Skating without ice as synthetic rinks slide into Japanese cities

Travel & Leisure

Installation costs for synthetic resin rinks are about one-quarter those of ice ones

Synthetic rinks can generally be assembled in half the time and at a quarter of the cost of traditional ice ones. (Photo by Riona Gomi)

RIONA GOMI

January 3, 2026 13:18 JST

TOKYO — A skating rink opened in late November at Fukutoku no mori, a small green space in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district surrounded by office buildings and commercial complexes.