【W TOKYO Co., Ltd.】Approximately 3,000 people participated in the 53rd Sawayaka Sports Festival, a sports day for three generations of “parents, children, and grandchildren.” Laki, an eight-member girl performance group from LDH JAPAN, participated as special guests!
W TOKYO Co., Ltd. Press release: October 24, 2025 To Members of the Press Approximately 3,000 people participated in the 53rd Sawayaka Sports Festival, a sports day for three generations of “parents, children, and grandchildren.” Laki, an eight-member girl performance group from LDH JAPAN, appeared as special guests! The fourth initiative under the “Edogawa Ward, LDH JAPAN Co., Ltd., and W TOKYO Co., Ltd. Comprehensive Partnership Agreement”! Warm up with attendees with “Cracky! Dance,” supervised by EXILE TETSUYA! W TOKYO Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Noriyoshi Murakami; Stock Code: 9159; Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth; hereinafter referred to as “W”), which plans and produces Tokyo Girls Collection, On August 27, 2024, Edogawa Ward, LDH JAPAN Co., Ltd., together with Edogawa City and LDH JAPAN Co., Ltd., signed the “Edogawa City, LDH JAPAN Co., Ltd., W TOKYO Comprehensive Partnership Agreement” with the aim of leveraging the strengths of each company to promote the realization of a symbiotic society, the dissemination of information and appeal, and culture, arts, and sports through a three-way collaboration. As the fourth installment of this initiative, the 53rd Sawayaka Sports Festival, held on Thursday, October 23rd, 2025 at Spears Edoriku Field (2-1-1 Seishincho, Edogawa-ku), featured the eight-member girl performance group Laki, who changed their name to “Laki” on Monday, September 22nd, 2025, five years after their debut, as a pledge to make a new leap forward, with the words L: Lucky (luck), A: Ambition (dreams/ambition), K: Kizuna (bonds), and I: Infinity (infinite possibilities) representing their combined meanings.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/7466/903/7466-903-6cbbb6ad9f51db2a1da7e78c55e7bd34-2301×1534.jpg ■Approximately 3,000 participants and Laki warmed up with the “Cracky! Dance,” supervised by EXILE TETSUYA! Afterwards, Laki participated in various events and worked up a refreshing sweat while working together with the local residents! After the opening ceremony, members of Laki stood in front of approximately 3,000 participants and danced together to the “Cracky! Dance,” supervised by EXILE TETSUYA. “Cracky! The “Dance” program incorporates soccer moves and a menu from the JFA program “Aim to Be Crazy!”, which aims to equip children with the balanced movements they need for growth. It’s a fun warm-up activity, and adults and children dance together. Participants, following the example of the other members, naturally had happy smiles on their faces.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/7466/903/7466-903-612e479d368ff7c64468d60d692a1f93-2396×1597.jpg The competition finally began, with Nagayama Tsubaki, Kamimura Ririka, Fukazawa Nisaya, and Sato Shiona on the Red Team, and Higa Yuwa, Sato Hina, Mori Akari, and Yamaguchi Ria on the White Team. They were all full of energy, wearing headbands! The highlight of the event was the “Big Ball Aerial Relay for Everyone”. Each team formed a large circle and held a big ball above their heads, passing it around. The first team to complete a lap wins. The second round ended in a 1-1 draw, so the teams decided to play a third round. The Red Team won, and the members of the Red Team shared their joy with the nearby kindergarten children by high-fiving them and shouting “Yay!” There was also a moment when a member of the White Team called out to a participant who was about to lose his balance, showing that both teams were united as one.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/7466/903/7466-903-68fcac9bf37cfebf52f7da7d71f11d70-3900×2600.jpg “Everyone’s Red and White Ball Toss” is a competition in which each team competes to see who can put the most balls into a basket. The White team won the first of the two rounds. When it was time to count the balls in the basket, they counted out loud, “One, two, three…” in hopes of victory, and looked at the balls with serious expressions as they were tossed into the air and counted. In the second round, the members of the Red team, who were at a disadvantage, seemed fired up to throw their balls, but unfortunately the White team won again. Although the winner was decided, everyone gave a big round of applause at the end! They praised each other’s efforts. There was also a moment of interaction when a member helped clean up and thanked the participants for taking part in the competition, saying “Thank you very much!”, to which the other participants responded by waving back.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/7466/903/7466-903-a302c50f39e9524007ee5cb3a2cccb94-3900×2600.jpg For the final team event, the “Inclusive Society Relay,” six members of Laki were selected to run as the first runners! Given the immense responsibility, they were seen doing warm-up exercises before stepping onto the course, exclaiming, “I’m so nervous!” However, once the relay began, all six members sprinted at full speed. After successfully completing the race, they flashed refreshing smiles, as if they’d given it their all, and cheered on the other participants who had received the baton.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/7466/903/7466-903-666203d703a705d8343c166b897e7f13-3900×2600.jpg ■ During the “Rhythmic Exercise,” the students joined the crowd of Edogawa residents and performed waltzes and folk songs! They quickly learned the dances and performed them, eliciting cheers of “Amazing!” from those around them. The “Rhythmic Exercise,” held while waiting for the results of the competition, was suddenly joined by the students. This is a standard feature at the 53rd “Sawayaka Sports Festival,” and in a departure from the “Cracky! Dance” lectured at the beginning, this time the students were given their turn to learn dance from people who were more experienced in life. At first, Laki’s feet stumbled as she exclaimed, “Wow! This is so difficult!” as she imitated the choreography of those next to her, dancing waltzes and folk songs. Her impressive skills were evident, eliciting exclamations of “Amazing!” from the other participants. At first, the members paired up with each other, but halfway through, they joined the rest of the group and danced with local residents. Pairs of different ages held hands, creating a scene worthy of a sports festival, a “festival of three generations.” Even when she wasn’t competing, Laki was actively roaming the field, cheering on the participants with “Go for it!” She was greeted by local residents at various points, engaging in friendly conversation and handshakes, demonstrating her popularity. It was a sports festival that truly embodied interaction with Edogawa residents.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/7466/903/7466-903-d426bad0a9d8eaee95c2de143b4f5a92-3900×2600.jpg ■At the closing ceremony, Laki shared her thoughts on the sports festival. “They all watched over me so warmly, and every time we passed each other they would say, ‘Do your best!'” she said, her expression filled with emotion! At the closing ceremony, the White Team, which had won for the second consecutive year, was presented with a championship trophy, and each participant gave a general review and shared their thoughts. Fukazawa Nisaya expressed her gratitude, saying, “I gave it my all in the competition together with everyone from Edogawa Ward, and I have some great memories. Thank you very much!” Mori Akari commented with a joyful expression, “Above all, everyone was so kind and warm, and it was a wonderful time.” Higa Yuwa spoke with emotion, saying, “I feel happy to have had the opportunity to meet all of you at this sports festival. Thank you for watching over me so warmly and for telling me to do my best every time we passed each other!” He then went on to say, “I work as an artist under the name Laki, so I would be happy if you remember me by that name.” He sent a message to the local residents who had worked hard together with him all day. The “Sawayaka Sports Festival” came to a close with much warm applause.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/7466/903/7466-903-1e908e35236741f8d625aba37a5a783a-3900×2600.jpg ■Post-event interview with Laki! “It became one of my fondest memories!” Q. What were your impressions of participating in the “Sawayaka Sports Festival”? Hisa Fukazawa smiled and said, “The people of Edogawa Ward welcomed us warmly from the moment we arrived at the venue, so we were able to give it our all from start to finish. It was fun!” Tsubaki Nagayama continued, still excited, “It was fun working together with everyone, from children to seniors. I also really enjoyed dancing the rhythmic exercises with everyone!” Q. What was the most memorable event you participated in? Yamaguchi Ria commented on the sense of accomplishment she felt in the two team events, saying, “The big ball aerial relay and the red and white ball toss. Both events required cooperation with everyone, so I was able to
participate as part of a team while deepening our unity, and I felt a sense of accomplishment when we won!” Mori Akari reflected on the relay event, saying, “The ‘Inclusive Society Relay’ left a lasting impression on me. I was nervous about my important role as the leadoff batter, but thanks to everyone who passed the baton to me, I was able to enjoy it. Thank you!” Q. What were your impressions of dancing with the Edo Ward residents? Higa Yuwa said, “We danced to ‘Cracky!’ as a warm-up.” “Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves during the “Dance” section. It was fun to be able to join in with the local community during the rhythmic exercises. We received cheers for our first performance, the ‘Unicorn Dance,’ and it’s a fond memory,” said Ririka Uemura. “The last rhythmic exercise was really fun. I danced one-on-one with a local resident from Edogawa Ward, and they kindly taught me the choreography. Seeing everyone dancing so happily made me happy too!” she commented with joy at each dance. Q. What are your memories of past sports festivals? Shiona Sato commented, “I participated in the selection relay at the sports festival for three years, from my upper elementary school years through junior high school. I’ve always loved running and moving my body, so it was fun to be able to participate in the relay again today. Thank you!” She compared the experience of the day to her own memories. Hikaru Sato spoke with emotion, saying, “I was on the cheer squad in my first year of junior high school, so I think I was able to use what I learned then to cheer everyone on loudly today. The ‘Sawayaka Sports Festival’ is also one of my fondest memories!” 【53rd Sawayaka Sports Festival Event Overview】 Date and Time: Thursday, October 23, 2025.
Registration begins at 8:30 AM. Opening Ceremony begins at 10:00 AM. Event ends at 1:45 PM. Venue: Spears Edoriku Field (Edogawa Ward Athletics Stadium) (2-1-1 Seishincho, Edogawa Ward) ■What is the “Sawayaka Sports Festival”? This sports festival brings together three generations—parents, children, and grandchildren—including nursery school and kindergarten children and their parents, with a focus on members of the Kusunoki Club Federation (193 clubs, approximately 12,000 members), a group of seniors aged 60 and over from within the ward. Divided into red and white teams by region, participants compete in a variety of sports, broadening the circle of communication across generations and regions. ＜W TOKYO Co., Ltd. Company Profile＞ Company Name: W TOKYO Co., Ltd. (Code Number: 9159, Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth) Address: 5-28-5 W Building, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Capital: 246 million yen (as of the end of June 2025) Representative Director: Noriyoshi Murakami Business Description: Branding and content production utilizing the TOKYO GIRLS COLLECTION brand Official Website: https://www.w-tokyo.co.jp/ This company plans and produces the Tokyo Girls Collection, which has been held twice a year since August 2005. In 2015, the company partnered with Friends of the United Nations Asia-Pacific to hold a fashion show themed on the SDGs at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in May 2018. In Japan, the company launched the “TGC Regional Revitalization Project” in 2015, hosting TGC events in regional cities such as Kitakyushu, Shizuoka, and Wakayama, contributing to regional revitalization and actively promoting the SDGs. Copyright ©
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