Skateboarding rollout in Japan
Skateboarding hasn’t always been as common as it is today. Up until recently, it was mainly enjoyed by a small niche. Its addition to the Olympic games isn’t just evidence of it entering the mainstream in America but in the globe as a whole. It leaves one wondering how this activity that emerged from several small subcultures and niches managed to make its way overseas. By taking a closer look at the sport’s adoption in Japan, the country that most greatly dominated skateboarding during the Olympics, we can see how the unique style and culture of the sport allowed it to gain mass popularity across the globe.
The sport found its first followers in Japan through American pop culture, which was becoming increasingly popular in the country. American Levis, movies, music, and magazine, including ones of a young Tony Hawk, made their way to Japan, where there was a community that would consume anything American. While it was mostly a short-lived fad that died down quickly, there was a community that sank their jaws into it and didn’t let go. A small community of skaters existed in the shadows of Japan, where they found ways to engage in the sport, and it was because they existed in the shadows that the sport didn’t fall into complete irrelevance. Zane Foley best describes what occurred in America when he initial fad died and large corporations lost interest when he states “ And so, no longer accepted by SoCal parents or corporations seeking the next great fad, skating became the calling card of anti-establishment culture and the growing punk scene of the 1980s… With the mainstream media turning a blind eye to skateboarding, skateboarders were given the chance to document their own culture through their own lens. This allowed skateboarders to wield the powers of producing their own media culture, combating the exact reasons why skateboarding had endured two major crashes in popularity in the late 1960s and early 1980s” Similar events in Japan allowed skateboarding to survive. Unlike other seemingly more American sports such as football that are associated with teams and packed stadiums, skateboarding comes from small groups of people on the street. The style and nature of the two sports are completely different; it doesn’t take nearly as much of a following for people to Skate. It can be done by oneself, can be done by anyone and it has a history of gaining popularity through small groups who stray from popular culture. When taking all of this into consideration, it only makes sense for skateboarding to be able to find a community in Japan.
Where the adoption of skateboarding in Japan differs from America is the type of behavior that it represents. In America, skating in the past has been associated with drugs, rebellion and the defacing of property. Japan adheres to strict, unwritten rules of comportment. It is a culture of courtesies and public reserve — a land of order, where people line up to board subways, where they rarely eat or drink in public, where trash and graffiti are virtually absent (Branch). These unwritten rules have made it difficult for skateboarding to gain mass popularity in Japan. Japanese skaters have encountered trouble not because of any destructive acts, but because they were simply skating. The loud noise that the boards produce is seen as disruptive, so riding one in public is considered rude or disrespectful. Due to this, skaters are perceived as rowdy and are hated by many. There is strict law enforcement, that even prevents the use of skateboards in public places, even if it’s for transportation. Not only does this worsen Japanese society’s perception of skateboarding but it also makes the practicality of skateboarding irrelevant. This means that all the potential skaters in Japan who would use skateboards to get around, much like we see people doing here on a daily basis at USC, will never become part of the community. With the increasing popularity of skateboarding, the enforcement of this rule has only become more strict. More signs are popping up and security guards are becoming more strict. As a result, skaters have altered their habits in order to continue doing what they love. Some conceal their skateboards in order to avoid harassment and the vast majority of skaters go skateboarding at night, where the streets are less crowded and they are less likely to get in trouble. Other acts, include building indoor skateparks and skating far out of sight from others, such as under bridges. Skaters and Japan don’t exhibit the same behavior as American skateboarders. They have adapted to societal rules and laws, whereas American skaters fight them. They will skate on private property, argue with security guards and remove any items meant to stop them from skating. Even though Japanese skaters are much more respectful and polite than those in America, America was the one to accept skaters as normal individuals and make spaces for skaters to practice the sport. While Japan does have public skateparks as well, there is much more effort being put into punishing the infractions than in creating a space for skaters. Maybe these differences in both the behavior of the skaters and the reaction to this behavior can be explained by the fact that rebellion and freedom are key aspects of American culture. We celebrate our rebellion against the British every year and take great pride in it as well. It was our fight for freedom as a country, and since then we’ve celebrated many other fights for freedom, some even going as far as calling it a god-given right. Since Japan has contrasting cultural values founded, on respecting others, it would make sense for Japan to have a very different reaction to skateboarding.
Even though many people in Japan have reacted negatively to Japan’s adoption of skateboarding, there has been an equally great display of positive reactions, Skateboarding provides a strong sense of community that would appeal to anyone. It allows us to interact with friends and work diligently together towards our own personal goals. In addition to this general appeal, there are specific reasons why skateboarding appeals to Japanese society in particular. Japan has a very homogenous culture that is explained by John Branch when he states “ Dignity comes from blending in, not standing out. That explains the swarms of office workers in matching white shirts and the signs on public transportation politely requesting that those with headphones keep the music down, lest a muffled drumbeat disrupt another commuter’s quiet. Business cards are exchanged with two hands in a gesture of humility. Simple goodbyes become a dance of bowing and nodding in an exercise of demure grace. Skateboarding is none of that. It is disruptive, noisy, messy. That is the main reason it has, for decades, been relegated to the unkempt shadows of Japanese society — far more hidden and distrusted than in other places around the globe.” Since skateboarding is none of that, many people have gotten into skateboarding as a way of having a greater sense of individuality, especially in terms of attire. Most skaters are young individuals who wear the same uniforms as everyone else. They typically look for small things such as backpacks and phones accessories to differentiate themselves, but skateboarding has allowed them to do so on a much larger scale. Not only does skateboarding have its own style with popular clothing items such as Dickies pants and Nike dunks originating from skaters, but skateboarding has also influenced their favorite brands. Supreme, a popular brand that originated as a skate shop has six out of its 13 stores in Japan. Japanese brands such as Fragment and Bape drew much of their inspiration from skateboarding and its culture. Much of the entire style of streetwear and especially Japanese streetwear has been credited to skaters. Luxury brand Louis Vuitton, even has its own skate team. No matter what brand the youth of Japan choose to wear in order to express themselves and their own style, there’s a good chance of it connecting to skateboarding.
