A typhoon was heading for Tokyo, and the streets were filling with rain. Parents huddled under umbrellas with their children, and tourists rushed indoors.
But in Shinjuku Chuo Park, in a drenched suit, red tie and sneakers, Toru Utsumi, a management consultant and internet star, was dancing. Under darkening skies, he shimmied. He clicked his heels. Mimicking scenes from “Singin’ in the Rain,” he twirled and leaped into the air.
“The more I move,” he said, “the more my spirit rises, and I start feeling good.”
Nothing gets in the way of Mr. Utsumi, 60, Japan’s “dancing salaryman,” who has won more than a million fans on TikTok and Instagram with short, fancy-free videos that poke fun at the country’s buttoned-down corporate culture.
Mr. Utsumi dances exuberantly outside train stations, on rooftops, near castles, in cramped hotel rooms, on empty fields and at the beach. He grooves to Buena Vista Social Club in a beret and shorts, or bops to J-pop in a crisp collared shirt under neon lights. He cartwheels, does splits and performs butterfly jumps. And he’s organized, keeping a spreadsheet of more than 1,000 songs to avoid repeating himself.
In Japan, where many citizens prioritize public order and quiet streets, Mr. Utsumi is seen as something of a nuisance and rule breaker. He has been told he is too sloppy, too undisciplined, too gimmicky and too old to dance.
“I know I stand out,” he said. “That’s why it’s very difficult for an ordinary salaryman like me to dance like this.”
But Mr. Utsumi has built a fervent following abroad. His most devoted fans fly thousands of miles for the chance to dance alongside him. They consider him a living landmark on par with Shibuya Crossing or Tokyo Tower. (He has danced at both places.)
The faithful include the Italian lawyer Roberto Cimmino, 27, who danced with Mr. Utsumi on a recent afternoon outside Tokyo Station during a 17-day trip to Japan with his partner, Chiara Comuzzi, 24. As “Magnando” by the Italian artist Leone di Lernia blared on a portable speaker, the trio twisted their hips, jumped up and down and gave each other high-fives.
Mr. Cimmino said that Mr. Utsumi’s videos were an antidote to endless doom-scrolling about war, climate change and artificial intelligence.
“Just a little short video of him dancing or vibing can totally change your mood and make you smile,” he said. “He’s like a joy machine.”
As they parted, Mr. Cimmino had three words for Mr. Utsumi: “Keep on dancing!”
‘Completely Funky and Free’
Mr. Utsumi grew up in Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, in what he described as “very unconventional circumstances.” His family moved around a lot because his father, a Lutheran minister, was assigned to different churches. He often felt isolated and apart from traditional Japanese society.
His fascination with dance began in kindergarten, when he would imitate the ballet dancers he saw in a hall connected to his family’s church. As a high school student in the 1980s, during Japan’s street-band boom, he danced the twist on the streets of Tokyo and played guitar in a heavy metal band.
Mr. Utsumi idolized Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. He liked the way Mr. Jagger moved his hips — “that kind of feel and atmosphere,” he said.
“I didn’t have talent early on,” he said, “but I had an interest.”
During the bubble-economy era of the late 1980s, when Japan’s nightlife was bustling, Mr. Utsumi was a fixture at disco halls and clubs. He fell in love with reggae, and he became known for what he described as a “quirky and eccentric” style.
By day, he worked as a copy machine salesperson, rising rapidly up the corporate ladder. But he struggled with the stress of overbearing bosses and underperforming subordinates. He eventually left sales and began working as an independent management consultant, hoping to teach more executives to lead with empathy and care.
In 2018, when he was 52, feeling a creative urge, he decided to take up dance more formally, enrolling in classes on the side. Japan’s social dance scene has exploded in recent years, especially among middle-aged and older residents looking for ways to stay active and make friends.
Sachiko Nagatomo, Mr. Utsumi’s teacher, said that he had a free-flowing, highly improvised style, and that he struggled to stick to the choreography. He has an ability, she said, to mesmerize people with his striking silhouettes and an intuitive sense of rhythm. She attributed his success to being “completely funky and free.”
“The moment he starts dancing,” she said, “he completely grabs the audience’s attention and locks them in.”
Mr. Utsumi began posting videos in 2023, drawing on genres like hip-hop, disco, rockabilly and soul. By forcing himself to post videos almost every day, he hoped to improve his dancing.
“Publicly declaring my goals also keeps me from slacking off,” he wrote in a blog.
Now, Mr. Utsumi is a bona fide social media star, appearing in commercials and short films. He dances on his off days — Tuesdays and Sundays — and between business trips and client meetings. His colleagues in the business world have accepted his alter ego, he said, saying, “That’s just Toru,” while many of his clients are unaware of his side hustle.
Despite his success, Mr. Utsumi said he still feels nervous about dancing in public. He makes a point of packing up quickly after he records his videos and retreating into the anonymous Tokyo crowds. He smiles at disapproving passers-by who sometimes ask if he has a permit.
“I don’t have a grand goal to change society or say, ‘Let’s all work hard together, men in our 60s,’” he said. “But if people see me having fun and decide to try something themselves, that’s enough.”
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