If life in the coronavirus era has you feeling down, they’re ready to cheer you up.

With more than half a year having passed since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, most people’s psyches have moved past shock or panic. Instead, those feelings have evolved into a weary fatigue, made all the more quietly depressing by the fact that the only answer anyone has for the question of when life will get back to normal is “not for quite a while.”

There’s not much the average citizen can do while waiting for a vaccine except wearing a mask and following social distancing guidelines. As important as those are, though, they’re not particularly energizing activities, so if you could use someone’s help in lifting your spirits, there’s now a Japanese cheerleader team offering online pep rallies.

Cheers One is a cheerleader-themed pub in Tokyo’s Ginza neighborhood that provides food, drinks, and cheer performances for customers. While the establishment has implemented a number of new health regulations for eat-in customers (such as requiring them to disinfect their hands and belongings upon entry and to wear masks and gloves, they realize that even these might not be enough to put some people’s minds at ease about in-restaurant dining. So starting August 21 an alternative, called the Virtual Cheergirl program, will launch.

Administered through video chat app Zoom, the festivities kick off with a group-led cheer that customers participate in, followed by talk sessions and dance performances by the cheerleader team in which you’re encouraged to sing along to crowd-pleasing tunes ranging from AKB48’s “Flying Get” to the Village People’s “YMCA.”

▼ A sample Virtual Cheergirl preview

While cynics may assume (perhaps not accurately) that the primary target market is lonely single men, Cheers One actually recommends the program for a variety of demographics who may be looking for a way to shake off the effects of “coronavirus pandemic fatigue,” such as:
● People working from home who have little opportunity to interact with other people
● People who want lively entertainment while drinking at home/holding online drinking parties with friends
● People looking for fun family/group activities
● People searching for a way to relieve stress
● People who are interested in cheerleader and dance performances

Prices start at 6,000 yen (US$57) for a 45-minute performance, but the better value comes with the 90-minute, 9,900-yen “Double Charge” plan. As the Virtual Cheergirl programs are all live performances, reservations are required, and can be made online here.

Source: Virtual Cheergirl, PR Times
Top image: Virtual Cheergirl
Insert images: PR Times
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