Belts

Kohei Murakami

Actor, 1999 Economics

Nineteen years have passed since I appeared in the TV drama "Kamen Rider 555 (Faiz)." I played Masato Kusaka, also known as Kamen Rider Kaixa. The transformation system involved entering the number "913" into a revolver-style mobile phone and attaching it to a transformation belt. At the time of the 2003 broadcast, everyone was surprised by that innovative gimmick, and I heard that the transformation belt toys sold like wildfire. Today, those phones are called "feature phones" (garakei), and even as announcements are made about the termination of their services, the popularity of the work and its characters has not faded. There are still many people who face the work with unchanging passion.

For the 15th anniversary in 2018, a transformation belt for adults was released, and people who fell in love with the current Reiwa-era Kamen Riders have gone back to watch 555 and become fans. Being able to appear in a work loved by so many people over such a long period is a treasure of my acting career. Next year, 2023, is the 20th anniversary. I hope to be able to give something back to the fans.

Seiko Sugiyama

Representative Director, Mamenoki Co., Ltd., 2011 Policy Management

I wonder how many people know that "American Coffee" is not "coffee produced in the mainland United States." Similarly, there is the fact that products with the name "European Blend" do not contain a single bean grown in Europe.

The area between 25 degrees north and south of the equator, which is suitable for coffee cultivation, is called the "Coffee Belt." This includes Brazil, the world's largest coffee producer, as well as Okinawa and the Ogasawara Islands. Even among owners who have run coffee shops for a long time, there are many who have never visited a coffee-producing region.

Fortunately, even before I entered the coffee industry, I had an encounter with Mexican coffee. After entering university, the laboratory I belonged to was conducting a project aimed at the economic independence of indigenous Maya people engaged in coffee production while suffering from poverty. Twelve years have passed since graduation, and Mamenoki Co., Ltd., which I founded, has reached its 11th anniversary. Even now, we continue to import Mexican coffee based on the principles of Fair Trade. In the future, I want to spend my life traveling the Coffee Belt and continuing Fair Trade.

Maria Takada

Instructor, Irish Aran Riding School; Equestrian Athlete, 2017 Commerce

The piece of horse tack called a "girth" (haraobi) is the "horse's belt." It is no exaggeration to say that we cannot ride a horse without this equipment.

As you may know, a saddle is used when riding a horse. The girth is the piece of equipment that acts as a belt around the horse's belly to secure that saddle. If you put your foot in the stirrup and mount the horse while the girth is not properly tightened, the saddle will spin around and you will fall off. However, it is not simply a matter of tightening it as much as possible; depending on the horse, a tight belly can be uncomfortable or prevent dynamic movement. Therefore, in recent years, there are various shapes that are precisely calculated, such as those that stretch with elastic or those designed not to hinder movement, and we often change the girth to suit the horse.

While communicating with horses that do not speak, I pay close attention to every piece of equipment used. Seeking better performance where rider and horse move as one, I continue to practice hard with my beloved horse today.

Yoshinori Katsumata

Senior Lecturer, Institute for Integrated Sports Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 2005 medical sciences, 2013 PhD in Medicine

Exercise is a medicine for all diseases. However, it is difficult to do. It is hard to continue. There may be many people who do not want to live that long if it requires such effort. Even when we say "exercise," many do not know what they should do.

Aerobic exercise for about 30 minutes with a heart rate of around 110, five or more days a week, is said to be effective. In the heyday of smartphones, I would like to recommend exercise using the latest devices. However, as a result of old age, medical treatment, or the progression of heart failure, muscle atrophy of the lower limb skeletal muscles can sometimes progress to the point where walking is difficult. In such cases, it is impossible to even perform sufficient aerobic exercise. For such individuals, treatment for muscle atrophy (recovery of muscle mass) using electrical stimulation is being considered as a new approach. By using belt electrodes wrapped around the waist or legs, an increase in skeletal muscle mass in the legs and improvement in exercise capacity can be achieved.

Exercise is diverse, including aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, and skeletal muscle stimulation via electrical stimulation, and it is important to combine them in various ways. Why not try incorporating exercise into your life starting next year?