Japan Sportscope - Episode Guide

BMX Racing has become an official Olympic sport. In this episode, we visit the BMX course at Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki Prefecture. It's equipped with an advanced course used in international competitions and a beginners' course as well. You can rent bikes and all the necessary equipment for free, making it easy for first-timers. English-speaking staff are on hand to help visitors from abroad. Enjoy learning how to compete in BMX Racing at this course with lessons available from former international champion, Yuto Hasegawa.

KARATE is one of Japan's best-known martial arts. It's popular all over the world with an estimated 60 million practitioners and will become an official Olympic sport for the first time at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games. In this episode, we visit Kazumi Dojo in Kanagawa Prefecture headed by Hajime Kazumi, known as one of the strongest karate practitioners in Japan. Karate has devastating strikes alongside a philosophy of self-defense. This dojo is the perfect place for visitors from overseas to experience Japan's bushido warrior spirit firsthand.

Let's take a shot at Archery! Arrows are loosed at targets with points awarded for accuracy, and is an official Olympic event. We visited Tsumagoi Resort Sai no Sato where you can experience about 20 activities while surrounded by nature. London Olympic bronze medalist Miki Kobayashi shows us the basics! Anyone can enjoy doing archery!

The Swiss sport of Airboarding! Riding down a snowy mountain course on your belly riding a rubber board is a new thrill. Today's facility is Fujiwara Snow & Spa Resort at the Minakami Kogen Fujiwara ski resort. You can airboard down all of the courses here, according to your skill level. We'll be shown the ropes by Japan's airboarding pioneer, Shota Suzuki!

The U.K. born sport of Squash has about 20 million practitioners around the world! Our spot today is SQ-CUBE in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. It's one of the biggest Squash facilities in Japan. You can rent all the gear you need and come empty-handed. Our instructor is national champion Chinatsu Matsui, and she'll tell us all about the appeal of Squash for people of all ages!

Caving is an outdoor activity that anyone can enjoy. Caving, also known as spelunking. MC Harry Sugiyama visits the Fuji Fugaku caves near Mt. Fuji's atmospheric forest foothills, led by Yoshida Katsuji, known as one of the world's "Cave Kings." With his expert guide, Harry traverses tricky trails into the caves' world of darkness to discover fantastic walls of ice that soothe the spirit.

Horse Trekking is an outdoor sport in the great outdoors, on horseback. After a 1-hour lesson, you're ready to go exploring the wilderness. You can enjoy scenic splendor from the elevated perspective of horseback during any season, experiencing the bond between rider and mount while spending time in the relaxing embrace of nature.

A marine sport that combines Yoga with Stand-Up Paddleboarding. In addition to being a better core workout than yoga on land thanks to the rocking of the waves, it's also very relaxing. Even shouting while falling off the board is a great stress reliever! Another level of appeal from its land-based counterpart.

Karting is a Motorsport of machines made of steel pipe frames with only an engine, tires and a seat. The bare minimum needed to drive on a circuit. The difference between Karting and the more well-known Go-Karting is speed! Go-Karts run at about 30kph, but the machines in Karting go up to 70kph! The controls are only the right pedal for acceleration, the left pedal for braking, and the steering wheel. Since it requires no driver's license, even kids can drive! The low eyeline means you feel about 3 times the speed as you corner turns and race for the finish line!

This time, Harry goes Canyoning! It's an outdoor sport that lets you enjoy the canyons and waterfalls in the mountains that feed into rivers. Harry pits his body against the natural splendor of Okutama, Tokyo, and all the natural activities to be experienced there. Diving into waterfall basins, letting the water carry him sliding down boulders, and zip lines through the forest are just some of Okutama's many attractions! Come along for the beautiful natural surroundings and stay for the ultimate river fun experience!

This time, Harry's challenge is "Parkour," born from French military training. It's a sport and physical training for the mind and body by running, jumping and climbing. Harry visits Japan's largest parkour facility and starts with basic movements, but has a bit of trouble with the unorthodox moves! To enjoy parkour, you have to use your body and your brain. Not to mention paying attention to the instructor's mind-boggling skills!

Harry's challenge this time is the new sports culture of the "Slack Line" that originated from tightrope walking. They compete in aesthetics and creativity on a resilient belt-like line 5cm wide and 15m long. Harry learns the basics, which can be enjoyed by people of all ages, at one of the largest facilities in Tokyo. He'll try to complete various missions while keeping his balance, but will be able to pick up the slack? A world champion will show him the ropes!

Harry takes on a "Snow Scoot" that mixes bicycle handlebars and a snowboard as he navigates the snowy mountains in a new way. Unlike skiing or snowboarding, Snow Scoots are easy to balance on, even for beginners. Harry masters the basics in less than 30 minutes and hits the course! He tries out slaloms for an even bigger challenge! Will his practice get him to the goal!? The amazing skills of the top Japanese rider are also a must-see!