All to promote Japanese culture, of course.
If you head to the Asakusa neighborhood in Tokyo, what are you likely to see? An area of Tokyo steeped in traditional culture, visitors can check out the famous Sensoji Temple, grab a bite to eat and get ready to see the sights in style. And while you’re making your way through the Asakusa streets, you’re sure to see the familiar sight of a rickshaw or two, running around with passengers in tow.
Even these days, when tourism is at a low, you’re still likely to see a rickshaw driver or two. Known for their kind hospitality, cheerful attitude (not an easy task when you’re dragging people around downtown Tokyo all day!), and of course, their buff bodies, rickshaw drivers are gaining a fan base all over the country.
In fact, rickshaw drivers are so associated with Asakusa that there’s even a special musical group made up of them. Called Tokyo Rickshaw, the group was formed as a way to promote Asakusa tourism and Japanese culture through singing and dancing. The group, consisting of rickshaw drivers Takuya, Zeo, Yuichi and Kazunari have toured and performed at events all around the world, such as Japan Expo in France and Hyper Japan in the UK.
▼ Tokyo Rickshaw made their musical debut last year, and released their new single this week.
Previewed in the video above, Tokyo Rickshaw’s new single “Tenkagomen no Dateotoko” (“Universally Acknowledged Dandies”) is an upbeat song with a festival feel. The group are well known for their acrobatic dance moves, but in addition to that a number of familiar Japanese elements can be seen in the video, including a man playing a shamisen, a traditional Japanese instrument, and a kabuki performer can be seen dancing, too.
While Asakusa is starting to get busier thanks to the Go To campaign, many tourist hotspots in Tokyo have become eerily deserted of late. Tokyo Rickshaw hopes that their video will help get Asakusa back to its normal busy, bustling self. The video was shot at various sightseeing spots throughout Asakusa, such as Imado Shrine and the Nishi-Asakusa shopping alley. The group hopes that, seeing as many festivals and events have been cancelled Japan-wide due to corona, watching the video can give you a festival vibe and put a smile on your face.
And if a group of attractive, muscular men leaping around, singing and dancing isn’t enough to turn your frown upside down, be sure to keep watching until the very end, where the group unwind from a hard day pulling customers around the Tokyo streets by having a soak in a bath. Completely naked, of course.
While the short version of the song featured in the video may be enough for you to get your fill of muscular rickshaw drivers, those of you who need more can get a chance to access to the full length video by purchasing a copy of their single. Will there be more rickshaw action in the full length video? Will there be more steamy, bath time fun? Only those who buy the single will be able to answer. The single (including the full-length movie) will be available from November 18th.
And while we’re of course fans of the traditional rickshaw and the guys pulling them around, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the Pac-Man rickshaw makes its comeback someday soon!
Related: Tokyo Rickshaw official website
Source: YouTube/TEICHIKU RECORDS via PR Times
Images: YouTube/TEICHIKU RECORDS
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