In the field of creating its own unique skateboarding style, Japan is a unique existence. Because Japanese society has long had many unwritten rules, most people rely on these rules and common etiquette to maintain public order. For example, when waiting for the subway, everyone carefully queues up, carrying the backpack on the chest to avoid accidentally touching the person behind them, such as the crying of the baby will also make the parents feel that they have disturbed other passengers and feel remorseful. In such a society, there are many skateboarding activities that are very likely to affect the characteristics of others.
So since the end of the last century, skateboarding has been notorious for being too rebellious and hated by many Japanese, and skaters have been labeled as bad teenagers, and Japanese laws and regulations have also made most japanese cities non-"skater friendly" cities. Over time, skateboarding has gained recognition, but it is still a niche counterculture. To this day, Japan's skateboarding has developed to be able to confront the traditional skateboarding powers in major events and take 3 of the four gold medals at the first Olympic Games, which is inextricably linked to the impact of those bad teenagers who promoted the development of the skateboarding industry and recorded it in video form.
We have selected some representative clips to see how skaters have bred their skateboarding style in this "barren" and "fertile" land in a social context like Japan.
“LENZII” – SEIMI MIYAHARA (2014)
In fact, "LENZ I" and "LENZ II" are worth watching, because these two videos have a considerable place in the history of Skateboarding in Japan. In "LENZ II", Seimi Miyahara's clip is even more impressive. Given his obsession with Pop over and Pop out, coupled with his ability to walk fast and surf-influenced personal style in tight urban terrain, he is more recognizable than his two brothers, Koichiro Uehara and Hiroki Muraoka, so his footage in "LEN II" also has a deep influence on Japanese skateboarding.
“OVERGROUND BROADCASTING” – GOU MIYAGI (2008)
I don't know why Japan can always give birth to some skateboarding style that you have never seen before, Gou Miyagi is one of the main representatives, he can always do unexpected actions in places you usually don't expect, maybe not necessarily to your liking, but once you click on the video you have to admit that the actions created by these "unorthodox skaters" are really very imaginative and abstract artistic, and the actions in the whole clip are basically not repetitive, which is why Youtube This clip on him can have close to 2 million views.
“VIDEO NASTY” – CHOPPER (2013)
If Gou Miyagi's videos make you feel like you're enjoying it, you'll have to watch clips from Chopper, and Japan has further cemented its position in the "unorthodox skateboarding" space with chopper's parts.
“2ND TO NONE” – SHIN OKADA (2001)
Shin Okada was one of the first skateboarders to bring Japanese skateboarding into the international eye, in addition to appearing in the 411 during his time for Prime, his performance in the "2ND TO NONE" released by Deca let more people know the strength of Japanese skateboarding. At that time, Deca's team also included Daewon Song and Chris Haslam, and Shin Okada, as the first skater in Japan to play for a large company and have his own personal footage throughout the film, has every reason to believe that countless children in the past 20 years have put down the game console and picked up the skateboard under his influence.
CHATTY CHATTY 3 – YOSHIAKI TOEDA
Yoshiaki Toeda is the most influential skater on the Chatty Chatty team and has a global presence. Chatty Chatty, who has been releasing masterpieces since around 2000, has also been setting an example for the new generation of skaters in Japan, and they were among the first teams in Japan to connect music and art through skateboarding. Chatty Chatty 3 was a pinnacle production, and Part of It was part of Toeda's perfect prelude to his later forays into San Francisco and the FTC.