On a crisp winter afternoon, light from the setting sun shines through a row of large windows, casting a soft glow across a skating rink as the sound of blades against ice fills the air.
This is Mao Rink Tachikawa Tachihi, a shiny new facility located in Tachikawa, western Tokyo.
Opened in November as part of a project that involved 34-year-old Olympic silver medalist and three-time world champion Mao Asada, the completion of the year-round rink comes at a time when Japan is facing a significant shortage of such facilities.
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