Pickleball One unveils 20-court flagship hub plan for Japan

More than 20 courts is the headline, but the real story is bigger: Pickleball One is trying to build a permanent home for Japanese pickleball before the sport’s growth is forced to live on borrowed space. The company’s flagship concept calls for roughly 5,000 square metres in Tokyo or the wider Kanto area, with a long-term lease of 10 years or more, and a venue large enough to host tournaments, spectators, media activity and retail in one place.

The plan reads like an answer to a structural problem. Japan has rising participation, but still lacks the kind of symbolic facility that can serve as both a player-development base and a public-facing showcase. Pickleball One says the complex would include a centre court, seating, event space, a pro shop, a cafe and a rest area, making it part training ground, part tournament stage and part commercial anchor. The company is looking at land or property partners in Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture and Saitama Prefecture.

The timing matters. On April 7, ASICS Ventures announced an investment in Pickleball One and identified Shusaku Kumakura as the company’s representative director. Pickleball One also said it was working with five major corporate partners: ASICS Ventures, Sansan, TBS Innovation Partners, Dentsu Group and Mitsui Fudosan. Dentsu described Japanese pickleball as being in its “kickoff phase” and said the industry still needs urban hubs, corporate communities, better playing environments, media awareness, and stronger e-commerce and equipment sales.

That partner list helps explain why the 20-court concept looks less like a standalone property play and more like an infrastructure push. Sansan said it would help operate Sansan Pickleball Court Ikebukuro, scheduled to open in July, while Mitsui Fudosan said it was using corporate-league style events to create play opportunities and business networking. Pickleball One has already tested the urban model too, with PICKLEBALL ONE GINZA SHIMBASHI opening on November 1, 2025 as Tokyo’s first urban indoor pickleball facility.

The demand case is getting harder to ignore. A Pickleball One-based study estimated Japan had about 45,000 players by March 2025, up nearly 390 percent from the previous year, while monthly active users jumped from 6,159 in March 2024 to 30,219 in March 2025. Japan’s event calendar is also moving forward, with major 2025 and 2026 tournaments at Ariake Tennis Park, where one 2025 page said 49 temporary courts were used. Pickleball One’s wager is clear: Japan has already moved past the novelty stage, and now it needs a home big enough to match the numbers.