Toshima Ward Launches Free Fitness Programs for 65+ Residents

Toshima Ward will run free fitness classes for seniors at Ikebukuro Park and the Minami-Ikebukuro Community Hall starting July 15.

The ward recorded 29 percent of its 300,000 residents as aged 65 or older in the 2025 census, and local health records show a 14 percent rise in fall-related hospital visits among that group over the past two years. Council staff say the new sessions respond directly to those numbers by offering supervised movement options before the hottest weeks of summer arrive.

Participants can choose between gentle tai chi on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Ikebukuro Park along Meiji-dori or seated resistance-band workouts on Monday and Wednesday afternoons inside the Minami-Ikebukuro Community Hall on the ground floor of the ward’s south annex. Both sites sit within a five-minute walk of JR Ikebukuro Station’s west exit, and instructors will adjust every routine for joint replacements or balance concerns.

Registration opened at the ward office on July 9 and runs through July 14; spots fill on a first-come basis with no charge for either program. In 2025 the same venues hosted 48 sessions that drew 1,240 seniors, and attendance logs showed 82 percent returned for at least three follow-up classes.

How to join

Residents need only a valid Toshima address and their health insurance card to sign up at the main ward office counter on the second floor of the Ikebukuro government building. Staff will issue a simple wristband that grants entry to either location; no advance medical check is required, though participants are asked to note any mobility aids they use. Sessions last 45 minutes and run in two blocks daily, one at 9 a.m. and one at 2 p.m.

Those who prefer outdoor walking groups can add the Saturday morning route that starts at the south gate of Ikebukuro Park and loops through the pedestrian paths of nearby Nishi-Ikebukuro Greenway before returning to the same gate. The route covers 2.8 kilometres at a pace set by the group leader.

Next steps for residents

Anyone who misses the first registration window can still join later sessions by checking the ward’s weekly bulletin posted at the Minami-Ikebukuro Community Hall entrance or by calling the senior services desk at 03-3981-1111. Council staff plan to add a third venue near the Seibu Ikebukuro Line platform in August if demand exceeds current capacity.