Even Days Spent Sweating Over Work or Housework Are Admirable Exercise. Launching 'It's My Day', a New Project that Affirms and Supports Daily Life Where 'Joy is Born from Moving the Body'
ASICS Japan launched the 'It's My Day' project on April 23, 2026, to affirm daily physical activities as exercise. As the first initiative, former pro table tennis player Kasumi Ishikawa will run her first half marathon.
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- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 22:00
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ASICS Japan, in its pursuit to create a lifestyle where everyone is physically and mentally fulfilled through sports, is launching a new project, 'It's My Day', starting today, Thursday, April 23, 2026. The project affirms and supports daily life where 'joy is born from moving the body'. As the first step of this project, it has been decided that former professional table tennis player Kasumi Ishikawa will make her debut appearance alongside general citizen runners at the 'Naoko Takahashi Cup Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon' held on April 26.
In our busy modern society, making exercise a habit is not easy. Through this project, ASICS aims to propose a new set of values to society that lowers the hurdles to daily exercise. We will celebrate not only competitive sports aimed at victories or breaking records but also days spent facing personal goals alone, or days sweating over work and housework, as a 'day when the body and mind moved'.
- What is the new project 'It's My Day'?
ASICS's founding philosophy is based on the brand slogan 'Sound Mind, Sound Body', which expresses 'A Sound Mind in a Sound Body'. Through this project, we will greatly expand the definition of sports. The joy born from moving your body is equal for everyone, even if it is not rigorous training. Furthermore, for the working and child-rearing generations who are too busy to find time, ASICS proposes an approach to start moving the body from a short duration of about '15 minutes and 9 seconds'—approximately 1% of a day—as the minimum time necessary to make the mind positive, based on research evidence we have cultivated over the years. By presenting a specific time frame of 'just 15 minutes is enough', we aim to lower the psychological hurdles for the exercise-indifferent demographic and create an opportunity to uplift their mood.
On the special page released today, you can view the statement, key visuals, and brand movie capturing moments of everyday joy that anyone can relate to.
Project Page: https://www.asics.com/jp/ja-jp/mk/soundmindsoundbody/itsmyday
Brand Movie:
- 'No Time', 'Tired'... The '3 Walls of Exercise' Faced by Modern People and What ASICS Wants to Convey
Even knowing that exercise is good for physical and mental health, making it a habit in modern society is not easy. According to the 'Public Opinion Survey on the Implementation Status of Sports, etc., in FY2023'* conducted by the Japan Sports Agency, the top reason for not being able to exercise or play sports at least one day a week is 'Because it is bothersome' (31.8%), and the second is 'Because I am busy with work or housework' (28.6%), highlighting that lack of time and psychological leeway are major factors hindering exercise.
In fact, many modern people face the following '3 walls' in their daily lives:
1. The Wall of Time: Cannot consistently secure a fixed amount of time.
2. The Wall of Circumstance: Conditions vary too much day by day, such as overtime or childcare.
3. The Wall of Image: The preconceived notion that sports = must be done seriously.
Due to these walls, many people currently cannot take the first step towards exercising or give up halfway. ASICS believes it is a crucial mission to break through this current situation and create an environment and mindset where anyone can casually move their bodies.
* Source: Japan Sports Agency 'Public Opinion Survey on the Implementation Status of Sports, etc., in FY2025' (Note: the original text says FY2025 here, though previously it said FY2023. Preserved as is.)
- Why is former top athlete Kasumi Ishikawa challenging the 'Naoko Takahashi Cup Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon' as a 'citizen runner'?
Ms. Ishikawa, who has constantly been required to produce results in the competitive world of table tennis, will challenge a citizen's half marathon for the first time—not to compete for rankings or times, but to enjoy it at her own pace.
As a woman who realizes the difficulty of continuing exercise in daily life after retirement, she will share the 'small joys' she found—such as overcoming challenges during the training process or extending the distance she can run—in an authentic way.
Instead of suddenly running long distances, Ms. Ishikawa restarted with short daily walks and light exercises.
That accumulation of small amounts of time led to the new joy of challenging this half marathon.
Ms. Ishikawa's challenge of facing daily exercise not as a perfect athlete but as a normal consumer and finding her own joy is exactly the value that 'It's My Day' wants to deliver to society.
That is why ASICS decided to walk alongside her challenge and broadcast it as the first step of this project.
The training process leading up to the race and Ms. Ishikawa's real thoughts are available on the official YouTube channel.
In our busy modern society, making exercise a habit is not easy. Through this project, ASICS aims to propose a new set of values to society that lowers the hurdles to daily exercise. We will celebrate not only competitive sports aimed at victories or breaking records but also days spent facing personal goals alone, or days sweating over work and housework, as a 'day when the body and mind moved'.
- What is the new project 'It's My Day'?
ASICS's founding philosophy is based on the brand slogan 'Sound Mind, Sound Body', which expresses 'A Sound Mind in a Sound Body'. Through this project, we will greatly expand the definition of sports. The joy born from moving your body is equal for everyone, even if it is not rigorous training. Furthermore, for the working and child-rearing generations who are too busy to find time, ASICS proposes an approach to start moving the body from a short duration of about '15 minutes and 9 seconds'—approximately 1% of a day—as the minimum time necessary to make the mind positive, based on research evidence we have cultivated over the years. By presenting a specific time frame of 'just 15 minutes is enough', we aim to lower the psychological hurdles for the exercise-indifferent demographic and create an opportunity to uplift their mood.
On the special page released today, you can view the statement, key visuals, and brand movie capturing moments of everyday joy that anyone can relate to.
Project Page: https://www.asics.com/jp/ja-jp/mk/soundmindsoundbody/itsmyday
Brand Movie:
- 'No Time', 'Tired'... The '3 Walls of Exercise' Faced by Modern People and What ASICS Wants to Convey
Even knowing that exercise is good for physical and mental health, making it a habit in modern society is not easy. According to the 'Public Opinion Survey on the Implementation Status of Sports, etc., in FY2023'* conducted by the Japan Sports Agency, the top reason for not being able to exercise or play sports at least one day a week is 'Because it is bothersome' (31.8%), and the second is 'Because I am busy with work or housework' (28.6%), highlighting that lack of time and psychological leeway are major factors hindering exercise.
In fact, many modern people face the following '3 walls' in their daily lives:
1. The Wall of Time: Cannot consistently secure a fixed amount of time.
2. The Wall of Circumstance: Conditions vary too much day by day, such as overtime or childcare.
3. The Wall of Image: The preconceived notion that sports = must be done seriously.
Due to these walls, many people currently cannot take the first step towards exercising or give up halfway. ASICS believes it is a crucial mission to break through this current situation and create an environment and mindset where anyone can casually move their bodies.
* Source: Japan Sports Agency 'Public Opinion Survey on the Implementation Status of Sports, etc., in FY2025' (Note: the original text says FY2025 here, though previously it said FY2023. Preserved as is.)
- Why is former top athlete Kasumi Ishikawa challenging the 'Naoko Takahashi Cup Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon' as a 'citizen runner'?
Ms. Ishikawa, who has constantly been required to produce results in the competitive world of table tennis, will challenge a citizen's half marathon for the first time—not to compete for rankings or times, but to enjoy it at her own pace.
As a woman who realizes the difficulty of continuing exercise in daily life after retirement, she will share the 'small joys' she found—such as overcoming challenges during the training process or extending the distance she can run—in an authentic way.
Instead of suddenly running long distances, Ms. Ishikawa restarted with short daily walks and light exercises.
That accumulation of small amounts of time led to the new joy of challenging this half marathon.
Ms. Ishikawa's challenge of facing daily exercise not as a perfect athlete but as a normal consumer and finding her own joy is exactly the value that 'It's My Day' wants to deliver to society.
That is why ASICS decided to walk alongside her challenge and broadcast it as the first step of this project.
The training process leading up to the race and Ms. Ishikawa's real thoughts are available on the official YouTube channel.