Fukushima town promotes snow shoveling as fun exercise

There a character to go along with it?

Good luck. I grew up where snow was around damn near half the year. You can try to paint it any way you want, but it's still back-breaking work! Particularly the wet snow!

Oh and just how are you going to get all these young folks to get to you just to "exercise"? Do you actually expect them to move there just to help with removal?

Good, next make it an Olympic sport and include it in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.

Well, I have to applaud the idea! Its easy to take potshots at it, but if it helps even a little bit, that is a good thing.

Snow shoveling IS a lot of exercise, but it is also literally back-breaking work, so pre-"workout" stretching is a good idea!!

Wonder if this also includes advanced snow removal exercise, aka roof snow removal!

If people are happy to do it, I suppose. Anyone doing it should be warned that if you do your lower back, most Japanese doctors will only give you ibrupofen. You can only get opiates in a hospital with a (helpful) doctor present. Doing your lower back may introduce you to a whole new world of pain.

Design a proper roof, and you should only have to climb on it in extreme (once in x years) snow events. Snow will slide off a metal roof at 20 degrees or steeper if the building has any heating. All you need to do is provide a steeper point at the ridge.

We've not had a lot of snow this winter at my place, so I'm a bit out of shovelling practice.

Exposing children to high levels of radiation is good. Forcing athletes to stay in Fukushima is good. We have to deal with this scientific rubbish about radiation. It is not true. Radiation is not true. Can you see it? No.

Older folks in Japan get a surprising amount of exercise, compared with their counterparts in the US at least. However, it can be both troublesome and dangerous for them to take part in heavy-duty snow removal, and many can't do it all themselves with their aged children away and all. I'm glad that there are people trying to create a better situation for all -- best of luck!

Sorry, the associations with Nuclear fallout snow, doesn't really help with the appeal here.