There was a time when the sound of plastic balls clacking through the park meant Japan¡¯s older generation was getting its daily dose of gateball ¡ª a croquet-adjacent sport that peaked in the 1990s with nearly 2 million players. These days? Not so much. The Japan Gateball Union is down to just 35,000 registered members from a peak of 680,000.
There are a few reasons for the decline: hierarchical team structures, personal politics within the community and the activity¡¯s general reputation ¡ª gateball is now seen as being one step away from a shuffleboard tournament on a cruise ship.
The shift isn¡¯t just cultural; it¡¯s also policy-driven. The Japanese government has been pushing a ¡°healthy lifespan,¡± a reference to not just how long people live but how long they can live well independently. The current Japanese healthy lifespan stands at a record high of , with both groups having 10 more years of life after that. The goal is to get those numbers above 75 for everyone by 2040.
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