Need a little help carrying a baby stroller or some heavy luggage down a flight of stairs on your way from A to B in Tokyo? Never fear, “Green Ranger” is here.
Tadahiro Kanemasu, 27, is a regular Japanese man most of the time but for an hour or two a day, he dons a green Power Rangers suit and mask to lend a hand to subway passengers in Tokyo.
For three months, Kanemasu spent a couple of hours each day helping the elderly, lugging baby strollers and hauling others’ luggage down the stairs to a subway station in western Tokyo.
He said to the Asahi Shimbun that he drew inspiration from children he met through his work at an organic greengrocer.
But it was not all praise for the hero when he first started to carry out his good deeds.
“When I first began, people basically said ‘Get away from me, you weirdo’,” Kanemasu told the paper. “Now they still think I’m weird but in a good way.”
He hopes to recruit others “Power Rangers”.
“Japanese people find it hard to accept help, they feel obligated to the other person, so the mask really helps me out,” he said.
Hayato Ito, Kanemasu’s colleague, said he was not surprised that he had chosen to help others.
“There were hints of this from a long time ago but finally he flowered as a hero,” Ito said.
by Maesie Bertumen
Image: sebra / Shutterstock.com
