Think of cheerleaders, and the usual image that springs to mind is that of pom-pom-wielding young women pulling off acrobatic flips and spins in colourful costumes.
However, in Japan, an entirely new demographic is entering the female-dominated ranks of cheerleading: male office workers. During the week, the members of Cheer Re-Man are "quintessential" Japanese salarymen, said Reuters, squeezing onto "crowded trains" to work behind a desk – but come the weekend, they transform into something quite different.
'Eye-popping' performances
Formed in 2023, Cheer Re-Man's – a hybrid of "cheerleading" and "salaryman" – is made up of alumni from the elite Waseda University's male cheerleading squad. From Monday to Friday, they work in sectors like real estate sales and marketing and they "balance their professional lives" with a "passion for cheerleading".
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For rehearsals, the group "borrows half the gym" from a female college cheerleading team "in exchange for biscuits". The ethos of the group is "all about spreading cheer", spending their weekends at shopping malls and other venues to entertain and inspire crowds with "eye-popping" acrobatic performances.
They "find joy" in cheerleading, said the South China Morning Post, and thanks to their thrilling performances, they're "injecting some high-flying excitement into Japan's typically buttoned-down" business world.
If you think you recognise them it could be from this year's "Britain's Got Talent" series, where the "suave bunch" were "suited and booted" for their "truly gravity-defying performance", said ITV. They came third in their semi-final.
Chasing their dreams
Japanese sporting culture has its own "cheer" tradition, in the form of the mostly-male "leadership sections" who dress in military-style uniforms to lead fans in chants, "bang taiko drums and thrust their fists in rigid, martial moves", said AFP. But "American-style" cheerleading has been heavily female-dominated.
"If we, Japanese salarymen, can do what we're passionate about, then everyone else can keep chasing their dreams too," squad member Soichiro Kakimoto, a 23-year-old who works in software development, told Reuters. "On weekdays, I use my brain and on weekends, I use my body", so "even if one isn't well, the other might be, and that's contributing to my overall mental health".
A 61-year-old housewife called Yasuko Yamaki, became a fan after hearing about the group on social media. "In Japan, we're all going through a lot," she said, but watching them "putting in so much without giving up makes me cry". "It's so inspirational."
Although the Cheer Re-Man's cheer squad is a hobby for its members, the "unusual sight" of these Japanese "corporate warriors being launched seven metres into the air" has earned them at least one paid gig: advertising the Uniqlo suits they wear for their performances.
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