Skateboarding Culture In Japan

How japanese culture is influencing skateboarding photographer cole giordano and skateboarder takahiro morita offer a cherry blossom filled take on the sakura tradition.

Skateboarding culture in japan. There s no rubbish in sight the train carriages are pervaded by a deafening silence and people literally bow when greeting each other. A lot of locals speak english to some degree and want to practice their skills so when you get to the park say hi to people and ask them to recommend you some other. Take a look at the most popular japanese sayings they are all about stfu don t express yourself stay in line hide your pain feelings personal opinions. Skateboarding s history and culture in japan is an echo of the united states imported a generation ago through rebellious teens skating in the dim corners of polite japanese society.

Whether you are heading to japan to work to study to have fun or maybe even you are a japanese skater wondering what the west thinks of your country hopefully we can give you some insight here. Skateboarding s history and culture in japan is an echo of the united states imported a generation ago through rebellious teens skating in the dim corners of polite japanese society. Skateboarding is almost offensive in tokyo which kind of makes sense. On a happier note skateboarding is popular enough in japan to have generated glossy skater magazines and the all japanese skateboard association which works diligently to promote the sport.

Sadly very few skate shops exist in japan a fact that forces many japanese skaters to purchase their equipment online through outlets like ebay. Unlike a lot of the scene in the west there s an overwhelming sense of camaraderie in japanese skate culture and most people will just be stoked to meet a foreign skater. Skateboarding as a whole is looked down on because it s a counter culture or non mainstream activity let alone skating street though maybe this has changed with the olympics and stuff. It is sure to be a strange but exciting time for hayakawa and others of an older generation the grown up misfits most deeply connected to the culture of skateboarding in japan.