Skateboarding in Japan

The popularity of skateboarding is growing fast in Japan. I talked with Takashi Kaneko, owner of a skate shop in Fukushima, and he told me that while in America, a survey of teens ranked skateboarding as the 3rd most popular sport, in Japan it's not even on the list. Kids do think skateboarding is cool, but there's just not many places to skate outside. Concrete skate parks can only be found inside large warehouses, and only in the huge cities.

Anything outdoors is made of plywood. Cops are also cracking down on skateboarders in Japan, and "no skateboarding" signs are popping up all over, which makes it hard. Does this story sound familiar?

But, the idea of skate parks is getting more and more popular, and Japan has even had it's own official skateboarding association since 1996 -- the AJSA (All Japan Skateboard Association). Japan even has it's own skate brands.

The biggest difference that I saw between Japanese skating and the west is attitude. Skateboarding has a little of the "bad boy" image going in Japan (thus the cops), but even rough punk looking Japanese skaters tend to be ridiculously cool. I met three skaters in Tokyo, all punked out, and they were ultra polite, nice guys. I'm sure that my being an American had a lot to do with it, but still, how many Americans care if a Japanese guy walks up to them while they're skating?

And like everything, things just plain cost more in Japan. Here's some prices (a link to a converter should be listed on the side):

Check out this currency converter to get an idea of what these prices mean in your country:
• Zero curb wax - 600 yen
• Element bearings (no Bones) - 1600 yen
• The DC video - 3900 yen
• Pig Prime Cuts - 6400 yen
• Blank wheels - 6000 yen

I saw a lot of skateboards in used what they call "recycle shops" (used stuff stores), but full on skate shops were a little rare. But it all depends on where you are. I also visited rural Japan for a month on my last trip, and skated around town - I got a lot of attention! Traffic slowed down to watch as I tried to navigate harsh ancient streets and dodge old ladies. But to be fair, I wasn't just a skater - I was a freakish huge white guy skater. And I can just walk across the street and get attention like that...

But I have to say, in Tokyo, and other huge cities, there are plenty of places to street skate! And it's not hard to find skaters. If you want to know more about skating in Japan, check out SK8brdING J@PAN.com.