SSL Team Japan is back for its second SSL Gold Cup campaign.
Known as Rising Sun Japan, the team combines Japan’s long sailing tradition with a new generation of sailors ready to take on the world stage.
Japan is ranked 19th in the SSL Nations Ranking, earning a direct place in the 1/16 round of the Final Series, where they will race alongside SSL Team Thailand and two more teams coming from elimination.
Japan already has SSL Gold Cup experience. At the first edition in Gran Canaria in 2023, the team was seeded directly into the 1/16 round, where they faced some of the strongest sailing nations in the world.
Now, three years later, Rising Sun Japan is back with a new challenge and a clear ambition to show the strength of Japanese sailing once again.
The Japanese team has been working hard ahead of the Final Series, recently holding its third training session at Hayama Marina.
With a strong focus on communication and teamwork, the sailors have been working on keeping the boat moving efficiently and developing the connection between crew members. The next goal is to take that communication even further, to the point where the team can understand each other without words.
Japan is also placing a strong emphasis on its young sailors, with a new generation increasingly making its mark both nationally and internationally.
For Rising Sun Japan, the SSL Gold Cup is about more than competition.
The team sees the event as an opportunity to show Japan’s presence on the international sailing stage, inspire the next generation and help bring greater attention to sailing across the country.
After their experience in Gran Canaria, they know what awaits them. Now, they are preparing to rise again.