Cool moves at any age: Japan's figure skating scene grows up

Japan Today

30-04-2025

A team that competes in synchronized skating competitions practices in a class with no age limits at the Kinoshita Kansei Ice Arena in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, in February.
By Masashi Inoue
Forget what is said about old dogs and new tricks -- try teaching someone in their 80s how to glide, spin and jump on ice.
In Japan, adults young and old are doing exactly that by packing ice skating rinks for classes and recitals in figure skating, inspired by their favorite elite skaters or by anime and manga.
On a weekend in mid-March, some 30 people gathered for a figure skating class at the Mao Rink, a facility opened in Tachikawa, western Tokyo, last fall.
The overnight camp was arranged by former figure skating star Aki Sawada, 36, who placed fourth at the 2007 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and now coaches skaters in the Kansai region of western Japan.
Participants included housewives, workers and a graduate student, among others.
Figure skating "strengthens the core and is good for your health," said a woman in her 70s from Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture, who participated in the class.
She had no experience with sports but had watched figure staking competitions before. With a smile, she said she started the classes because "We all have to die one day, so I want to do what I want now."
Classes typically cost anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 yen per session. A woman in her 40s from Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, who also joined the camp, said that she used to have an image of figure skating as a sport for the wealthy.
"But it doesn't necessarily cost much," she said. "We are now in an age when people live into their 100s. As a lesson for adults and a lifelong sport, I would like to improve my skating skills while I am still working."
Professional figure skater Ryo Shibata, 38, who was invited by Sawada to the camp as a special instructor, demonstrated the basics of figure skating and beauty of posture. "We've seen a sharp increase in the number of adult skaters in recent years," Shibata said.
He added, "While there are kids who are coerced into skating lessons (by parents), all adult skaters do so willingly. It's worth teaching them because they want to learn."
At Kozuka Academy, another school operated by a former Olympian, Takahiko Kozuka, 36, classes are fully booked within "five minutes" of the reception desk opening for business, he says.
Adult figure skating competitions have been held under the umbrella of the International Skating Union since 2005. In the spring of 2024, Olympic silver medalist Midori Ito, at the age of 54, won an international competition in Oberstdorf, Germany.
Competitions for adult skaters are also held in Japan, including some that are more like recitals. Participants include skaters over 80 years old. Opportunities for more skaters of advanced age to take to the ice have been steadily increasing across the country.
However, ice skating rinks are facing operational difficulties due to the dual challenges of fewer customers due to the aging of Japan and rising maintenance costs. They are reliant on revenue received from fees paid by the general public.
"There were adult skaters who started skating after watching anime about figure skating, and students who said, 'I want to perform the same steps as my favorite skater," Sawada said.
Many of those older skaters have been inspired by a rich lineage of world-class Japanese stars including Yuzuru Hanyu, Mao Asada, Kaori Sakamoto, Shoma Uno, Shizuka Arakawa and Ito -- to name a few.
"If people know that there are rinks and classes for mature-age people in various regions, the number of people who enjoy figure skating as a hobby will grow," Sawada said.
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