Author Topic: Japan  (Read 12679 times)

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aojiru

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Japan
« on: June 13, 2011, 06:36:26 PM »
Was kind of surprised there was no thread for Japan yet.  Heading there in September so looking to get some info on spots or other tips.

Been there twice but aside from going to Fat Bros in Nakano, Murasaki Sports in Harajuku and Arkitip in Shibuya I'm not sure of any other shops in the Tokyo area.  Since the streets seem to be super crowded during the day, the closest I saw to anyone skating was a bunch of guys skating flatground by the gate in Yoyogi Park.  From the videos I've seen it seems like I'll have to get used to staying out at night to get any skating done.

Matthew Moon

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Re: Japan
« Reply #1 on: June 13, 2011, 08:26:36 PM »
You should hit up Mecenat Park in Yashio.. It looks sick!

chockfullofthat

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Re: Japan
« Reply #2 on: June 15, 2011, 06:28:57 AM »
Was kind of surprised there was no thread for Japan yet.?  Heading there in September so looking to get some info on spots or other tips.

Been there twice but aside from going to Fat Bros in Nakano, Murasaki Sports in Harajuku and Arkitip in Shibuya I'm not sure of any other shops in the Tokyo area.?  Since the streets seem to be super crowded during the day, the closest I saw to anyone skating was a bunch of guys skating flatground by the gate in Yoyogi Park.?  From the videos I've seen it seems like I'll have to get used to staying out at night to get any skating done.


Watch the adidas Japan video, a lot of footage during the day (and night).  I would think it's probably tough to cruise around during the day but going to spots shouldn't be a problem.

Jive Turkey

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Re: Japan
« Reply #3 on: June 17, 2011, 03:51:58 AM »
Was kind of surprised there was no thread for Japan yet.?  Heading there in September so looking to get some info on spots or other tips.

Been there twice but aside from going to Fat Bros in Nakano, Murasaki Sports in Harajuku and Arkitip in Shibuya I'm not sure of any other shops in the Tokyo area.?  Since the streets seem to be super crowded during the day, the closest I saw to anyone skating was a bunch of guys skating flatground by the gate in Yoyogi Park.?  From the videos I've seen it seems like I'll have to get used to staying out at night to get any skating done.

There are a two new concrete parks out there that you should check out for sure. One's in the city (I want to say Shinjuku but I don't know) and the other is just outside of Tokyo in Hajioji (I think). Hesh Dawgz is another shop in Shibuya you should hit up: http://www.heshdawgz.com/ THere's also Magical Mosh Misfits (tragic name but they're pretty rad) in Ikebukuro: http://www.mxmxm-noise.com/ And California Street which is supposed to be good I hear: http://www.californiastreet.net/

If you came out to the Osaka area I'd be able to show you around. As far as Tokyo goes I know where to get drunk and where to find hookers and that's about it. The Adidas video as mentioned above is a good showcase of spots but even a lot of the "Tokyo" spots are actually in the Osaka area. Generally night time is when people skate simply because of how many people are out during the day. That and people generally work during the day and skate afterwards.

Jive Turkey

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Re: Japan
« Reply #4 on: July 01, 2011, 05:36:21 PM »
The new park is in Shibuya. Looks like fun.
http://vimeo.com/25176287

The Math Professor

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Re: Japan
« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2012, 01:44:26 PM »
The new park is in Shibuya. Looks like fun.
http://vimeo.com/25176287

I'm heading out to Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Nara) in a couple of weeks and want to check this place out.  It looks like it's just north of the Shibuya station off the Yamanote line.  Is it easy to find?

I also want to check out that giant wave spot in Osaka.  Anyone know how to get to that?

I came across a cool looking skatepark in Nara called Power Bomb.  Anyone know how to get to that as well?  I'll be doing more research on how to find the spots mentioned but thought I'd hit up the Slap Pals first.

Jive Turkey

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Re: Japan
« Reply #6 on: March 20, 2012, 07:20:52 PM »
Expand Quote
The new park is in Shibuya. Looks like fun.
http://vimeo.com/25176287
[close]

I'm heading out to Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Nara) in a couple of weeks and want to check this place out.?  It looks like it's just north of the Shibuya station off the Yamanote line.?  Is it easy to find?

I also want to check out that giant wave spot in Osaka.?  Anyone know how to get to that?

I came across a cool looking skatepark in Nara called Power Bomb.?  Anyone know how to get to that as well??  I'll be doing more research on how to find the spots mentioned but thought I'd hit up the Slap Pals first.
The park in Shibuya is pretty easy to find on your own. FYI you have to pay to play (200 yen per session; sessions is 2-3 hours). Check out Shibuya on google maps (satelite) an you will be able to spot it. It's walking distance from the station.

The Osaka wave will be impossible to find on your own. I could give you directions but I garuntee you won't find. You can hit me up if you want. If I'm free I'd be more than happy to take you there. I can show you around some Osaka spots if you want.

Powerbomb, again, is in the middle of bumble fuck Nara. Rice paddy country. It's about 15 minutes pushing from the closest station, if you know the way. Again if we meet up I can introduce you to a fellow who lives near there. He's tight with the owner and would defo be the best person to go with.

The Math Professor

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Re: Japan
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2012, 07:02:12 PM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
The new park is in Shibuya. Looks like fun.
http://vimeo.com/25176287
[close]

I'm heading out to Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Nara) in a couple of weeks and want to check this place out.?  It looks like it's just north of the Shibuya station off the Yamanote line.?  Is it easy to find?

I also want to check out that giant wave spot in Osaka.?  Anyone know how to get to that?

I came across a cool looking skatepark in Nara called Power Bomb.?  Anyone know how to get to that as well??  I'll be doing more research on how to find the spots mentioned but thought I'd hit up the Slap Pals first.
[close]
The park in Shibuya is pretty easy to find on your own. FYI you have to pay to play (200 yen per session; sessions is 2-3 hours). Check out Shibuya on google maps (satelite) an you will be able to spot it. It's walking distance from the station.

The Osaka wave will be impossible to find on your own. I could give you directions but I garuntee you won't find. You can hit me up if you want. If I'm free I'd be more than happy to take you there. I can show you around some Osaka spots if you want.

Powerbomb, again, is in the middle of bumble fuck Nara. Rice paddy country. It's about 15 minutes pushing from the closest station, if you know the way. Again if we meet up I can introduce you to a fellow who lives near there. He's tight with the owner and would defo be the best person to go with.


Awesome... Thanks for the info.  I appreciate it.  I'll hit you up if I've got time to skate.  I'm only in Osaka for 1 day and Nara for 1 day so skate time will probably be limited.  So how was the Power Bomb park?  It looks super fun and it looks like they've got a cool scene going. 

ありがとうございました!


Jive Turkey

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Re: Japan
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2012, 07:24:08 PM »
No problem.
Tight schedule. Powerbomb is fun. A bit rugged, but I think that adds to it.
I assume you are going to be sightseeing while you're in Nara? If so the park is nowhere near where you'll be, so it might be hard to do both in a day.

Oh yeah, I completely forgot I made this map. I haven't really been keeping up with it but you can peep some spots in the area.
Red= street spots
Green= public parks
Yen symbol= private parks
Shopping bag= skate shops

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=116096024801013229773.0004847f984dfbdee7418&t=h&source=embed&ll=34.813803,135.260925&spn=1.249244,2.90863&z=9

schlitzforbreakfastpluslunch

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Re: Japan
« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2012, 08:11:53 AM »
thanks everyone for the information! will make my trip in april much easier now I know the names of some of the good spots.
Will post photos of what I find when I return!

360 frip

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Re: Japan
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2012, 12:55:45 PM »
There is a really big new park called planet park, you need to catch a bus from Hachiouji station to a place called tobuki. It's the best skate park I've been to there.

VIDEOLOG: HACHIOJI SKATE PARK

八王子スケートパーク  戸吹 プラネット skatepark tobuki tokyo japan
Excuse the boringness of the vid, but it shows the park.

In Tokyo, there is the miyashita (Nike) park.Easy to find it's basically right next to Meiji dori parallel to the yamanote line.
There is a ok set up at tamachi (box and manual pad) probably seen in many vids.


Shin Yokohama also has a big park which is semi under cover. Easy to find as it's under the Yokohama International football stadium (kokusaikougijyo).
A lot of this footage was filmed there:
The Days Inn KOTA IKEDA

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The Math Professor

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Re: Japan
« Reply #11 on: March 23, 2012, 09:56:35 AM »
No problem.
Tight schedule. Powerbomb is fun. A bit rugged, but I think that adds to it.
I assume you are going to be sightseeing while you're in Nara? If so the park is nowhere near where you'll be, so it might be hard to do both in a day.

Oh yeah, I completely forgot I made this map. I haven't really been keeping up with it but you can peep some spots in the area.
Red= street spots
Green= public parks
Yen symbol= private parks
Shopping bag= skate shops

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=116096024801013229773.0004847f984dfbdee7418&t=h&source=embed&ll=34.813803,135.260925&spn=1.249244,2.90863&z=9

Damn... good job on putting together the Google Map of all the spots in the Osaka area.  Shit... with all those spots it kinda looks like Barca.

Jive Turkey

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Re: Japan
« Reply #12 on: March 24, 2012, 08:08:42 PM »
Cheers.
THere is heaps more and that map is no where near complete but I just simply not as bored as when I first started it.

Smell Good

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Re: Japan
« Reply #13 on: March 25, 2012, 07:12:16 AM »
I wish the yen wasn't always so goddamn strong.

Jive Turkey

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Re: Japan
« Reply #14 on: March 25, 2012, 07:52:45 AM »
I wish the yen wasn't always so goddamn strong.
It was like 120 yen to a dollar when I first came here and then the dollar just tanked. Strong for the moment but who knows how long thatll last.

Eschaton

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Re: Japan
« Reply #15 on: March 26, 2012, 09:24:01 AM »
I would love to get out to Japan to go skate sometime but I've heard it is always so crowded with people walking around in the cities that it is almost impossible to skate most of the stuff you find. Any truth to that? Also, What would you guys say is the best city skate-wise in Japan?

Jive Turkey

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Re: Japan
« Reply #16 on: March 26, 2012, 03:26:54 PM »
I would love to get out to Japan to go skate sometime but I've heard it is always so crowded with people walking around in the cities that it is almost impossible to skate most of the stuff you find. Any truth to that? Also, What would you guys say is the best city skate-wise in Japan?
In larger more populated cities like osaka or tokyo that is true to an extent in busier parts of the cities during the day. At night the city.is.yours.

Maybe I'm biased but osaka is the best because of the ammount of spots in the city and in the surrounding area.

Archie Bunker

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Re: Japan
« Reply #17 on: March 26, 2012, 03:35:19 PM »
how do you guys make a living in japan?  do you guys just teach english or something?  i got a japanese passport and my japanese is pretty good but i dont know what kind of work i could get if i lived there considering my kanji comprehension skills are that of a 3rd grader
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Jive Turkey

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Re: Japan
« Reply #18 on: March 26, 2012, 08:24:38 PM »
how do you guys make a living in japan??  do you guys just teach english or something??  i got a japanese passport and my japanese is pretty good but i dont know what kind of work i could get if i lived there considering my kanji comprehension skills are that of a 3rd grader
I work at a hospital and do freelance translation work.

Most people I know work as English teachers and if you find an okay school you can make some decent scratch. I know some people who have been here for years and don't speak read or write Japanese. So as far as being an English teacher that's not really a requirement, and daily life is pretty navigable without it. With that said it is definitely a plus when searching for work to know the language, otherwise you limit yourself. As an aside, I personally believe one should at least be making the effort to learn the language of the country you are living in. That's just common courtesy in my opinion.

If you have a passport I assume you have dual citizenship, in which case that'll make finding a job a whole metric-fuck-ton easier. You shouldn't have any trouble finding something. Most places don't want to be bothered with the paperwork involved visa sponsorship. And if you are Japanese/SE Asian in appearance you won't have to deal with a lot of the bigoted/xenophobic bullshit the rest of us do.

FYI best times to find work are the end of the fiscal year (most contract end in March and renew in April) and around September (6 month contracts end in August and renew in September).

Eschaton

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Re: Japan
« Reply #19 on: March 27, 2012, 07:11:48 AM »
kind of discrimination do you guys face? Other than being too tall to go into the subway and most buildings.

Archie Bunker

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Re: Japan
« Reply #20 on: March 27, 2012, 11:30:04 AM »
Expand Quote
how do you guys make a living in japan??  do you guys just teach english or something??  i got a japanese passport and my japanese is pretty good but i dont know what kind of work i could get if i lived there considering my kanji comprehension skills are that of a 3rd grader
[close]
I work at a hospital and do freelance translation work.

Most people I know work as English teachers and if you find an okay school you can make some decent scratch. I know some people who have been here for years and don't speak read or write Japanese. So as far as being an English teacher that's not really a requirement, and daily life is pretty navigable without it. With that said it is definitely a plus when searching for work to know the language, otherwise you limit yourself. As an aside, I personally believe one should at least be making the effort to learn the language of the country you are living in. That's just common courtesy in my opinion.

If you have a passport I assume you have dual citizenship, in which case that'll make finding a job a whole metric-fuck-ton easier. You shouldn't have any trouble finding something. Most places don't want to be bothered with the paperwork involved visa sponsorship. And if you are Japanese/SE Asian in appearance you won't have to deal with a lot of the bigoted/xenophobic bullshit the rest of us do.

FYI best times to find work are the end of the fiscal year (most contract end in March and renew in April) and around September (6 month contracts end in August and renew in September).

do you think it would be easy to find a job even if i dont have a college degree?  my moms told me that most places won't hire unless i have a degree(at least to teach english)
Bitch I'm 'bout it 'bout it

Jive Turkey

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Re: Japan
« Reply #21 on: March 27, 2012, 03:33:40 PM »
do you think it would be easy to find a job even if i dont have a college degree?  my moms told me that most places won't hire unless i have a degree(at least to teach english)
I don't have one and I'm doing ok.
If you're trying for a university position you may have trouble but otherwise you should be fine.

Archie Bunker

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Re: Japan
« Reply #22 on: March 27, 2012, 05:04:52 PM »
fuck yea guys thanks for all the help.  Count on me being out there by the end of the summer.  gaijin skate posse will be full throttle
Bitch I'm 'bout it 'bout it

Jive Turkey

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Re: Japan
« Reply #23 on: March 27, 2012, 06:19:17 PM »
fuck yea guys thanks for all the help.?  Count on me being out there by the end of the summer.?  gaijin skate posse will be full throttle
No problem. Good luck.
If you come out to the Kansai area (Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto) hit me up. Let's go skate.

art hellman

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Re: Japan
« Reply #24 on: March 28, 2012, 07:23:17 AM »
lived (ginza and then minato-ku) and worked there (maritime law), best year ever.  skated at a tiny "park" behind Tamachi station sometimes, but primarily skated street...usually just went out for the day to get lost.  i had the best luck finding spots along waterways (rivers, drainage, etc.) and below roadways.  Hesh Dawgs was my go-to shop. Went to the Static III premiere in Ebisu.

Japanese skate videos are still my favorite (Nippon SlapPals - I will always pay for you to send me new Japanese vids...PM me).  Wish I would have bought a box of Lesque boards to bring back. 

Have fun
hardly art, hardly starving


Gray Imp Sausage Metal

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Re: Japan
« Reply #25 on: March 28, 2012, 06:01:01 PM »
do you think it would be easy to find a job even if i dont have a college degree?  my moms told me that most places won't hire unless i have a degree(at least to teach english)

unless you are on a working holiday visa (or are already married to a japanese national/ have dual citizenship etc.) you are going to need one (a degree) in order to be eligible for a work permit.

edit: just read that you have a japanese passport.

no degree/ teaching qualifications means you will be scraping the bottom of the (english teaching) job barrel, which is fine short term i guess... nothing to make a career out of though. what do you do in your home country? english teaching might be what the majority of the (white) foreign population do over here, but there are 1000s of exceptions.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2012, 06:14:15 PM by Gay Imp Sausage Metal »

Impish sausage is definitely gonna blow up as a euphemism this year

Archie Bunker

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Re: Japan
« Reply #26 on: March 28, 2012, 07:35:50 PM »
Expand Quote
do you think it would be easy to find a job even if i dont have a college degree?  my moms told me that most places won't hire unless i have a degree(at least to teach english)
[close]

unless you are on a working holiday visa (or are already married to a japanese national/ have dual citizenship etc.) you are going to need one (a degree) in order to be eligible for a work permit.

edit: just read that you have a japanese passport.

no degree/ teaching qualifications means you will be scraping the bottom of the (english teaching) job barrel, which is fine short term i guess... nothing to make a career out of though. what do you do in your home country? english teaching might be what the majority of the (white) foreign population do over here, but there are 1000s of exceptions.
i'm skate scummin it in the u.s. of a right now, getting by selling random shit and plasma.  not really qualified to do anything.  i like kids though so maybe i could be a babysitter for english speaking kids or something.
Bitch I'm 'bout it 'bout it

chockfullofthat

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Re: Japan
« Reply #27 on: March 29, 2012, 06:19:58 AM »
I really wanted to go out there...I think I've given up on that idea though.  I figure it would fuck up my career too bad.  I think it would be too hard to not take a huge step down in pay without knowing Japanese or getting lucky.  I'll just have to travel out there in a few years.  Maybe I won't want to leave.  If I don't leave the company I'm working for now they said they'd send me to Japan for training but that would not be fun and I do not want to work here anymore. 

The Math Professor

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Re: Japan
« Reply #28 on: May 10, 2012, 02:11:58 PM »
Japan was cool... lots of spots scattered around the Tokyo area.  I ended up just hitting up the Shibuya park since it was so easy.  Anyone ever see any footage on these quarters in Ueno park?  Skating it during the day would be impossible with all the people around.  You'd also need to have some big, soft wheels.


Jive Turkey

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Re: Japan
« Reply #29 on: May 11, 2012, 05:59:19 PM »
Japan was cool... lots of spots scattered around the Tokyo area.?  I ended up just hitting up the Shibuya park since it was so easy.?  Anyone ever see any footage on these quarters in Ueno park??  Skating it during the day would be impossible with all the people around.?  You'd also need to have some big, soft wheels.


Nice.
I can't recall where I've seen those quarter-banks but I've definitely seen them somewhere. They look like fun. Will have to hit those up next time I'm in Tokyo. That would sick to get a lipslide through the water ala Rowley in Sorry.
I wonder if it's possible to drop in on the banked ledge and clear the gutter into the quarter...