By the end of the 2020s, almost a quarter of Japan's population will be over 65. So, to help society deal with an ageing population, a Tokyo company has developed an "Ageing Suit". As a journalist, I went along to try it out.
The few hours I spent at the "Wonderful Ageing Club" were, it has to be said, rather depressing. I, dressed in the club's "ageing suit", was transformed rather too quickly from a relatively healthy 36-year-old to an 80-year-old.
First, I had to put on restrictive bindings (捆绑) over my knees, elbows, ankles and feet, which made me unable to move normally. The ladies of the Wonderful Ageing Club, however, were still far from finished. Assuring me that their suit had been carefully designed on the basis of scientific research into the exact effects of ageing, they next applied a pair of special gloves to my hands to make grabbing much more difficult. A number of weights were attached to my body to create the sensation of weakened muscles. A pair of earplugs muffled my hearing and my vision grew rather clouded as a result of my special glasses. This completed an imprisonment in a body more than twice my own age. Now I found myself clumsily getting my way through such newly difficult tasks as sitting down on a chair and then standing up again or opening a can of Coke.
But what is the purpose of this ageing suit? The company claims that it gives a very accurate representation of what being old is really like, and that, when it comes to planning for the future, that experience will be of great value. They hope to see whether the products or services they offer really do meet the needs of the elderly.
