Former US pickleball champ showcases rural Japan through sports tours

Sports

Daniel Moore spreads charm of quickly growing sport as well as Nagano’s landscape

Former U.S. national champion in pickleball Daniel Moore now works to popularize the sport in Japan. (Photo by Manami Yamada)

SHUHEI YUZAWA

January 5, 2026 22:30 JST

TOKYO — As pickleball starts to gain a following in Japan, American-born, Japan-raised former champion Daniel Moore is using the sport to show foreign tourists the joys of the Japanese countryside.