(Shizuka, December 14 6.25 am)
After a peaceful sleep on floor mates, I am getting ready to join the Shizuoka fitness group with my neighbour and land- lord Mr Shida. Desperate for some exercise after a long flight from Australia and two weeks of no activity, I join the group , but I’m not sure if I’ll be up to this- the Japanese are famous for extreme exercise.
My fears are somewhat eased when I’m introduced to one of my team mates, 90 year old Mr Kuribayashi Haruo seen here below proudly wearing his UQ cap.
So with Mr Shida (74) and Mr Kuribayashi Haruo (90)we proceed to the local Buddhist temple where the exercises take place. About 7 to 8 persons have now gathered and the local priest takes the exercises
As can be seen the exercises are a mixture of Tai Chi and calisthenics. I wait for them to get more difficult. But they don’t! 5 minutes into the exercise routine the priest calls time. Even the 90 year old has not raised a sweat. A bigger fizza it would be hard to find .Was it really worth getting up early for this?
Just in time Mr Shida steps in increase the exercise. We walk towards the river area. A beautiful river and park area
By Temple standards the exercise is intense. Mr Shida starts off with possibly the slowest jog I’ve seen, it is almost impossible to run beside him and I find my self breaking into a slow walk to keep.
It seems like hours. but we eventually make the 2km back to our start. Mr Shida is pleased- he thinks I am fit, which once again shows how relativity alters accurate perception. But it wasn’t enough and each afternoon I head to the river road to do some modest sprint training.
It is easy to ridicule these modest effort at fitness training by the elderly men of Shizuzoka , but after a few days I begin to look forward to the next day. Like all groups of men who gather as comrades to do exercise, at any level there is a dignity and a spirit of unity, which is unique to sport and crosses all cultures , After 2 weeks I felt part of the group. I I miss them,
One Response
A brilliant synopsis!
Movement of any kind is important the body.