Running influencer
2025.02.28
An influencer who is now widely accepted by the general public, Takaya Mitsuka.
The dream stage that he arrived as a competitor did not have the excitement he had imagined.
What he had was a sense of emptiness in athletics and a little too many “likes”.
He arrived at his current location despite experiencing setbacks.
What is the new form of the track and field world that Takaya Mitsuka is aiming for, which can only be created by him now?
―When did you start track and field and what made you start it?
Mitsuka I started in high school. In junior high school, I was on the baseball team, and I wasn’t fast at all when I was in the first year of junior high, but suddenly I became faster in the second year. I was able to run at the top of the school’s endurance run, and when I was in the third year of junior high, I was running in the local ekiden competition as a helper. I enjoyed it so much that I joined the track and field team in high school. Why I became fast…, maybe because I was always running about 2km from my house to school. I loved my house so much that I stayed at home until the last minute in the morning, and I wanted to get home as soon as possible, so I ran back home.
―It’s surprising that you were on the baseball team.
Mitsuka At that time, I was obsessed with the “Live Powerful Pro Baseball” game, so I thought, “I love baseball”. Also, it was because my dad was a softball player. But when I tried it, it wasn’t very fun. I really hated shaving my head! Even at that time, I had the kind of personality that made me wonder, “Will my batting average increase if I shave my head?”, so I often felt unreasonable…. I found out that my favorite sport was not baseball, but “Live Powerful Pro Baseball”, so I joined the track and field club in high school without hesitation.
―In high school, you finished 6th in the 800m at the Inter-High School Championships, and then went on to the University of Tsukuba. Why did you decide to study at the University of Tsukuba?
Mitsuka When I went on to higher education, I first wanted to learn about sports, and above all, I wanted to devote myself to competing in a higher-level environment. Tamana High School, which I attended, was a preparatory school, so unlike strong schools with many athletes who participated in the national tournament, there were no rivals on the team…. I thought that if I was getting good results by practicing on my own, I would be able to achieve unbelievable results if I went to a better environment. Our high school had a sense of national supremacy, so I narrowed it down to the University of Tsukuba because it was a national university where I could learn sports while being strong in track and field. Speaking of the University of Tsukuba, it reminds us of Shizo Kanakuri who made an effort to establish the Hakone Ekiden relay marathon. Shizo Kanakuri was a senior at Tamana High School, so in that respect, the University of Tsukuba was familiar to me in a sense, and I felt that it was an environment where I could have what I wanted in both competition and academics.
―What was your competitive life like at university?
Mitsuka Well, it was one of the best environments in Japan, but I never achieved a personal best at university. When I was in high school, I felt like I was the best at everything I could do, but I couldn’t do my best even once, even though I pushed myself to work hard and increased my practice time. I started to hate track and field. At the university, there is a major tournament called the Japan Intercollegiate in September, and up to three people from each university can participate in it by breaking the entry standard. However, in July, I missed the selection, so I was practically retired. For the next six months or so, I just enjoyed running and supported other athletes. It was a very difficult time for me to set a record for four years before I retired.
―That’s when you started working on your graduation thesis?
Mitsuka That’s right. I started working seriously on my graduation thesis, and I was able to learn more specialized knowledge than I did in class. While compiling it into my thesis, there were more than a few times when I thought, “If I put this into practice, I could have become stronger…”, and sometimes I would put into practice what I had learned regardless of club activities. Then, at the last festive record meeting held in November, for some reason, I achieved my best record. I haven’t been practicing properly since I retired in July, so I was very surprised. I’ve been working hard until now, but I’ve realized that you don’t get stronger because you push yourself, but that you get stronger by putting a high level of pressure on yourself based on clear data. From that experience, I was motivated to study more, so I went on to graduate school.
―Did you continue to compete after you went to graduate school?
Mitsuka Yes, I continued to compete while studying in graduate school, but I was able to break the record seven times in the 800m and 1500m, even though I didn’t have a single best at university. I was impressed with the method I was practicing, and when I taught it to my juniors, they kept breaking the records… That gave me a lot of confidence, and by the end of my two years of graduate school, I seriously considered that I wanted to “teach”. When I was searching for a career path after graduation, I happened to have a connection with a gym called RUNNNING SCIENCE LAB (hereinafter referred to as RSLAB), which focuses on hypoxic training in Omotesando. Not only I can teach as a trainer there, but I can also focus on coaching on social networking sites such as YouTube, so I can work on “teaching” more broadly. In addition, I was told that I would be supported in my competitive life, so I decided that this is the only place I can go!
―After getting a job, you continued to improve your record and finally participated in the Japan Championships. How did you feel when you actually competed?
Mitsuka The Japan Championships is the pinnacle of track and field in Japan and is a dream stage for athletes. It has been 10 years since I started competing, and I finally made it to that stage. But when I actually ran, I was honestly like, “What?” I didn’t make it to the final, but I was able to run close to my personal best, and I felt that I did it! However, when I crossed the finish line and looked around the venue, the spectator seats were empty. What is this? Is this the dream stage? Even when I posted it on Twitter (now formally known as X), I just got a little more “likes” than usual. I’ve been working hard to qualify for this tournament, but there was no enthusiasm, no cheers, no attention, and it wasn’t what I had envisioned. Even if I thought about how different it would have been if I had made it to the finals or if I had won, I am sure it would not have changed. In today’s track and field world, I began to think that there was no point in doing it anymore, and I lost the motivation to do my best in competitions. However, it did not mean that I would stay away from track and field. We need to increase the value of track and field itself so that athletes are rewarded, rather than aiming to be extremely good at the sport. In order to do so, I had a new goal of taking an unprecedented approach to spreading awareness of the sport, raising interest, and making an effort to fill the spectator seats. That’s when I started TikTok.
―Why did you choose TikTok?
Mitsuka At RSLAB, we used to send out information on YouTube, but YouTube is a medium where people like to watch what they like. In the first place, no one bothers to watch running when they have little interest. When I thought about what to do, TikTok came to my mind. At that time, it was just a medium for high school girls to post dance videos. So, when I started working on it, I heard some ridicule from the people around me. But that’s what happens when you do something new. I thought it would be a good way to blend running into the TikTok craze, … or rather, to create content that would lead to a sense of foreignness in a good way, and sure enough, I was right. I’m sure there are many factors, but the key to our success was that we were able to analyze the nature of TikTok as a medium and use it strategically. As soon as I started posting, my followers suddenly exceeded 10,000, so I had a smug look on my face.
―It seems that you were able to work vigorously, but you started feeling unwell. What was the situation like at that time?
Mitsuka I was involved in competitions, working as a trainer, promoting track and field, and filming and editing TikTok by myself, so I didn’t have much time… Even though I couldn’t sleep much, I still had to wake up early and practice. I was so exhausted that one day I collapsed at work as if my spirit had shattered. I couldn’t put any strength into my body at all, and I couldn’t move when it was time to leave the house the next day, and I became scared to meet people… At first, I took a leave of absence, but the representative said, “Takaya Mitsuka is doing well on TikTok and has the ability, so he can do it on his own, so he should retire and take a break for the time being,” so I decided to retire.
―How did you resume your activities from there?
Mitsuka About a month after I retired, I first posted about my current situation on YouTube. When I thought about doing something while I stayed at home, I thought that I could do it by myself, as I had also appeared on RSLAB’s YouTube channel. Until I retired, I was doing well in competition and studying, and I was appreciated for teaching running, but I lost everything at once due to ill health. There have been times when I feel like I have nothing, and no matter what I do, I am not satisfied, and I have thought about death. But dying causes more trouble to those around you than living. Especially, to the family I love. When I realized that I wasn’t going to die, I got over it and decided to tell everyone about my current situation. I didn’t want to tell people that I was mentally ill, but I thought never mind.
June 1, 2021.
“I quit my job and started YouTube.”
―What was the reaction like?
Mitsuka When I posted it, I got a lot of comments from the people around me and the people who supported me… It really saved my life. I hardly got out of my bed, but things have changed little by little since then. I was very encouraged by the sympathetic and supportive comments, but at that time, there were three benefactors who supported me.
The first was Mr. Okura from Ketsumeishi. He contacted me and said, “I want to run a full marathon in 3 hours, so please help me,” and thanks to that, I was able to start running again. The second person was Kenshi Matsunaga, the boss of the Tokyo running community, Ken-chan Ren run club. Even when I was feeling down, he kept telling me, “Just come to practice.” So I was able to go to practice only once a week. The third person was Hiroto Komatsu, who was running together at the Tokyo running community, Ken-chan Ren run club. He invited me out for dinner and gave me reassuring words, “I’m going to support Takaya Mitsuka.” After that, Hiroto Komatsu created a website which is the current official site of Takaya Mitsuka. My experience with everyone’s support was a really big turning point.
―You started running again. How has it changed?
Mitsuka I had been resting for more than a month, so when I started running, I couldn’t run at all because my body didn’t have any strength. But still it was a lot of fun. By running, the swelling was removed, and the trembling in my body subsided, and I was able to sleep again. My physical condition suddenly improved.
Also, when I run with everyone, I used to always take the lead in running, but on the contrary, I was following everyone. I gradually became frustrated that I was losing to the old guys. Through such an experience, I realized once again that running is not just about speed. Even if I don’t aim to be the best in Japan, it is just fun running, and it is good for my mental health to connect with people and feel positive. The change in my state of mind through the way I approached running and the feeling changed the axis of my communication, and as a result, the number of followers on TikTok increased dramatically again.
―The charm of running is something that you learned only through your painful experience.
Mitsuka That’s right. Nowadays, I’ve reached the point where it’s nice to “run for a drink with everyone”. When I was competing for a sport, I didn’t drink alcohol because I had the image that it would interfere with the competition. But now that I’m drinking, I think it’s nice to run to make a delicious toast. My sense of values has truly changed 180-degrees.
―What does running mean to you now that your values have changed?
Mitsuka It’s a “hobby”. I’m just doing it for fun. It’s not an obligation that I have to do. It’s my number one hobby to make me and the people who run with me smile. That’s why I would be happy if as many people as possible could smile and look forward even a little bit through “the way I enjoy running”.
―On Saturday, March 8th, the first track and field event “Full house” will be held. How did you plan the event?
Mitsuka When I retired and started working three years ago, my motivation was to be popular, to earn money, and to be more famous than anyone else in the track and field world! Thankfully, I was able to fulfill them in about two years. One of my big dreams to “publish a book,” came true in May 2023 when I was able to publish “Running faster without any effort.” When I took a fresh look, I realized that I had no idea what I wanted to do or what I had dreamed of. I have continued to work for the past year in a fulfilling environment, and I have gradually come to think again that I want to do what I can for “people” and “for the track and field world” from the perspective of “for myself” so far. So, I came up with the idea to hold an event to liven up the track and field in my own way! I want the athletes to experience the excitement and emotion of running in a venue filled with spectators. And I want to deliver the best enthusiasm to the audience. I decided to hold an event that only Takaya Mitsuka could do, and that would “fascinate” track and field like never before.
―What kind of thoughts do you have behind the name of the event, “Full House”?
Mitsuka First of all, it means that the “theater is in full house and packed”. The other is one of the most powerful poker roles, where each of the five cards in your hand has a meaning. The content of this tournament, or more specifically, it shows that there is a role for each person who creates the tournament. Of course, you can’t have a full house without spectators. That’s why spectators also have an important role to play in “filling the venue,” and together they create “Full House”. Also, it is also like my name “Mitsuka”, which combines the word “satisfying (満たす)” and “home (家)” in Japanese. To say more, March 8 is the day of the three (3) Tsuka (8)!
―What is the aim of this event?
Mitsuka In the first place, this event is planned with my partner Yuta Henmi. He was a colleague of mine from my RSLAB days, and after the Japan Championships, we both felt a sense of crisis in the track and field world. From there, we talked about how to make it more exciting. It is an event that gives shape to this idea, and the main purpose is to “gain fans to support athletes”. So far, the times have been getting faster and faster, and the results of the competition have improved, but it is difficult to keep fans to support. For example, in marathons, there have been no star athletes since Suguru Osako. Nowadays, there are many people who have run with Osako and won, and many people who have set records. We don’t know “who the athletes are” for most athletes.However, I think the reason for this is that there is no effort to create fans among the athletes.
―To gain fans to support athletes. What are the advantages?
Mitsuka Having more fans means that as the market value increases, the company’s intention to sign a contract increases. There are 24 sponsors this time, and depending on the performance of the athletes, there is a possibility that a contract will be signed immediately if the companies are interested. If there are fans, merchandise will be sold, and if they know that you can attract fans, you will be invited to events, and athletes will have more and more ways to make money. If that happens, you will be able to have more freedom in the range of activities, and you will be able to increase your exposure and increase your fan base, which will expand your possibilities. As a result, it will lead to the development of track and field.
I think it’s strange that top track and field athletes are more well-known and not appreciated by companies. Partly because of this frustration, my ambition to “become more famous and earn money than anyone else in track and field” was the driving force behind my activities at first.
―Are there many athletes who don’t realize its value?
Mitsuka I think there are issues from various perspectives, but the most important thing is that most of the athletes devote themselves to the competition because they think “that’s not the case.” I’m not going to deny that, but there are too many athletes who don’t have ambitions or secret intentions, whether good or bad. If you only devote yourself to the competition, you will only get results by winning, and it is clear that you will not be able to see the future, including after you retire from competition. It is also an issue for the future of individual athletes, and by extension, it is an issue for the track and field world. However, I don’t think it’s easy to suddenly change the mindset of the current situation, so I decided to take measures to “gain fans to support athletes” first.
In order to get the athletes interested in themselves, we devise ways to attract them with original PVs. A system in which athletes who were not known before are introduced in the PV, and on top of that, the person who won the race is praised. If athletes with fans at Full House participates in the Japan Championships and performs well, top runner with fans will be created as a result.
However, it is sometimes difficult to attract new spectators by itself, so we are first making efforts to attract fans to the tournament itself. To that end, this time, which is the first time, we will focus on getting people to watch the event by inviting celebrities and other people who already have many fans. We have invited Obatanoonisan, Notch, Nicchiro, and Seiko from Amako-inter. For example, Seiko has never worked as a runner, and that is the reason for casting her. There is an expectation that people who have no connection to track and field will be able to deliver the fun of track and field from a different perspective than the athletes, and I would like to eliminate the stiff and closed feeling in track and field.
In the future, I would like to reduce the number of talents and influencers and increase the number of athletes, and make it a tournament to “discover star athletes” in both name and reality.
―Please tell us about the highlights and remarkable points that are unique to Full House.
Mitsuka All of them! But if I had to give you one thing, it would be to be able to watch professional battles at close range. Olympic medalist Kenji Fujimitsu will be participating, and he said, “I want to help in everything I can,” and I am grateful and truly appreciate it. You can really watch them race right in front of you.
There is no other tournament like it.
In addition, SGC, a company that deals in gold products, will sponsor the event, and the winner will receive a total of 200,000 yen including gold worth 100,000 yen and a prize of 100,000 yen from me. In addition, we have supplementary prizes such as product support from manufacturers, so we make sure that if you win, you will be properly rewarded. Eventually, I plan to make it a tournament that people will feel is just as important, if not more important, than competing in the Japan Championships and competing in a full house!
―If you win, you will receive a prize money and increase popularity. It’s a great tournament for the athletes.
Mitsuka In the past, when I ran a 24-hour marathon by myself, my live stream had 1 million views on TikTok and YouTube combined. Even considering that Full House has a shorter time than that, I think hundreds of thousands of views will be solid. There is a possibility that hundreds of thousands of people will watch the event just by participating in it, and moreover, it will be seen in a production and PR that is not found in general track and field competitions. There is a possibility that the athletes will become more well-known and gain fans at once. If you don’t get fans, it’s your own fault. I’m confident that I can create a stage that will be watched by a lot of people, so I want the athletes to make sure that they show off their skills there. I would like to discover more and more athletes who are worthy of being supported.
―What did you focus on for the event?
Mitsuka If you only want to gather people, you can invite them for free. But I would never do that. There is no future development as a sports business, and I have a desire to create a new sports culture of watching track and field, and it is important to have people pay to come and watch the sport.
But it’s not that simple, is it? That’s why I added 4,000 yen worth of benefits to the 2,500 yen B seat. In addition, those who predict the winner will receive more gifts by lottery, and there are many fun gimmicks available. Of the 2,000 seats, VIP seats and A seats were bought mainly by my fans, and thankfully they were sold out. However, there are still 1,100 B seats left (As of February 19, 2025), so my new challenge is to sell the rest from here. This is where the battle to attract people who don’t know me or who aren’t interested in track and field or running will start. There is a lot of content that everyone can enjoy if you come, so just take my word for it and please come!
―The venue is “TIPSTAR DOME CHIBA”, which is also a velodrome, but why did you choose this venue?
Mitsuka We want the athletes and officials to experience the feeling of “a full house”, so the venue will be especially important this time. The bad thing about the track and field stadium is that the track is far from the spectator seats, so they will inevitably lose enthusiasm. Also, in a large venue of 3-40,000 people, even if a few thousand people gather, it will look very small, and the enthusiasm of the spectators will not be transmitted to the athletes. So this time, I was looking for a venue where I could feel the enthusiasm of the entire venue, and I happened to see TIPSTAR DOME CHIBA being used on TV, and thought this is it! Not only TIPSTAR DOME CHIBA is a venue with a suitable scale, but the lighting production is just amazing, and it can create a space that generates enthusiasm. It is the perfect venue to “fascinate” track and field in an unprecedented way.
―The event with full of thoughts will soon be realized. Please tell us how you feel about it.
Mitsuka Full House is also a way to repay the support from everyone over the past three years. My activities would never be possible without people watching and cheering me on. It’s because of everyone that I’ve been able to get to this point, and that’s why I’ve been given the opportunity to give back. If I can repay everyone to make them happy, and create a new sports culture of “let’s watch running”… . In terms of spectators, boxing, baseball, and football have been successful. I want to make that work for track and field. This tournament will be a catalyst for us to make it bigger and bigger over the next 2~3 years, and eventually we will fill the National Stadium!
This is a chance to create a new history together. Let’s enjoy a new excitement and enthusiasm together!!
―Now I would like to ask you about the World Athletics Championships and the Deaflympics to be held in Tokyo this year. How did you feel when you heard that the World Athletics Championships were going to be held in Tokyo?
Mitsuka I went to watch the World Athletics Championships held in Oregon in 2022. I was impressed that the venue was filled with people and everyone was enthusiastic, and I remember having a lot of fun. Even with that experience, honestly speaking, I still don’t have an idea of how I can realize that in Tokyo. I’ve always seen nothing but an empty stadium, so I wondered if the National Stadium would be full. That said, the spectators are not only from Japan, but also many people from overseas. They have a lot of enthusiasm for watching the games, and I’m looking forward to seeing that kind of excitement around the world. I want people to know how wonderful Japan is, and I don’t know how I will be involved yet, but I would be happy to help if there is anything I can do to support.
―In November, the Deaflympics will be held for the first time in Japan. Did you know about the Deaflympics?
Mitsuka I first learned about the Deaflympics last year when I was an ambassador for the Kobe 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in 2024. I think I’m a person who always keeps an eye on such competitions and has a high level of sensitivity, but even so, I only learned about it last year. So I feel like the general public probably doesn’t know much about it yet.
―What do you think will be necessary to raise awareness of the Deaflympics?
Mitsuka Well, … no matter what kind of measures you take, when you want to attract people, if you try to sell them well from the beginning, it will never work. Of course, it is important to try to sell them well, such as social things appropriately. However, the motivation for people to take action is sometimes “impure” for better or worse. I think the most important thing is to create a draw for that. I think that it’s okay to be easy to understand and impure, so I will attract by having a motive like wanting to make money, wanting to be popular, wanting to eat. For example, simply watching a competition in a place where you can eat a lot of delicious food. It’s easy to invite friends if you say, “Let’s go out to eat delicious food,” so I think that it will be a motive for even casual people such as the younger generation, and such casual people have a high diffusion capacity, so they will expand without forcing them. I think it is important to approach the sport with these two aspects in mind: one that conveys the appeal of the competition beautifully, and the other impure motive to attract the casual people.
―Please tell us what you felt as an ambassador for the Kobe 2024 Para World Athletics Championships.
Mitsuka I tried blind running (running with your eyes blindfolded), but you can’t understand how amazing it is until you actually experience it. When you’re blindfolded, it’s scary to even just take a step, and you can’t even imagine running. I was amazed at the awesome athletes sprinting through. But it wasn’t until I actually experienced it that I realized how amazing it was. Although I had some kind of image, there was a big difference between actually experiencing it and not experiencing. If you want people to feel the awesomeness of deaf sports and their characteristics, I think it’s important to increase the number of opportunities to experience them.
―You still need to make an effort to make it more widely known.
Mitsuka Kobe 2024 Para World Athletics Championships probably used an influencer for the first time, created a video and uploaded it, and the number of views has reached 300~4 million. I think that because we were able to gain that much reach, we were able to prove the importance of trying new initiatives without being bound by precedent. Also, through the blind running experience, I was able to feel the awesomeness of it because I experienced it. Measures that allow everyone to actually experience it are absolutely necessary. However, even if you just say, “You can experience it,” people will not come, so even if you don’t say that it is impure, how much can you multiply it with elements that are not just a competitive experience? If you don’t keep doing as if feels like is this a bit too much? , it’s honestly difficult to make a big splash. Simply you can’t overdo it. I think that by continuing to try this often, it will increase popularity.
―We will think more about how to make it more exciting. Finally, do you have a message for our readers?
Mitsuka I think it’s a lot of fun to know something you don’t know, to experience and learn. If you were asking yourself questions such as “What is the highlight of track and field?” and “What is the Deaflympics in the first place?” through this interview, I would like you to go and watch the competition and learn about the tournament. I hope you can get to know it first and then decide whether it’s fun or not. The management and we will continue to think about measures to make people who didn’t know about it think it’s fun! There are a lot of fun things that we haven’t encountered yet. Don’t get caught up in the stereotype of “fun” and focus on what you don’t know right now. You know there’s still only a handful of “fun” out there? It will be an exciting year for both Tokyo and Japan! Let’s have fun!!
To that end, first of all, on March 8th, let’s go to Full House!
Takaya Mitsuka / Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1995
Running Influencer
He started track and field (middle-distance running) at Kumamoto Prefectural Tamana High School, and finished 6th in the 800m at the inter-high school championships. At the University of Tsukuba (College of Physical Education), he finished 6th in the 1500m at the Student Individual Championships. From university to graduate school (Department of Physical Education, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences), he researched about running and submitted three academic papers. He has also given presentations at international conferences.
After graduating, he worked as a running coach at RUNNNING SCIENCE LAB and was also active as a track and field athlete, competing in the 800m at the Japan Championships.
Currently, he is active in several fields including running advisor, model, part-time instructor, and influencer.
Instagram：takaya_mitsuka
X：@tky0802
YouTube：三津家貴也
Web：https://3itsuka.com/
《Full house（フルハウス）》
Web：https://fullhouse.3itsuka.com/
Instagram：fullhouse.official2025
text by Rieko Kimura
photographs by Uta Mukuo
2025.02.28
An influencer who is now widely accepted by the general public, Takaya Mitsuka. The dream stage that he arrive […]
2025.02.28
An influencer who is now widely accepted by the general public, Takaya Mitsuka. The dream stage that he arrive […]
2025.02.28
An influencer who is now widely accepted by the general public, Takaya Mitsuka. The dream stage that he arrive […]
2025.01.20
In 2023, Ikumi Kawamata was appointed as a Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics Ambassador. She has been in charge of projec […]
2025.01.20
In 2023, Ikumi Kawamata was appointed as a Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics Ambassador. She has been in charge of projec […]
2025.01.20
In 2023, Ikumi Kawamata was appointed as a Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics Ambassador. She has been in charge of projec […]
