A new international skate contest will be coming to Japan late this month at the Ariake Arena.
Organized by Rakuten, a global entertainment and online shopping mogul, the event will utilize the state-of-the-art arena from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Uprising Tokyo hopes to share the love of skateboarding, bring the community together, and develop the sport and its culture throughout Japan and the rest of the world.
The competition is meant to bring skateboarding to the global stage and show that “skateboarding [is] for all.” By incorporating entertainment, fashion, street culture, and other elements, the event promotes the action sport’s distinctive cultural qualities. The competition includes the traditional Men’s and Women’s Professional and Amateur categories, plus a Junior’s category.
Professional skater Yuto Horigome is among the names slated to appear in the competition; he has been partnered with Rakuten since 2022 will be an important key to helping grow the sport of skateboarding in Japan. When talking about Uprising Tokyo, Horigome said, “this new event aims to grow skateboard culture in Japan and worldwide and I am thrilled to watch it unfold. I hope Uprising Tokyo serves as an opportunity for many new fans to fall in love with the sport that has changed my life.”
Skateboarding has recently started to grow in popularity, commonly intertwined with fashion and art culture. With Japanese athletes performing well in large competitions, the media has drawn more attention to the sport and skateboarding has risen in popularity, as has Japan’s role in global competitions.
The goal of Uprising Tokyo is to promote skateboarding in Japan, combat inaccurate perceptions of skateboarding, and strengthen the existing skateboarding community through involvement. It aims to inspire people through inclusive and uplifting storytelling, inform non-skaters about the sport’s possibilities & establish a new norm for skateboarding competition quality. The three- day tournament will take place from May 26th-28th at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, tickets are available through Rakuten’s website.