BMX Freestyle Park.

Riders use ramps of various sizes to perform complex airborne tricks.

There are many Japanese riders with great track records on the world stage.

One teenager in particular is already making his mark.

But why is he so special?

We take a look at one of Japan's most promising riders.

This is a bike used in BMX Freestyle Park.

It's simple, compact and light.

Its design helps riders execute dynamic midair tricks.

One Japanese rider, Nakamura Rim, is a freestyle BMX world champion

and many young riders are striving to emulate and outperform him.

Recently, one 13-year-old is pushing himself to the limit

to become the leading light among Japan's next generation of riders.

In June, a round of the Japan Cup BMX Freestyle series was held in Yokosuka.

Japan's top riders gather here to compete in the Flatland and Park categories.

World champion Nakamura Rim was also in attendance for the Park event.

Each rider executes an incredible range of airborne moves.

To perform a Backflip, the rider must somersault with their bike.

With a Tailwhip, however, only the BMX rotates, not the rider.

Riders can also spin their handlebars.

All these moves are combined into runs, which are then judged on criteria such as difficultly, execution and originality.

Japan's BMX Freestyle riders are some of the most accomplished in the world.

And now, a new rider is making an impression, adding to Japan's depth of talent and exciting the crowds.

A skillful combination of a Backflip and a Tailwhip.

This is Matsuura Aou.

Aou began riding at the age of six and he's always loved to take on difficult tricks.

After winning his first ever tournament, Aou has continued to progress in leaps and bounds.

At the age of seven, he successfully landed a Backflip.

And at the age of nine, he was able to pull off a Flair, a combined Backflip and 180.

In 2022, at the age of 12, he won two major domestic competitions in Japan.

Then, he placed fourth at his first ever international junior event, drawing global attention.

Thanks to this rapid progress, Aou has staked his claim as Japan's next BMX Freestyle star.

I love to spin on the bike and do complex tricks.

Not everyone can spin like I can.

It looks cool too.

Aou's quick rise through the ranks has been influenced by two other riders.

Mizogaki Joji, aged 17, is the second highest ranking Japanese rider in the world's top 20.

Joji flies high and lands with precision.

Always in control of his BMX,

he sports a different style of cool that sets him apart from world champion Nakamura Rim.

Aou regularly practices with Joji, and looks to emulate his riding style.

I just love the way that Joji rides.

And Yoneta Daisuke, too.

His Backflips are great.

I learned most of my riding from these two,

and now I borrow the more difficult tricks from other pros too.

Aou's other mentor is Yoneta Daisuke.

Daisuke is a veteran rider who has been coaching Joji and Aou since they were small.

Daisuke is known for his airborne skill.

He was the first Japanese rider to land a Cork 720,

a complex trick which includes two complete sideways rotations.

Thanks to his bond with these two riders, Aou has benefited from the most nurturing of environments.

I really want to land a Backflip.

Wow, congrats!

So why is Aou such a remarkable athlete?

He's fearless.

And he can take the pain.

He's also extremely ambitious.

When he sees older professional riders doing something, he wants to emulate them.

And he starts thinking about how to achieve that.

He's always looking to take action.

Aou has the confidence and drive of an older rider, that spurs him on to challenge highly technical tricks.

I did it, Dad!

His resolve is relentless.

Aou, that's great!

I did it.

Aou has also managed to land the Cork 720, one of Daisuke's signature tricks.

Few Japanese riders have been able to master the Cork 720 like me, but Aou wanted my guidance.

So, we practiced together every week,

and he got the hang of it very quickly, and before I knew it, he was better than me.

Aou has absorbed both Joji's aerial expertise and precise landings

as well as Daisuke's experience and wide range of tricks.

With his determination to succeed and ability to learn fast, Aou is advancing far beyond his years.

Although tender of age, Matsuura Aou has already perfected many difficult skills.

In addition to technical prowess,

another important requirement is the ability to execute the same trick at different BMX parks.

In competition, riders are given two 60 second runs.

And they must get used to a new course after only a brief practice session.

Adaptability is something that Aou has struggled with.

Mizogaki Joji can quickly adapt to any section of the course.

Just like Nakamura Rim.

Riders need to be adaptable.

For example, when you go to different parks in different countries,

sometimes there are weird angles, ramps might be really steep, or not steep enough.

And some parks can be pretty uneven.

But it's all good experience.

Japan doesn't have as wide a variety of BMX parks as some other countries.

And Aou began to feel that this was restrictive to his training.

So, he decided to go and train in Australia where BMX is very popular.

There are many BMX parks, large and small, throughout the country for children to enjoy.

Practicing in a variety of different parks has helped Aou hone his skills and adapt to any environment.

"You are the best! Ichiban!"

"No, no, no!"

Aou was even given the opportunity to meet one of his idols.

Logan Martin is the Tokyo 2020, Olympic gold medalist.

Logan is famed for his extensive repertoire of tricks.

Training in Australia has allowed Aou to raise his game.

I've really enjoyed it.

While in Australia, Aou started to challenge a new trick.

The Flair 540 - a trick that helped Logan Martin clinch his gold medal at Tokyo 2020.

The formidable Flair 540 requires one and a half sideways rotations and one complete backflip.

It's no exaggeration to say that this is one of the most difficult tricks in the world.

You need to make two and a half rotations before you land.

You're also spinning vertically, laterally and diagonally at the same time.

Only a handful of people in the world can pull this off.

To shift in midair from lateral to vertical rotation is difficult to achieve.

And it took Aou some time to get a feel for the trick.

But after much trial and error...

...he's finally able to land this most difficult of moves.

I did it!

Aou's ability to execute this trick is down to his feeling for position in the air,

a sense that he's developed through the years.

It's important to figure out where you are in the air.

But that's easier said than done.

And you need to master the Cork 720 first.

So, it's about balance and position in the air?

That's right.

You can't do it unless you know exactly when to pull out of the move as you're spinning and prepare to land.

Over the years, Aou has practiced many tricks, including Backflips and the Cork 720, with Joji and Daisuke.

Through this training, he's developed the instincts needed to execute the Flair 540.

Aou returned to Japan from Australia three weeks before the Japan Cup.

He started working on landing the Flair 540 on the most difficult section of this training area.

As the landing area here is high and the angle is steep,

there is little room to rotate and Aou has been experiencing difficulty with his landings.

No matter how hard he tries, he continues to fail.

I'm not scared of taking on the challenge.

I'm more scared of not rotating enough.

Even so, Aou continues to train.

His persistence and dedication are rewarded

as he finally succeeds in performing the Flair 540 on the trickiest section.

I was focusing too much on the Backflip.

And I realized that I needed to think more about sideways rotation.

Once I did that, I started to rotate faster.

By switching his focus from the Backflip element of the trick to the lateral rotational element,

Aou was able to change his angle of attack and acquire greater rotational speed.

Through consistent training, Aou has heightened his sense of adaptability.

And now, he's ready to go for the Flair 540 at the Japan Cup.

If I can do it here, I can do it anywhere.

I want to put it all on the line.

Aou has perfected a new trick, the Flair 540.

He's decided to perform it at the Japan Cup, a major domestic tournament.

Can he pull off the Flair 540 on home ground?

The curtain rises on the Japan Cup.

As Aou had been training in Australia, this is his first tournament of 2023.

And this makes him nervous.

His mentor Daisuke watches on as a live commentator.

Aou is warming up.

He tests the water with a Flair 540.

He lands it perfectly, delighting the crowd.

After completing his first run, Aou comes back for his second.

He'd originally intended to round it off with a Flair 540.

However, the landing for his first trick goes slightly awry.

But he manages to recover his balance and continue with the run.

He approaches his final trick.

Just 10 seconds left!

Let's go, Aou!

Just one more trick!

Unfortunately, Aou cannot get enough rotation to successfully land the Flair 540.

I was feeling anxious and I couldn't repeat what I'd done in training.

I just couldn't get it right.

I didn't put my whole body into it and if you don't commit to the trick,

you won't have enough rotation in the second half.

You need to put your whole body behind it to rotate properly...

and I couldn't do that.

Nerves, combined with a lack of coordination led to this last moment mistake.

Aou finishes in a disappointing fourth place.

But there's a reason he wanted to end with a Flair 540.

In international competition, the top riders round off their routines with a Flair 540.

They like to save the best for last and I think that's what Aou wanted to do too.

His goal was to perform a similar run to the world's leading riders.

It leaves an impression if you sign off with a great trick when you're at your most fatigued.

I think he wanted to demonstrate his high level of skill and precision.

So, he really went for it.

Yes, he really did.

Two weeks after the Japan Cup, and Aou is back in training with Joji and Daisuke.

He continues to work with them on his Flair 540.

Wow, wow!

That's amazing!

I want to become a rider that people can admire.

I want to amaze and inspire.

And that includes the big tricks, and my overall performance.

I'd like to win a medal at the Olympics too - to be number one, to win the gold.

Matsuura Aou continues to hone his skills as he learns from the best.

And with an impressive arsenal of tricks, this young rider is ready to take on the world.

Matsuura Aou has inherited the skills of those who have come before him

and is a BMX Freestyle Park rider with great flair and originality.

We look forward to seeing how he harnesses his talents to make an impact on the world stage.

Take a look at this.

This is pretty isn't it.

Well, this is E-banzuke or the illustrated Banzuke sumo rankings.

It is issued before each grand tournament,

and today I'm going to meet the man who makes this neat banzuke.

So, let's go meet the man!

Kinoshita Daimon is the creator of e-banzuke.

He's a Japanese-style painter.

For years, he's been drawing many rikishi in the ukiyo-e style.

Top-division rikishi are depicted on the e-banzuke, which also shows their respective rankings.

All the professional rikishi are ranked, with yokozuna at the top, followed by ozeki, sekiwake and others.

Their status is updated and announced before each grand tournament.

This is the real banzuke, or official listing of ranks.

Illustrated images of rikishi are used in e-banzuke, which are also popular as souvenirs.

For nearly 30 years, Daimon has been making a new e-banzuke before each grand tournament.

Each rikishi is built differently, just as their faces are all different.

I need to precisely depict their bodies as well as their faces.

Daimon puts importance on accurately depicting the rikishi's bodies.

To create an original picture, he first draws a rikishi's body that's one-tenth the actual size.

Their physical frames must be precisely reflected in the drawings.

He copies the picture on a transparent sheet called a cel, and then add colors to it.

He pays extra attention to subtle differences of skin colors.

Each rikishi's skin tones are subtly different from one another.

I try to apply the colors as accurately as possible.

If you use a darker color for a rikishi with lighter skin,

the illustration will end up looking like a totally different person.

Daimon says he has to be totally focused when he depicts the colorful ceremonial aprons.

Rikishi wear their own ceremonial aprons with a variety of beautiful embroidery.

Many of the designs are too complicated to express in small pictures.

But Daimon carefully colors the aprons to depict them as accurately as possible.

He's made e-banzuke for more than 170 tournaments.

The veteran painter is hoping to see a new yokozuna named soon.

I feel something is missing drawing e-banzuke with just one yokozuna.

There was a time when we had four,

which made the illustrations much more colorful and gorgeous.

With each of them wearing a white yokozuna rope, the picture was more dazzling and majestic.

That's what the presence of more yokozuna brings.