four arms, folks of all ages and physiologies can break a sweat with Machamp!
Exercising indoors can be a challenge. From lack of space to simply making the time for a quick workout, folks have had to find new ways to keep themselves active as they spend more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. But maintaining one’s fitness doesn’t have to be difficult, especially with this new Pokémon-themed exercise video featuring Machamp.
▼ The video comes with an apt disclaimer: “In the case of injury or pain, please do not overexert yourself.”
Set to a cheery piano tune, and narrated by a firm but soothing voice, the Machamp exercise video walks the viewer through a short calisthenics routine that looks just like the rajio taiso (radio calisthenics) warm-up exercises broadcast by public broadcaster NHK.
Compared to other workout styles, calisthenics focuses primarily on maintaining the flexibility and strength of the body’s arms, legs, as well as core. The routine is incredibly popular throughout Japan, with whole companies even taking part in the exercises as a way to warm up for the day’s errands and work without exhausting one’s self completely.
It’s a first for people in Japan to see Machamp lead us through the routine, though, and it’s made extra sweet with attention to details like gentle reminders to breathe properly during the workout.
▼ Breathe in…
▼ … and out!
Several of Machamp’s iconic moves are also incorporated into the routine, but no need to worry. Even if you don’t have four arms, the included moves are easy to adapt. From the sweeping Low Kick to the speed-lowering Scary Face, fans of Pokémon will no doubt have fun recognizing parts of Machamp’s move sets while getting limber for the day.
▼ “Cross Chop!”
▼ And to end on a bang, “Dynamic Punch!”
If you’re looking for additional energetic ways to start off your mornings, Japan’s Self-Defense force has an impressionable calisthenics routine, though beware… it isn’t for the faint of heart or body!
Source, images: YouTube/Pokémon Kids TV Japan via Jin
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