About a year after the craze created by the augmented reality game "Pokemon Go," the smartphone app has largely become a tool for middle-aged and older people to stay fit and a way for tourist spots to attract visitors.

One day in early July, Tsutomu Misago, 48, was touching the screen of his smartphone in Tempozan Park in Osaka, where hordes of young players used to gather to catch rare characters in the GPS-based game.

"I've nothing to do on my days off," Misago, who runs a construction business in Kobe, said while playing. Getting out and playing the game is "better than just staying at home," he said, wiping sweat off his face.