Outdoor Sports Participation Rate Declines to 19% Over Three Years; "Cycling," "Fishing," and "Mountaineering/Trail Running" Rank in Top 3

Cross Marketing Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Miki Igarashi) has conducted the "Survey on Outdoor Activities (2026)" targeting 5,000 men and women aged 20 to 69 living in all 47 prefectures of Japan. This time, we surveyed and analyzed participation rates, reasons for participation, future intentions, and triggers for participation by type of outdoor sport.

Survey Results 【Outdoor Sports Participation Rate】 48% of respondents have experience with outdoor sports, 19% have participated within the last three years, and 16% within the last year, showing a downward trend in participation rates since 2022. The top 5 activities participated in within the last three years are "cycling," "fishing," "mountaineering/trail running," "skiing," and "trekking/hiking," with participation rates for all outdoor sports being higher among men. By age group, those with high participation rates within the last three years include winter sports like "skiing" and "snowboarding" for those in their 20s, "cycling," "fishing," and "mountaineering/trail running" for those in their 40s, and "trekking/hiking" for those in their 60s.

Compared to 2022 and 2024, the three-year participation rate for various outdoor sports has either slightly declined or remained the same.

"Skiing" saw a slight increase within the last year, with participation rates being somewhat higher among men in their 20s and 50s.

【Reasons for Participation】 We asked for reasons for participation for each type of outdoor sport engaged in within the last three years. Overall, "spending time in nature," "refreshing one's mood," and "health" ranked high. In particular, "health" is high for cycling, "spending time with family" for swimming (in the sea, rivers, etc.), "deepening relationships with friends/acquaintances" for snowboarding and skiing, and "spending time in nature" for trekking/hiking and mountaineering/trail running.

【Intentions and Triggers for Participation】 Regarding future intentions, 8-9% of men chose "fishing," "mountaineering/trail running," and "cycling," while 6-7% of women chose "mountaineering/trail running," "trekking/hiking," and "fishing."

The most common trigger for engaging in outdoor sports was "if I had more time" at 39%, followed by "if my income increased," "if I found someone to do it with," and "if I gained more physical strength," all in the 20% range. For women, "if I found someone to do it with" was the second most common trigger at 36%.

List of Report Items □ Attribute Questions (Gender / Age / Marital Status / Co-habiting Family / Occupation / Place of Residence / Household Car Ownership / Type of Owned/Car-shared Vehicle / Personal Ownership of Motorcycles/Bicycles / Type of Owned Motorcycle/Bicycle / Household Income / Potential Needs Cluster)

▼ Survey Result Details □ Outdoor Sports Experience (Past / Last 3 Years / Last 1 Year) □ Experience by Outdoor Sport (Past / Last 3 Years / Last 1 Year) □ Frequency of Outdoor Sports Participation □ People Accompanied During Outdoor Sports □ When Outdoor Sports Were Started □ Reasons for Doing Outdoor Sports □ Benefits of Doing Outdoor Sports □ Annual Spending on Outdoor Sports □ Future Frequency of Outdoor Sports □ Means of Transportation for Outdoor Sports □ Reasons for Never Having Done Outdoor Sports □ Outdoor Sports Interested in Trying in the Future □ Triggers to Start Doing Outdoor Sports in the Future □ Regions Currently Visited for Outdoor Sports □ Regions Desired to Visit for Outdoor Sports in the Future □ Reference Information Regarding Outdoor Sports/Camping

▼ About Potential Needs Cluster (PNCL)

◆ Download the report here https://www.cross-m.co.jp/report/20260331outdoor

Survey Overview Survey Method: Internet Research Survey Region: All 47 prefectures of Japan Survey Target: Men and women aged 20-69 Survey Period: March 12 (Thu) - 13 (Fri), 2026; March 5 (Tue) - March 7 (Thu), 2024; March 8 (Tue) - March 14 (Mon), 2022 Valid Responses: 5,000 samples for the main survey *Survey results may not total 100% due to rounding.

*Outdoor sport categories were surveyed as follows: - Sea (Marine sports) - Water (Canoeing, kayaking, fishing, swimming, rafting, etc.) - Snow (Skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing, snowmobiling, etc.) - General Outdoor (Cycling, running, hiking, motocross, etc.) - Mountain (Mountaineering, trekking, rock climbing, free climbing, etc.) - Air (Skydiving, paragliding, gliding, etc.)