At the start of any given day, in the parks and playgrounds of Japan, people from all walks of life will gather together to exercise rajio taiso – a kind of grounding, healing, regenerative exercise that has a history stretching back decades. It’s the kind of practice that breaks down boundaries of age and profession: schoolkids and the elderly alike all get involved.
Though it has roots in early 20s America, around the same time, Japan embraced the exercise too. Instructions on how to do it were broadcast daily on public radio at 6:30 in the morning. 100 years later, and still as many as 20 million people practise it twice a week. It was that grounding, unifying spirit that inspired the new campaign from Japanese brand ASICS, who’ve made their most comfortable, rajio taiso-ready sneaker: the GEL-KINETIC™ FLUENT silhouette. In it, an office clerk, a student lounging in the park, and a taxi driver are roused from their slumber as dawn cracks on the city. Around them, little crowds of people gather to perform the rajio taiso routine, inspiring the fatigued folks to get up and start their day.
Rather than making a straight-forward exercise-style video, the campaign’s director Toshiki Yashiro decided that the film should “focus more on the effect that these group exercises might have on people in its near orbit, like a trigger for a memory that’s never shared.” Wistful, nostalgic and, like ASICS, wearing its Japanese roots beautifully, the campaign video was shot on film, evoking a sense of reminiscence. “When you recall a memory from your childhood, you might remember how the sun felt on your shoulders or how the grass smelled differently than they do now,” Yashiro adds. “There’s a certain simplicity to these moments that stick.”
That sense of nostalgia is merged with contemporary technology in the GEL-KINETIC™ FLUENT sneaker. Coming in colourways reminiscent of the ‘90s, their build and innovative design – everything from inner cushioning to the sole construction – make them one of ASICS most comfortable designs yet, perfect for light exercise or everyday wear. As the campaign’s tagline reads: ‘feel comfort find energy’. Now’s your time to take up rajio taiso and be part of ASICS’ slick and good-looking Japanese spirit.