Residents who suffered through the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 and live in public housing in Miyagi Prefecture, step out onto their balconies each Monday to mimic the movements of a person performing calisthenics on the ground below.
The group workout is held at a public housing unit for disaster victims in Natori within the prefecture and helps to alleviate sense of isolation and deal with the drop in physical activity among elderly residents.
Residents used to gather every morning to perform the calisthenics that are part of the NHK radio broadcasts in an effort to prevent being infected with the new coronavirus. However, since it was not possible to gather as a unit, a resident support group organized the balcony calisthenics, which began in late April.
Around the time of TV exercise program on NHK every Monday afternoon, the residents of five buildings appear one by one on their balconies.
Staff members from the support group stand in front of each building with pom-poms in both hands. As the workout leaders move to the music, the residents mimic their movements and they all perform the routine in unison.
About 20 residents participated in balcony calisthenics on Monday.
"It's fun to feel like we're doing exercises together, even if we can't actually get together like we used to," a 68-year-old man said with a smile after working out on the balcony of his sixth-floor unit.
Said Mariko Kikuchi, president of the support group: "The workouts are also effective as a watchdog activity, while preventing deaths from loneliness as well as building up the community spirit among the residents who have been dealing with their issues while living in disaster public housing. We hope to continue performing this activity into the future."
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