Photo/Illutration Shitsui Hakoishi practices holding a stand-in for the Olympic torch that weighs the same as the original on March 21. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The Olympic torch was meant to depart from Fukushima Prefecture on March 26 and be carried around the nation by torchbearers.

But now that the decision has been made to postpone the Tokyo Olympics until 2021, there will be no torch relay this spring. The disappointment of the torchbearers must be profound.

Among them is Shitsui Hakoishi of Nakagawa, Tochigi Prefecture. Still working as a hairdresser at age 103, she is quite a local celebrity.

Her 200-meter torch walk was scheduled for the end of March at the center of a neighboring city.

When I visited Hakoishi at her home last week, she told me, “Every morning and evening, I’m doing my own workout.”

She gave me a demonstration. The routine, which took about 40 minutes to complete, included shoulder rotations, hip twists, knee bends and leg stretches. Her agility left me in awe.

Hakoishi was 16 when she left her hometown for Tokyo, where she married a fellow barber.

The couple opened a modest barbershop in the capital. But during World War II, her husband was called up for military service in the former Manchuria. It was not until eight years after the war that she received an official notice of his death in action.

Hakoishi sank into despair. But she managed to pull herself together after a while, and single-handedly started her own salon, named Hakoishi, and raised her two children--a daughter and a son.

At her salon, a notice to clients says the establishment will remain closed until the end of March. She wanted to prepare for the torch relay by focusing on getting herself into tiptop shape.

But after learning that there will be no torch relay, Hakoishi immediately turned her attention to the reopening of her salon on April 1.

“I’m disappointed, but that’s nothing compared to the hardships I went through during the war,” she said.

The very secret of her longevity must lie in her ability to quickly switch emotional gears and remain positive at all times.

The latest turn of events must be making the 10,000 or so torchbearers, their families and relay organizers want to heave a deep sigh of grief.

Still, I hope the positivism and resilience of this 103-year-old lady will inspire them and help them pull through this difficult time.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 25

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.