Japanese cheerleaders danced outside a train station in Tokyo on Thursday, cheering on commuters in an attempt to lift sentiment with the capital in another state of emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Let’s go fight!” shouted the four-person group in front of passers-by in front of Shimbashi station, with their protective face shields waving in the cold Tokyo morning while waving golden pompoms.
Japan is planning a one-month state of emergency for the greater Tokyo area, which begins Friday with a record-breaking increase in coronavirus infections.
Chief cheerleader Kumi Asazuma said the group had been acting for more than ten years to help morning commuters, but their mission took on new meaning during the pandemic.
“Especially now the spread of the coronavirus is not stopping, people have lost their jobs … I think this is a period where people are really suffering a lot,” said Asazuma, 37, who works as a freelance presenter and presenter. , told Reuters. “We want to give a smile to cheer people up. We do it in the hope that people can feel even a little better.”
Cheerleaders of her group usually perform on Thursdays in Tokyo and Fridays in the neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture, with the number of artists depending on the availability of members, as they also have jobs.
But they will likely have to act remotely and post videos on social media during the emergency, she said.
About a dozen people stopped to take photos and videos from smartphones while others watched as they filtered out of the station to their offices.
“I think it’s amazing what they’re doing in the current situation,” said Tomoko Tsudanuma, 48, an office worker. “I’m working from home from next week and it’s hard, but I feel encouraged to look at these kinds of activities.”
© Thomson Reuters 2021.