Ikuko Akasaka (at left) waits with younger geishas to perform for a private party at a traditional restaurant in Tokyo. For several hours, she will be the embodiment of elegance and grace while wearing a heavy kimono and a wig weighing more than four pounds.
Photograph by Noriko Hayashi
Fumie Takino (front) is the founder and, at 90, the oldest member of Japan Pom Pom, a senior cheer squad in Tokyo. For 26 years, she has practiced once a week. “It is important to be yourself and do what you want to do,” she says, “regardless of your age.”
Photograph by Noriko Hayashi
Hiromu Inada, 89, trains at a gym in Chiba, on Tokyo Bay. He has competed in 66 triathlons since he turned 70. In 2018 Inada became the oldest triathlete to finish an Ironman World Championship. He works out daily, preparing for this year’s competition. “Even if I think something might not be possible, I try it,” he says, “and surprisingly it turns out to be possible.”
Photograph by Noriko Hayashi
Shitsui Hakoishi, 105, checks the haircut she has just given to Chikara Ogane, 91, in her home in Nakagawa, a town about 75 miles north of Tokyo. Ogane has been a customer for 70 years. Hakoishi exercises every morning before work, and her hands are steady enough to shave Ogane’s face with a straight razor.
Photograph by Noriko Hayashi