By Mariko Katsumura and Kyung Hoon Kim
TOKYO (Reuters) -It’s a cold, wet morning and frigid air is seeping through the open doors of a college gymnasium in Tokyo. But that doesn’t seem to worry Soichiro Kakimoto and 30 other young businessmen as they gear up for their weekend routine: cheerleading.
“Smile when times are tough!” shouts a tall man with an eager smile. The others — all dressed in dark suits and ties –pump their fists and jam to the upbeat music that fills the space.
Their chants echo through the gymnasium.
“Yes you can! You can definitely do it! Go, Japan! Go Japan!”
The young men are all about spreading cheer through their eye-popping acrobatic performances, volunteering their weekends at shopping malls and other venues to entertain crowds.
Calling themselves “Cheer Re-Man’s” — a mash-up of “cheerleading” and “salaryman” — the group, formed in 2023, is made up of alumni from the elite Waseda University’s male cheerleading squad.
Their day-jobs range from real estate sales to marketing, and they balance their professional lives with their passion for cheerleading. For practice, the squad often borrows half the gym from a female college cheerleading team in exchange for biscuits.
From Monday to Friday, Kakimoto is the quintessential Japanese salaryman, commuting in crowded trains, working late and going out drinking with colleagues, wearing the stretchy navy Uniqlo suit that doubles as his cheerleading uniform.
“On weekdays, I use my brain and on weekends, I use my body. Even if one isn’t well, the other might be, and that’s contributing to my overall mental health,” said the 23-year-old, who works at a software development company.
“If we, Japanese salarymen, can do what we’re passionate about, then everyone else can keep chasing their dreams too.”
The unusual sight of Japanese corporate warriors being launched 7 metres (23 feet) into the air in synchronised routines won them an online commercial spot to advertise the stretchy Uniqlo suits they wear for their performances.
The group also competed in “Britain’s Got Talent”, where they came third in their semi-final.
On a recent weekend, the suited men performed in front of a huge crowd at a shopping mall with gravity-defying stunts, human towers and infectious energy.
Yasuko Yamaki, a 61-year-old housewife who learned about the group three months ago through social media, was there to see the spectacle.
“In Japan, we’re all going through a lot. Watching these salarymen putting in so much without giving up makes me cry,” she said. “It’s so inspirational.”
(Reporting by Mariko Katsumura;Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Kate Mayberry)
