In Japan, the number of professional and amateur skateboarders of all genders has been on the rise in recent years. Girls and women of all ages come from their respective neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces to gather in skate parks and share in their love of skateboarding. What is it about this sport that gives it the power to hook people of all backgrounds? To find out, we head to a skate park to chat with a group of female skaters and watch them shred while clad in UT’s Skater Collection, which features designs by Shinpei Ueno and Alex Olson.
Five skaters are at the skate park on the day of this shoot: three studious teenage girls and two working women in their 30s. These skater friends all live their own separate lives on weekdays but see each other at skate parks during their free time and even compete against each other at competitions.
The skate park is a place that brings them together, where they can laugh as friends despite a generational age difference. Everyone cheers when someone nails a trick, and when someone rolls down the ramp after a miss, there’s no need to worry. High schooler Hina Maeda and middle schooler Niko Sugimoto—both accomplished skaters who have entered many competitions—explain that in skateboarding, everyone is on even ground. Here at the skate park, they say, there’s no shame in not being able to do something, and no one blames them if they miss. The supportive environment encourages even the shyest people to open up over time. Since everyone here shares a love for skateboarding, no one—girl or boy, beginner or experienced, young or old—ever feels self-conscious about their enthusiasm. Everyone here radiates a sense of pure joy for the moment, much like a group of school friends messing around during recess.
But what is it about skateboarding that keeps them coming back despite the risk of injury? All of the skaters agree: although the desire to do well in competitions does motivate them, the feeling they get the first time they nail a trick is what really makes them forget about their scrapes and bruises. These skaters are chasing the sweet taste of accomplishment—something even more addictive than winning. Yuri Murai, a videographer who has been skating the longest in the group, says, “Sometimes I see beginners who are afraid to even get on the board. When I see them try their best anyway, I feel encouraged and inspired to push myself harder too.”
Various factors have contributed to the recent skateboarding craze in Japan, including the success of the Japanese skateboarding team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the COVID-19 pandemic, during which many people picked up skateboarding as a new hobby. However, watching these girls and women skate makes it obvious that skateboarding is not just a fleeting trend to them but a sport that inspires them to treat everyone equally and to live positively.
Natsuki Akimoto, an office worker who only began skating at the age of 28, says, “It doesn’t cost much in terms of money or time. You can do it anytime, anywhere, as long as you have a board, so it’s something that’s easy to try out and continue doing.” This, of course, is the case everywhere in the world. When traveling overseas, Akimoto sometimes reaches out to local skate crews over social media. “They even show me around!” says Akimoto. “As long as you have a skateboard, communication’s not a problem, no matter where you come from or what language you speak. I also like welcoming foreign skaters when they come to Japan!”
As we prepare to leave, Yui Harada, the youngest one here, comes up to the crew. She knows we have zero skateboarding experience and at least a dozen years on her, but she flashes us a bubbly smile as she says, “Come skate with us next time, okay?”
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Sugimoto Niko | Sugimoto began skating after participating in a skateboarding event for beginners in first grade. Now in the 8th grade, she has over seven years of experience. She says, “I love when my friends and I trade off doing tricks when we’re skating in the park.” Her best trick is the heelflip.
Instagram: @sugimo_ot
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Hina Maeda | Maeda is in her final year of high school and has been skateboarding for seven years. She lives in Hyogo Prefecture and attends skateboarding competitions all over Japan and even in the United States and other countries while taking classes at a correspondence school. “I like making friends everywhere I compete,” says Maeda, whose favorite trick is the backside 180 kickflip. With sponsorships in the United States, she has a promising career ahead of her.
Instagram: @hina__maeda
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Yuri Murai | Murai has been skating since she was in high school eighteen years ago, during an earlier skateboarding boom in Japan. As a videographer, she now produces skate videos, including joy and sorrow, a 2013 film about skater girls. Her favorite trick is the boneless. She says, “I do everything myself when I’m making a video, from shooting to editing. I burn my videos onto DVDs so that I can have a physical record.”
Instagram: @yuriyuri_desu
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Natsuki Akimoto | Akimoto picked up skateboarding ten years ago at the age of 28, after many years spent snowboarding. She works in sales at a sports brand on weekdays and visits skate parks after work and on weekends. Akimoto is partial to the backside 50-50 grind and says, “When I get a little tired, I like to take a break by going on a leisurely skate.”
Instagram: @nanana_0709
PROFILE
Yui Harada | Harada is a 7th-grade student who has been skating for about five years. She competes in street competitions, where skaters do tricks off of railings, benches, and banks, as well as vert competitions, where they skate on a curved vertical ramp. Harada says, “Seeing cool skaters who have their own unique styles helps me improve my own skills.”
Instagram: @yui_hrd_0515
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© Shinpei Ueno
© Alex Olson
