A new trend is taking over the streets of Japan, literally. People are running in huge numbers, particularly young women who live in the cities.

The fad is especially strong in trendy Tokyo, where women's corporate marathon clubs are meeting before and after work to do a few laps around the Imperial Palace. The main goal is to "stay healthy, pretty and sane" with the extra benefit of getting to show off special marathon gear from Danskin and New Balance.

Some attribute this new exercise craze to the popularity of the Tokyo Marathon, inaugurated just two years ago. Japanese runners have been some of the fastest in the world, but now that "the girls" are doing it, running is cool and fashionable.

Anan, the most influential women's magazine in Japan, now publishes articles extolling the virtues of sweat and exercise, rather than dieting, to make you sexy. Although we can't read kanji, we suspect this is the equivalent of Cosmo ditching the Bedside Astrologer for the kind of "Ten Killer Moves for Flat Abs " spread you usually see in Self Magazine.

How big is this trend? Muji, the Ikea-like-but-bigger super store, has a new line of workout gear. And you know what that means. Any day now Gwen Stefani is going to partner with Adidas to bring out with Harujuku Lovers running gear, including headbands, and we're all going to have start jogging again.

The eighties. Back in more ways than one.