The group’s mission? To boost their modest countryside city, whose populace is in drop, by way of dance routines to pop tunes that lovers simply call “lovely”.
Given that their very first write-up in February, the videos, filmed in decision destinations from playgrounds and shrines to municipal structures, have been considered extra than 16 million situations.
The 4 contact themselves “ojiqun” — a slang term used by youthful men and women that mixes “ojisan”, which means “aged men” in Japanese, and “kyun”, indicating “coronary heart-throb”.
They have on fit trousers, clever shoes and belly-warmer bands in unique colours — blue, eco-friendly, yellow and purple — and hold a straight experience even when they battle to keep in time.
One of the users, 52-12 months-old Takumi Shirase, runs an IT agency and a gardening corporation when not on TikTok.
He advised
AFP he had designed ojiqun with 3 mates to consider and set the rural city of Wake, in western Japan’s Okayama location, again on the map.
“We preferred to come up with a thing that would revitalise our ageing countryside group, which is suffering from inhabitants drop with much less and much less young children,” he stated.
Wake currently has close to 14,000 people, and Shirase said his previous key university has shut because of to absence of demand.
A area shopping mall has also disappeared, whilst some annual festivals are no more time held in the town.
But with more than 34,000 TikTok followers, “we hope to encourage people today to arrive to Wake, both as travellers or as new inhabitants,” Shirase mentioned.
Ojiqun’s hottest post, “centipede dance”, displays the 4 adult males executing a goofy Insanity-design walk in single file in entrance of a concrete making to a rendition of “Property of Fun”.
Fans have peppered the reviews below every single online video with coronary heart symbols, contacting them “splendid” and “lovable”.
“I laughed again and again,” claimed 1 the latest remark.
“I have a tranquil smile, for the first time in a extended while,” explained a different.