Osaka Castle Park’s Taiyo no Hiroba (Sun Plaza) will fill with the energy of sport on Sunday, November 15. “OSAKA FUNtast!c SPORTS PROJECT,” Osaka Prefecture’s sports tourism initiative, is holding “OSAKA Netsukatsu HEROES,” a one-day event combining talks by top athletes with hands-on sports experiences.
The project works with 17 top sports teams, sports organizations and business groups in the prefecture to boost tourism and local vitality through both playing and watching sport. This year’s theme is “OSAKA Netsukatsu” (roughly, “fired-up fandom”), which combines the heat of sport, of Osaka and of fan culture. This event is one of several under that theme, and it aims to become “a new seasonal tradition of Osaka Prefecture.”
Talks and shows across sports: “HEROES STAGE”
The “HEROES STAGE” program has four themed sessions.
- Pekopa’s “Maru Sports” special stage, “Rugby”: comedy duo Pekopa, players from Red Hurricanes Osaka, Hanazono Kintetsu Liners and the ACT Brumbies (Australia), and Avantgardey
- Pekopa’s “Maru Sports” special stage, “Baseball”: Pekopa, Yuki Nishi and Atsushi Nohmi
- HEROES Special Talk, “Soccer”: Seiya of Shimofuri Myojo, Michihiro Yasuda, Daisuke Nasu and Unparunpa
- HEROES Special Talk, “Winter Olympics”: Miho Takagi and Narumi Takahashi
Takagi, who appears in the winter sports session, is a former speed skater who won a record ten Olympic medals for a Japanese woman and received the People’s Honor Award in April this year. Takahashi is a former pair figure skater who won Japan’s first pairs podium, a bronze, at the 2012 World Championships; both will talk about the appeal of winter sports.
The baseball session features Nishi of the Hanshin Tigers, who has announced he will retire at the end of this season. The rugby session features players from the previous day’s “OSAKA Netsukatsu GAMES,” so watching the match first may make the stage even more fun.
Photo: OSAKA FUNtast!c SPORTS PROJECT
Special performers include the dance unit Avantgardey, who drew attention at Expo 2025 Osaka, and the Expo’s official character Myaku-Myaku, who will lead exercises and dance.
Try it yourself: “DO SPORTS”
The “DO SPORTS” area lets visitors get moving.
- UNAVERAGE SPORTS: challenges that test control, focus and judgment across sports such as volleyball, baseball and soccer. It is an attraction used at an event produced by pro basketball player Yuki Togashi
- BMX AIR TRICK SHOW and trial session: athletes soar over a ramp in a dynamic urban sports show
- Sports classes: mainly for children, with a rugby clinic and exchange with three teams, a table tennis class by Nippon Life Red Elf, a soccer class by Cerezo Osaka, and a premium soccer class by Yasuda, Nasu and Unparunpa
- HEROES Skills Challenge: slide board (speed skating), kick bowling (soccer) and speed pitching (baseball), linked to the athletes on stage
A “World Gourmet” area of food trucks serving dishes from around the world will also be on site. The lineup differs between November 14 and 15, and details will be announced on the official website and social media.
Event information
- Date: Sunday, November 15, 2026
- Venue: Taiyo no Hiroba, Osaka Castle Park
- Program: HEROES STAGE (talks and performances), DO SPORTS (sports experiences), World Gourmet
- Notes: held rain or shine (some events may be canceled or changed in rain); program details will be updated
- Official site (Japanese): https://sports.pref.osaka.jp/ofsp/
- Related event: “OSAKA Netsukatsu GAMES,” Saturday, November 14, a rugby special match at Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Higashiosaka
