6am drill loved by 90-year-olds

"OHAYOU!" The cheerful morning greeting echoes around the grounds of Tokyo's historic Nezu Shrine as bright-eyed pensioners arrive and begin limbering up. Their breath turns to vapour in the bitterly cold 6am air as someone sets up a speaker.

- Hanna Geissler

It crackles to life at exactly half past the hour - time for Radio Taiso, a daily broadcast that guides millions of people across Japan through a simple five-minute exercise routine.

Around 100 early risers move in perfect synchrony, bending, jumping and pumping their arms as they follow instructions set to a jaunty piano tune.

Toshio Inamura, 96, is among the oldest attendees and has been taking part for more than 30 years.

He says: "What I look forward to most is seeing everyone else here and doing it together. It is always the same members.

"I really look forward to it and believe that seeing each other here leads to our good health."

Japan has an average life expectancy of 81 for men and 87 for women, compared to 79 and 83 in the UK.

The national diet focuses on fresh, minimally processed foods and includes lots of rice, vegetables and fish. It is often cited as a key benefit.