Japan pro Moritaka Ogido and Yuto Watanabe at Nango Park.
Sorry for the no HD on this one. It's pretty heavily edited, so every time I tried to make an HD file, my computer would crash. Oh well...480p is good enough... ハイデフィニションじゃなくてごめん。ファイルが重すぎて作ろうとしたら、パソコンが止まっちゃうんだ。４８０pまで行けるけど。。
It's a good time to be a skateboarder in Sendai. The local scene here is getting recognized for producing the next generation of Japanese skaters, guys like Ichiro and Abe Ryota, who are blowing up in the Japanese skate industry as a whole. But a lot of it is thanks to Maruyama Shintaro-- local pro, owner of Bridge skate shop, and founder and big bossman of newly established Evisen Skateboards based here in Sendai.
Maru's been big here in the Sendai skateboarding scene for a long time, but even having gone abroad to the States to skate for Consolidated Skateboards, the English language exposure on him seemed slim. Though I can't say I'm super tight with him, I have met and talked with him a couple times, and it's safe to say, there's probably not a single skater in Sendai who doesn't appreciate what he's doing for the scene. And being that he's such a genuinely nice dude, and he's done so much for skateboarding in the Sendai area that I wanted to write something to support him and spread the word about his new company. His skating is more that of an old school shredder rather than technical wizard, but it's a brand of skating that suits him well and certainly sets him apart from the many who value difficulty over style in both Japan and the States. I've heard that in the past he used to do handrails pretty often, but to be honest, I'm almost glad they don't show up in his footage too overwhelmingly. It's much more satisfying to watch him shred the deepest bowls and grab huge airs off tranny. His skating is hard and fast and a hell of a lot of fun to watch. So big up to Maru. More than just giving a name and a face to the Sendai skate scene, he's
given a brand, an image, and just a place for skaters to go and chill. He's a busy man, but he somehow finds the time to manage his brand, run a skate shop, and support local events and parks. And when he's not doing that, he's showing off the unique side of Sendai skating with his blog Good Deal. So check out Evisen, check out Bridge, and give some love to your local scene. Maru is sponsored by Evisen, Vox, BlackFlys, Independent, Spitfire, and Lucky Bearings. Check his footy from his Consolidated days after the Japanese translation.
Happy Thursday people. Back in the early to mid 90's, street skating, and in particular Philadelphia street skating, was owned by Ricky Oyola. His skating was different from most other skaters in that he defined a new style of street skating that seems inherent in the name: actually skating in the streets. It was raw city. Though his actual skating was never technically considered the best in terms of busting the gnarliest tricks, all of his video parts stood out from the typical spot-to-spot parts. In his video parts, the city was as much the star of the show as the Ricky himself. And it wasn't the trick itself that was the most technical, but rather the spot. He made parts in which you feel the city living and breathing because he took you through it with him riding through the streets. And though this generation's skaters will always recognize Josh Kalis and Stevie Williams as being the pioneers of Love Park, the real Love era all started with Ricky Oyola. He rode through the greatest years of Zoo York before starting his own company, Traffic, with skaters who shared his passion not only finding new and unique spots, but also giving the northeast a style all its own. People say that he's hot-headed or an asshole, but it can't be argued that his skating in the Eastern Exposure videos changed that way people looked at street skateboarding. So here it is, his part from 1996's Eastern Exposure 3:
The place I call home, Boston, was attacked today when two bomb blasts in downtown disrupted the Boston Marathon, a celebration of athleticism that hosts runners from all over the world. At the time of this writing, the crisis continues, with bombs still being found in other areas of the city. Though I'm thankful that my own friends and family are safe, it's important to remember that the friends and families of others may not be. My thoughts are with my people back home and it's on the darkest days when one must stand the strongest. It's overwhelmingly surreal to experience as a spectator across the pond a tragedy in my hometown and be unable to help. Though the world has stopped for those in the town I love, life continues unflinchingly everywhere else. This is the second time in my life that I have become painfully aware of this truth. Tragedy is a thing that is universal to all man and womankind, though to those temporarily outside its reach, it's often as if it never existed. In many places in the world, events like this are commonplace. And to those who experience these losses on a daily basis, my thoughts and respect are with you always. We must never take for granted the moments of peace that our lives are afforded, however transient they may be. I've always imagined myself a soldier, and that my life would end in a great battle someday. I still do to be quite honest. It is a deeply personal truth that I have recognized in myself for a long time, yet chosen not to tell others (note the irony of now posting it on the internet). But the era that I always felt I belonged to is long over. And war is not a fantasy.I will never understand the reason modern wars are fought. Imagined borders separate bodies of politic run by oligarchs that send the young and poor to fight for often little or no gain. Ideological zealots target innocent civilians to spread messages of hate. I am far removed from and have no interest in serving this system, and would rather choose to live in peace. And I can say nothing in defense of the actions of the country that fate had me birthed in, for the American government too is not free of guilt in its short history. But the people of my home are. I am no more American than I am Palestinian, Israeli, Pakistani, Hindi, Catholic, Protestant, Japanese, or Chinese. Rather, I'm just a human being. We are all human beings and we all are striving for peace. But when that peace is disrupted and your home is attacked by those who wish to do harm to innocent people, I can understand why people are moved to action to die for a cause. But bloodshed in the name of something as shallow as nationalism only breeds more bloodshed. And the people of my home are stronger than a bomb blast. Peace be to those who lost their lives, prayers be to those wounded and still fighting for them, and penitence be to those who took them. -Nino
Sorry for the lack of posts recently. They might be pretty slim for a while since I've been pretty busy recently. I've posted about it before, but it's time to really make some moves and look for a new job. I'm for sure leaving my current job at the end of the month and since I haven't found my next job yet, I'm honestly not too sure what's gonna happen. Now is the time for me to really find a job I dig, but whether that takes me to Tokyo or maybe even back to the States, I really can't say. In any case, I'm either trying to work in the Japanese skateboard industry or maybe something where I can use my Japanese language skill (games industry?). I really have no idea where I'll end up, but I guess that's the start of this new adventure. The last time I posted about this, maybe around Oct/Nov, I was doubtful about my position and ability. Now I'm determined to make some moves and get to a place I want to be and hopeful that I can do it. I'll let you, the internet, know once I do. Thanks to all for the love and support. Peace. -Nino
