Kansai resident believes the medium is the massage

OSAKA--A good massage is usually a conversation stopper, but not if Kunihito Furuichi has his way. The Kansai resident is encouraging people in the area's streets and shopping arcades to pummel each others' shoulders--not only to relieve stiffness, but also to prompt communication.

Furuichi, 24, has named Oct. 10 "Ton-ton no Hi" (ton-ton day). An onomatopoeiac phrase,"ton-ton" is based on the sound of shoulders being patted.

To mark the day this year, Furuichi offered free shoulder massages--and conversation--to about 150 shoppers and passersby within a 24-hour period across Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe.

Furuichi's first foray into massage began when he was a student at Ritsumeikan University. He belonged to a foot massage group and provided massage to elderly people at welfare facilities.

Initially, Furuichi himself was not a good conversationalist. "When conducting small talk [during my massages], I saw the people gradually loosen up. It made me happy to make them happy," he said.

Spurred on by this, he set out onto the Kansai streets last December to encourage casual conversation through shoulder massage.

After pummeling one happy customer, he gave the person a coupon that read: "Now, give a massage to someone you care about and talk with that person."

His efforts received some Internet publicity and Furuichi attracted many young supporters.

Despite taking a job this spring, he has continued with his campaign of encouraging chitchat. He has so far given shoulder massages to about 2,500 people.

"As human relations become more and more shallow, I hope my massages increase the number of chances people have to communicate with each other," said Furuichi. "I want to hold a similar event where many people come together, like at the Olympic Games."