Japan’s Newest Girl Band Has an Average Age of 84

If you have considered yourself too old for a career change, maybe you should take a leaf out of KBG84’s book.

You can only assume that Simon Cowell is spewing because he didn’t think of it first, however this ‘girl band’ with an average age of 84 have become the latest pop idol sensation in Japan.

The girls come from the remote, coral-fringed island of Kohama in Okinawa. The name, KBG84, is a play on the name of popular teen band AKB48.

And their rise has been meteoric. After releasing their first album they went on to complete a sellout tour all over Japan.

Japan’s Newest Girl Band Has an Average Age of 84
KGB84 in all their glory. Minimum age to join is 80 years old

“When I first heard someone call us ‘idols’ I thought an idol meant someone who had lived a long life and was at the gates of heaven,” pint-sized diva Tomi Menaka, 92, told AFP.

“But in Tokyo they told me it was an entertainer – which was a relief because I thought it meant I was on my way to heaven,” she added, picking up steam as her fellow group members collapsed in fits of giggles. “I hadn’t even been to Tokyo or Osaka. I wanted to go there before I went to heaven.”

JAPAN-LIFESTYLE-MUSIC-ELDERLY
The band had a sellout tour all over Japan

The 33-strong troupe of singers and dancers can’t quite believe the success they are experiencing.

“I’ve never been as happy as I am when we perform,” Menaka said. “Going to Tokyo for the first time, I thought I was so lucky to be born. I got to meet my grandchildren. I’ll never forget it. I was moved to tears.”

Okinawan islanders have one of the highest life expectancies in the world. They live off a diet containing more vegetables and less sugar those on mainland Japan.

Japan’s Newest Girl Band Has an Average Age of 84 3

Menaka, is not concerned about her age or her ability to remain healthy enough to tour and perform.

“I look after my health by cleaning my home,” she said. “Wiping the floors, steaming rice. I stay in the shade when it’s too hot. I don’t want to tan. I have to take care of my skin – I’m still young at heart!”

Which goes to show that the fame has not gone to their heads. At this stage of their lives the group’s feet remain firmly on the ground.

“We still sit around gossiping about life,” said Kedamori. “If we fight, we quickly make up again, just like when we were kids. We are all together with the same heart. All for one and one for all.”

Menaka, as usual, had the final word.

“I want to go back to Tokyo with the grannies and see my grandchildren before I go to heaven,” she said, “that would be just grand.”


(Source: The Guardian, Asian Junkie)
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