[One Day Ten Thousand Steps, One Day One Thousand Characters] The Heart of Okinawa's 10,000 Steps a Day Exercise, 'Okihagun Walk'

Escape from the Obesity City: Visiting Okinawa<2>
From Walking to Health Management All in One
Points Awarded Based on Step Count, Linked with Local Businesses

[Okinawa= Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] One of the biggest driving forces behind Okinawa's "10,000 Steps a Day (1日1萬步)" movement is the walking encouragement application called "Okihagun Walk," developed in 2019.

The name Okihagun Walk is derived from "Okihagun," Okinawa's health promotion character. Okihagun is a character shaped like a boy, distinguished by wearing a hibiscus flower, which represents Okinawa, on his head. The character's name combines "Oki" from Okinawa and the "h" sound from hibiscus.

The Okinawa City Hall's Citizen Health Division decided to develop the app in 2019 and commissioned a specialized company. Afterwards, city officials used the app themselves and optimized it over two years through feedback, finally launching it to citizens in October 2021. Mari Moriguchi, Director of Okinawa City Hall's Citizen Life Division, emphasized, "This application was developed after considering ways to make walking enjoyable."

Okiha-gun greeting at the Okinawa City Hall Citizen Health Department.

The app includes various features to promote health alongside walking. Users can input daily health data such as weight, body temperature, and blood pressure, which are then organized into daily, weekly, and monthly bar graphs for easy health monitoring. The calendar also records whether the daily step goal was achieved and tracks mood changes.

Additionally, a competitive system to encourage walking has been introduced. Currently, app users ranging from teenagers to those in their 80s can immediately check their ranking based on total steps walked among all participants. On the day of the walking ranking, the top walker in their 70s among 2,334 participants walked 12,000 steps, while the overall top walker across all age groups walked 40,000 steps.

A point system rewards users for walking 10,000 steps. Users earn 1 point per 100 steps, with a daily maximum of 80 points from walking. The maximum step count of 8,000 steps is set 500 to 1,000 steps higher than the average steps of Okinawan adult men and women.

The running screen of Okinawa City Hall's walking app 'Okihagun Walk.' Boxes marked with question marks are revealed with photo descriptions when new tourist attractions are visited.

Okinawa City Hall awards walking points for visiting restaurants, public institutions, and other places partnered with the city, encouraging walking starting from the nearest locations in daily life. For elderly health management, 500 points are given for completing "health check missions" such as health screenings, and 400 points are awarded for walking three consecutive days or more. To increase app familiarity, points are also given simply for daily app logins, with additional points awarded each time health data is entered.

Okinawa City Hall also contributes to local tourism and mutual growth through the app. QR codes have been installed at various tourist spots. Scanning a QR code counts as completing a location visit mission, automatically displaying the place's description in the app, adding fun by solving missions through direct visits. Akihiro Arakaki, Health Promotion Manager of the Citizen Health Division, emphasized, "Users have responded positively, saying they didn't even know such places existed in their neighborhood."

Points translate directly into card status. Collecting 3,000 points issues a Normal Card, 5,000 points a Silver Card, and 10,000 points a Gold Card. Showing the card at partner cafes grants discounts on drinks, and although the contract has ended, some stores offered rice as a gift. Director Moriguchi stated, "We plan to increase partner stores further to promote resident participation and regional mutual growth."

Morikuchi Mari, Head of the Citizen Health Division at Okinawa City Hall, holding a platinum card issued through the app.

Okinawa City Hall is also promoting a healthy walking culture both inside and outside Japan. Every year, they hold a "Walking Group Competition," where the total steps of participants are summed and groups compete by step count. As long as one Okinawan is in the group, people from other regions and countries can participate freely. Prizes include Okinawan specialty products; last year, sausage sets and snack sets made in Okinawa were awarded. Applications for this year's group competition are accepted until the end of this month.

Given the app's various health features, user feedback has been positive. Director Moriguchi added, "Most participants say they have more opportunities to walk in daily life. By encouraging visits to tourist spots on foot, local businesses have ultimately seen an increase in customers. This has resulted in a win-win effect for walking and regional mutual growth."

Poster for this year's Okinawa Group Work Group Competition. (Photo by Okinawa City Hall website)

Okinawa= Reporter Jeon Jinyoung jintonic@