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Kyodo

Forget what is said about old dogs and new tricks – try teaching someone in their eighties 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 favourite 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 autumn.
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 seventies from Toyonaka, Osaka prefecture, who took part 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 yen (US$14) to 5,000 yen per session. A woman in her forties 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, showed people 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 medallist 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 because of the dual challenges of fewer customers because of the ageing population in 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 favourite 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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Elderly in Japan take figure skating lessons, for their health or to ape Olympians’ moves

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Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

In Japan, adult figure skating is booming. Skaters, some over 80, are inspired by former stars or by a desire to build stronger muscles


In Japan, adult figure skating is booming. Skaters, some over 80, are inspired by former stars or by a desire to build stronger muscles.


How to age well

Japan

Elderly in Japan take figure skating lessons, for their health or to ape Olympians’ moves

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}In Japan, adult figure skating is booming. Skaters, some over 80, are inspired by former stars or by a desire to build stronger muscles

In Japan, adult figure skating is booming. Skaters, some over 80, are inspired by former stars or by a desire to build stronger muscles