San Leandro, CA – Skate Shop News: Is Japan Taking Over Skateboarding Culture?
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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. 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. Signs prohibiting it are everywhere. Part of the reason is practical: Tokyo’s streets and sidewalks are crowded. But bicycles are welcome, often seen zigging through pedestrians. The main difference is that bikes are quiet. Skateboards grind and clatter. Skateboarding on the street is considered “meiwaku-koui” — bothersome behavior.
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