Teams gather for MtS Adventure Race Japan fundraiser

The race is taking place over 18 – 21 May on the scenic Izu Peninsula close to Tokyo combining trail running and stand-up paddling.

“It’s really spectacular countryside and you should be able to get views of Mount Fuji as people are running and participating in the stand-up paddling,” says Christopher Eve, Chairman of the Mission to Seafarers Japan.

Related: Looking after the welfare of seafarers calling at Singapore port

Even before it starts the race is a considerable success having attracted teams from across the industry including from shipowners, insurers, ship managers, brokers, finance, and travel companies.

In terms of the number of teams it is more than the organisers had originally planned for. “In fact, we've reached capacity at the hotel, so we had to stop recruiting teams a couple of months ago, because we just didn't have enough rooms,” says Eve, who is also Managing Director of Informa Markets Japan, which organises the leading maritime trade shows Sea Japan and Bari-Ship.

The MtS Adventure Race Japan is raising funds for the Mission’s activities globally in supporting the welfare of seafarers. A combination of corporate sponsorship and team participation has raised $1.1 million of its $1.2 million target, and more is to come from funds raised by the teams taking part.

The event this week will see the fruition of a project that has been some four years in the making, including a year delay due to the pandemic. Eve shares that the genesis for the event to be held in Japan came from luncheon the Mission in 2019 with its President HRH Princess Anne, who was attending the Rugby World Cup as Patron of Scottish Rugby Union.

As well as fundraising the race aims to grow the profile of the valuable work of the Mission to Seafarers in Japan and East Asia as whole.

Eve believes it has definitely achieved this objective in Japan and that “people are talking about it”. He also notes very good support from the Japan Maritime Daily, media sponsor for the event.

The race has drawn high level interest from Japan’s maritime community and among guests attending the event are Yukito Higaki, President of Shoei Kisen – the shipowning arm of Imbari, and Takeshi Hashimoto, President and CEO of Mitsui OSK Lines.

Included among gold corporate sponsors are Japanese companies Shoei Kisen Kaisha, Ocean Network Express, and Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), alongside international gold sponsors APM Terminals, Swire Shipping, Swire Bulk, Fleet Management, and Arrow.

You can find out more about the MtS Adventure Race Japan here