It's early on a summer morning and schoolchildren have gathered for some rhythmic exercise timed to music coming from the radio.
The "rajio taiso" (radio exercise) on NHK dates back to 1928, created by the "kampo" postal insurance system with the help of experts to commemorate the coronation of Emperor Hirohito, known posthumously as Emperor Showa.
Currently, 20 percent of the entire population, or around 27 million people, and 76.4 percent of elementary schools, still do the warmups, according to the National Radio Exercise Federation.