Parks remade into adult fitness centers

In a telling sign of Japan's graying society, many neighborhood parks are transforming into adult physical fitness centers, with exercise equipment replacing children's swing sets and slides.

Increasingly, visitors to parks are older people intending to do workouts on stretch benches, balance beams with railings and other exercise equipment.

According to a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism survey, parks nationwide had 15,144 fitness equipment sets in fiscal 2007. The figure is a 57-percent increase from the 9,618 units in fiscal 2004 and a 160-percent jump from the 5,690 units in fiscal 1998.

For all types of playground apparatus, the number rose 1.1 percent over the same period.

There were 12.2 percent fewer jungle gyms. The number of merry-go-rounds was down 31.7 percent.

One factor behind the shift appears to be the changing demographic of park users.

A nationwide survey conducted by the ministry found elderly people accounted for about 13.7 percent of park visitors in fiscal 2007, compared with 6 percent in fiscal 1966.

In contrast, the percentage of users of elementary school age or younger fell from 44 percent in fiscal 1966 to 34 percent in fiscal 2007.

Sakae, a Tokyo-based fitness equipment maker, has pushed sales of outdoor equipment aimed at adult users since 2006.

Sakae officials said sales of fitness equipment, including apparatus aimed at building muscle strength and improving balance, rose by about 50 percent in the year through July 2008 from four years earlier.

"These days, product designs are similar and companies are in fierce competition to reduce costs," said an official at Tokyo-based manufacturer Kotobuki Corp.

However, industry watchers say it is too soon to say if sales will keep rising because local governments are cutting back on spending.

"How municipalities judge the necessity of such fitness apparatus will be the key to growth in the industry," said an official at the Japan Park Facilities Association.(IHT/Asahi: June 29,2009)