Highs + Lows of Street Skating in Tokyo | A guide to the skate mecca
Skateboarding and hanging in Tokyo is a dream. It ain’t easy, but it sure is worthwhile. Just don’t bust out the marker on anyone else’s property or you may be spending 10-days in jail. Get the lowdown on the scene and spots and things to do from the homies themselves.
Sample:
If you want to skate street, your best bet is to try to meet some locals and impose yourself on them for a night sesh. This is actually easier than it sounds because the scene is markedly unpretentious and people seem to be pretty open to random foreigners. With any luck, you’ll probably find that you’re able to head to one of the local parks or skate shops, introduce yourself to some crew and blow in on their session. (I managed to find some dudes who were on a filming mission for Lesque Skateboards and we drove from spot to spot in their little car, which was dope.)
According to Yoichiro though, Osaka is a better city for skateboarding—it’s full of spots and it’s slightly less populated, so you’re not as likely to get hassled or kicked out. “I recommend you go to Osaka if you really want to focus on skating,” he explains. “But I know that most skaters don’t just want to focus on skating. They want to have fun times, partying and finding girls and all that. Then Tokyo’s the best spot.”
Click to MONSTER CHILDREN for the feature on street skating in Tokyo
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