One of the enduring summer vacation memories for Japanese children is radio calisthenics.
Although it is now no longer practiced in some areas, when I was an elementary school student every morning at 6:00 a.m. during summer vacation children would sleepily rub their eyes while gathering at a nearby park to do around five minutes of exercises in time to the music on the radio.
For those who are imagining simple stretches, please don’t understimate radio calisthenics. Radio calisthenics consisted of two parts, a first and second, but the second part is both up tempo and has an irregular rhythm, which suddenly makes it much more difficult. It was a common sight across Japan to see students from the upper grades smugly doing their exercises correctly while younger students watched them and do their best to try and copy them.
For children, the calinsthenics itself was secondary, with the main motivation being the stamp they received on their radio calisthenics cards. What was it that was so fun about getting your card stamped? Was it the pride of receiving a perfect attendance award, or the sweets you got with it? Why would someone be influenced by such a small incentive? Looking back on it and not being able to understand makes me feel like i’ve become an adult. The excitement of seeing friends first thing in the morning, the pleasantness of the summer morning sun, and how delicious breakfast tasted after getting back home all blend together with the sleepiness and hassle that only serve to add spice to my childhood memories.
By the way, if you do the radio calisthenics seriously, it burns around 25-30 calories. If you find you’ve been enjoying too much delicious food and alcohol on your trip to Japan, you might want to give calisthenics a try to help reset your body and mind. Of course, know your own limits and keep it to a reasonable level.