Client Profile

Higashikawa Town is located near the center of Hokkaido Island, and has a population of approximately 8,600 people. As part of its regional revitalization initiative, it declared itself the “Town of Photography”, aiming to make itself at the heart of Japanese photographic culture. Mountainous terrain stretches across the eastern part of the town, forming part of Daisetsuzan National Park, one of the largest in Japan. Standing at 2,291m, Mount Asahidake, Hokkaido’s highest peak, towers over the town. While blessed with abundant nature, the town is also rare in Japan as being without a running public water system. The town is promoting healthy community development through its coexistence with nature.

Client Requests

The town had been conducting lectures and events related to health and fitness, and even hired trainers from Tokyo as speakers, but faced challenges with creating a consistent program that could be implemented on an ongoing basis.
To address these issues, the town approached R-body to help implement a conditioning and exercise program that would enhance residents’ health awareness and physical well-being, allowing them to live a healthy lifestyle, free from physical pain or injury.

Services Provided

1. On-Site Deployment of R-body Staff Members
   R-body staff are based on-site at the Town Hall and Board of Education to help oversee a comprehensive program of community health development.
2. Conditioning Sessions for Local Residents
   R-body provides opportunities for residents of all ages to experience conditioning sessions or training sessions using public gym equipment. The sessions are held at local youth sports clubs and schools, as well as local cafes, community centers and so on.
3. Equipment Selection and Layout Improvements for Public Gym Facilities
   We helped to select the training equipment, and designed a new layout, for the renovation of the gym area within the town’s existing sports center. Furthermore, we provided extensive consulting services for the design of the sports conditioning area within the town’s new community plaza Sorairo, that opened in October 2023 and acts as a hub for developing a healthy local community.
4. Introduction of Conditioning Training into Compulsory Education
   Conditioning training has been introduced into the elementary and high school curriculum within the town. From 2025, we have been expanding these initiatives in collaboration with the Board of Education, working with International Sports Exchange Assistants (SEA) and local sports instructors.