Tokyo Showdown

BIKE JAM THIS SUNDAY! Orange County,CA

2011-06-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

I spy...

2011-05-31T00:10:00.000-07:00

Pics fresh off Water Color's blog - git some!!

Getting to know...

2011-05-30T23:33:00.000-07:00

I must admit, managing riders can be difficult at times. But when it comes to this kid it's never a dull moment. For a 7yr old, Noah is rather soft spoken when around adults, yet all smiles when he's on that board!

So, I wanted some of our loyal readers to get to know this up-and-comer like I do. While an interview as such can't match some shred time talk with this kid, hopefully, it will give you an idea of how positive, fun and focused this lil shred is - "If I were King" question being a prime example! Let's put it this way, Nike has asked him to be in several SB commercials as of late. I'm hoping they don't swoop on this kid!

A little Q&A with Keith Noah Kuwabara...

Name: Keith Noah Kuwabara (Half Brazilian/Half Japanese)
Age: 7
Resides: Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa (Japan)
Occupation: First Grader & Skateboarder

How long have you been doin' your thang?

A little over 2 years now (since I was about 4 1/2 yrs old)

What motivates you to get up in the morning?

School & Skating!

Best burrito spot? Or favorite food joint?

Tomoroshi Steak (search：とうもろこし　ステーキ）

What's your setup?

Blind skateboard, Thunder trucks, Index wheels (50s,) and Bones bearings

Favorite type of music? Artist/group?

Michael Jackson/Jackson 5... stuff like that... just pop music in general, I guess.

Coke or Pepsi?

uuuuummmm.... Coke! I gots ta have the Coke!

If you were in a highspeed chase...

I'd be flyin!

When I grow up...

I wanna be a pro skater and surfer!

Favorite trick?

Kick flip, Varial kick flip, Indy air and Double kick flip

Local session spot?

X-dome (Ebina City, Kanagawa)

Favorite ride?

...

What's your biggest accomplishment(s) so far?

Age 5: 5th place/79 competitors, Kugenuma Skatepark: Mini-Ramp Comp (Under 9); 1st Place Murasaki Sports/X-Dome Mini-ramp Comp (Under 12); 1st Place X-Dome Mini-ramp Contest (Kindergarten Class); 1st place 'High Air" Contest (Under 15)

Age 6: Making legit 12ft vertical drops and sick twistin kick flips; GATE Street Contest/Novice Class - 8th place (No age limit); 15th out of 40 at Hanakawa Skatepark's Open Amateur Class (no age limit)

And, lastly, having people always telling me I can't do something because I am "too small," but proving them wrong in the end by being able to stick it!

Give us an interesting little known fact about yourself...

On my 7th Birthday I shoved cake all in my face - what's up!?

Other interest or hobbies?

Surfing, snowboarding and traveling!

Are you competitive by nature?

Yeah, I think so. I always want to be number one - to get that trophy!

Money's no object and you were leaving tonight, where would you go?

I would wanna go to Kelley's (Index Ink Japan rep) house!!

Morning or night ?

Night, and you know this man!

How do you continue to push yourself?

With my heart. I just tell myself, 'you can do this!'

Where do you wanna be 5 years from now?

I wanna be on top of some mega-ramp in the States, participating in the X-games and slaying it with some gnarly backflip-based tricks!!

If I were king?

I would make the entire country a giant skateboard park and then rip it up with my friends or just anyone and everyone!!

Any shout outs to other sponsors, friends, family?

To everyone, thank you for all the support! I love you all!!

Some interview action

2011-05-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

We've been pretty busy these last few weeks here in Tokyo, but I recently had time to sit down with our newest rider, Dice-K Nakaura, to see what's the happs!

How long have you been doin’ your thang?

-I started skateboarding when I was 10 or somethin like that.

What motivates you to get up in the morning?

-It's cold in my room in the morning so I wake up to turn on the heater.

Best burrito spot? Or favorite food joint?

-Taco Bell fer sure man!

What’s your setup?

-Index 7.8, Thunder Lights Wides (real loose,) Index 52's, and bunch of mixed up rusty bearings.

Favorite type of music? Artist/group?

-I mostly listen to Hip-hop like Fort Minor, Biggie Smalls, Notorious BIG, Nas, and some Kanye West - just whoever I feel like listening to that day.

Coke or Pepsi?

-Coke fer sure man.

If you were in a high speed chase…

-Tokyo Drift Homies!

When I grow up…

-Moving back to the US is the first thing on my list!

Favorite trick?

-Backside Heels

Local session spot?

-I'm not really a 'local', so, I pretty much just go wherever.

Favorite ride?

-All I can ride is a bike or skateboard... so skateboard fer sure!

What’s your biggest accomplishment so far?

-Not dropping out of school and doing what I love.

Give us an interesting little known fact about yourself…

-It takes me 2hrs to just get to school from my house.

Other interest or hobbies?

-Don't even have to think about this, GIRLS!

Are you competitive by nature?

-Idk man... am I...?

Money’s no object and you were leaving tonight, where go to?

-Head to Cali!!

Morning or night?

-Nighttime is usually when I start moving about, so, night!

How do you continue to push yourself?

-"The Sky is the limit" mentality.

Where do you wanna be 5 years from now?

-Having fun with life...if I'm still skateboarding then its all good.

If I were king…

-Build the Dice-K-Mahal, foolios!

Any shout outs to other sponsors, friends, family?

-Shout outs to Watercolor for all the support they've given me. Password for the clothing, and Shout outs to my homies GEREN, Unagin, Higuchi, Kelley, and Maruchan - Thanks guys!

Lil man, Big tricks!

2011-05-20T01:31:00.000-07:00

I just recently got a message full of photos and the answers to the rider questionnaire from our big man in Japan, Noah! For now check out some of these pics and after I get the questionnaire translated I'll put that beast up!

何なんだ！（笑）What in the...

2011-05-16T23:24:00.000-07:00

What in the world is Dice-K doing tucked in that little space...? I have yet to ask him, but I'm assuming he was hiding from someone. Perhaps Dice-K was in the middle of saying, "I think he went that a-way!"

Rider Get-together! ライダー集まり！

2011-05-10T19:31:00.000-07:00

Getting back into "work mode" has been rough after our consecutive 11 day Golden Week vacation. Needless to say, good times were had (from what I can remember!)

During this time our current skate team members were able to get together for this year's AJSA National Amateur Circuit kickoff at the Nakatsukawa Skate Park! Unfortunately, none of our riders made their way onto the podium, but they did move up in the rankings!

And, as a little side note, the last photo is largely irrelevant to non-Japanese speakers, however, one can easily see "WATERCOLOR" all over. In short, that column represents the rider's supporting shop. It is easy to see that Water Color really does a superb job of supporting the growing skate community here in Japan - big ups to them!!

**NEWS**
Stay tuned for more info regarding a new shop (pics coming soon!!)

Hirai (left), Noah (center), Dice-K (right)

Water Color Riders + Park Party

2011-04-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

Nagoya's Water Color is a skate shop that truly supports their local shred community. If you ever have time to check out their website you can't help but notice that they upload pics and videos from their shop almost everyday.

I think Higuchi-san takes pride in his shop. He can be a bit shy at first but you get talking about shredding or the likes and he's a different guy - he's passionate. Glad to have him stoked on the Index Ink goods!

And, earlier this month at Kamome Skate Park the boys held a little get together - "Park Party!" - where a lot of the local community just got together to... well... shred! It appears one of the reasons for this was the park just had a new section added to it, so... yeah... there ya go!

Anywho, have a look see and enjoy some local Japanese shreds having a blast. I'm not gonna lie, seeing these guys so amped up makes me wanna get out there and shred! (Index Riders "UP" 0-0:22, and, "Dice-K 1:03-1:17) 宜しく〜！

New Rider + Hot Rods = マジ最高〜！w

2011-04-13T22:51:00.000-07:00

"Behind every challenge lies an opportunity."

I firmly believe this to be true. Amidst all of the negative press concerning Japan with the earthquake, tsunami, constant aftershocks and most recently the meltdown of the Daiichi Fukushima Nuclear Plant there are some positives to be seen.

Prologue....if you will

I see a lot of skaters not only in the Tokyo area, but also on my business trips around Japan. Even though skating is a small part of our industry as a whole, I feel that skateboarding can be seen as the "gateway" sport (drug) to the action sports industry.

In the past, Japan has had small, what I will dub, 'interest bubbles' driven purely by mass appeal and hype and superficial understanding, but I think the small core of Japanese riders who rode it out planted the seed well.

I am fairly confident that skateboarding is not only "here to stay", but to grow and foster a positive image and interest *not only* for itself but for our industry as a whole. I am totally stoked on this!!

☆ NEW RIDER ☆

Index Ink Japan is stoked on bringing Dice-K (Daisuke) Nakaura to the forefront and throwing him on our flow team. Judging by some of his recent activities this 15yr old is going to turn heads in a few years!

I recently talked with him on the phone only to find out that he *just* came back from America. Not only that, but he lived there for about 10yrs. He got into skateboarding while in the states and having come back to Japan recently has been tearing it up his hometown of Nagoya!

This past weekend he and our other rider "UP" were at the "JOINTS CUSTOM BIKE SHOW 2011" where they did some shredding and put on a demo or two for the folks taking in some classic American iron!

For now, check out the pics and stay tuned for an updated bio on Dice-K and some new shop info!!

Japan - Post Earthquake Happenings

2011-04-12T22:46:00.000-07:00

Well, truth be told, since the big earthquake and subsequent Tsunami on March 11th we've had little time to rest. Earthquakes and aftershocks are more or less daily occurrences. In fact, according to the Japanese media, they recently stated that there were something along the lines of 100+ aftershocks *and* earthquakes within the ensuing week. And, as of today I am assuming that number has more or less doubled.

Some friends of mine who are affiliated/have their own congregation (Church) here in Tokyo were able to get special permission from the Japanese government to travel on the highways despite heavy heavy restrictions on travel - your average Japanese person had no such privilege.

Even though I am not a religious person the people at Kamizoku Church in Tokyo were incredibly kind to me and allowed me to tag along and help out. They were receiving semi-truck loads of goods from the US bases near Tokyo and doing their best to bring it up in smaller car loads so as to target the relief centers most in need.

So, a week after the Earthquake, on the 18th, I headed up to the disaster areas with the aforementioned people to help out with the relief effort. I spent a few days in Natori (Sendai) and went to 6 or 7 Relief/Refugee Centers throughout the Ishinomaki and Shichigahama areas. I brought with me about 70% of my clothes (which I gave away) and about $120 worth of candy for the kids and elderly, and of course I brought foodstuffs with as well.

In the end, it was the single most humbling experience of my life. I cannot tell you how many times my group members and I were without words only to just sigh at what was in front of us. We hear this often - it's cliche, I know. But when no words suffice it really makes you stop and think about everything. I feel blessed and lucky to be alive!

So, hear we are, a little over a month has passed and aside from the ongoing, ever-worsening nuclear disaster the Japanese people and those living here in Japan are doing their very best to press on. Tokyo is pretty much back to normal. Most of the conversations I hear are not about the recent earthquake but about daily life. I think, if anything, the Japanese people, including myself, would prefer to just move on.

For now, please check out a few of my photos. I will be uploading some of my videos at a later date.

Also, good news for Index Ink Japan - new riders and new shops! More on that very very soon!

Getting to know your local Japanese rider

2010-12-14T20:42:00.000-08:00

While we are waiting for our new batch of Index Ink goodies to roll on into Tokyo I had some time to catch up with one of the newest additions to the Index Ink flow team, Yuichi "UP" Hirai. Now, the "UP" isn't 'up' in the traditional sense we are used to, but rather it's said just like the folks from the "UP" or "Upper Peninsula" in Michigan.

Anywho, now that we got that out of the way, let's find out about Mr. UP. I recently sent him the questionnaire given to all the Index Ink riders and go getters and chatted with him on the phone. So, without further ado here's what he had to say...

Around twenty or so questions with Yuichi "UP" Hirai

Age: 26

Residence: Toyokawa City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan

Occupation: Skater

How long have you been doin’ your thang?

For about 8yrs now.

What motivates you to get up in the morning?

Nice weather and good food... yeah that'll do it!

Best burrito spot? Or favorite food joint?

Any burrito in the SF area.

What’s your setup?

Index Ink 7.62 Pop with Thunderlight trucks and Index 54s!

Favorite type of music? Artist/group?

It's all gravy - I like it all.

Coke or Pepsi?

Coke, fuh sho!

If you were in a high speed chase…

I'd find a way to ditch 'em!

When I grow up…

I don't want to grow up.

Favorite trick?

Push shove-it or Powerslides prolly.

Local session spot?

Kamome Skatepark or Takayama Skatepark.

Favorite ride?

Any supercar.

What’s your biggest accomplishment so far?

Winning the 2008 "eS Game of Skate Contest"

Give us an interesting little known fact about yourself…

I'm an electrician.

Other interest or hobbies?

Chillin with friends and boozin it up.

Are you competitive by nature?

No.

Money’s no object and you were leaving tonight, where go to?

An island with no people and an everlasting Summer.

Morning or night ?

Night.

How do you continue to push yourself?

Watch skateboarding videos and have a few cocktails.

Where do you wanna be 5 years from now?

Just havin a great time!

If I were king…

Prolly want to redo everything...

Any shout outs to other sponsors, friends, family?

Yeah, to Index Ink for hookin up kid and to Water Color, my hometown shop, for all the support! And to Pwc Films and VB Beer and of course my friends!! Thank you all!!

And, I was snooping around UP's shop, Water Color, and their site and found a pretty cool photo. Now some of you may think this was done just for this blog, but that's not the case. You can check out the blog and see for yourself that this pic was taken way before this post! Here's UP given the lowdown to some new buck about to take on his first of many Index Ink decks!

The cats at Water Color are always on it. You don't need to speak Japanese to understand these guys are really pushing skating the way it needs to be - they're just having fun! So, for now, do me a favor and peep their shop blog!!

New gear... on the horizon...

2010-08-15T21:39:00.000-07:00

Hello to All,

Again, it has been a while since my last post (there seems to be a pattern here.) Regardless, it has been an eventful past month and a half for sure! Since my last post I have; met up with Chad and discussed a lot about Index Ink's solid future in Japan, was able to see some of the new stuff for the Fall/Winter/Holiday of 2010 and so on - sweet lookin' stuff!!

Also, during this past month or so I was able to head home for a short stint to see family and friends and do some fishing and work on some cars (drag cars to be exact!!)

Anywho, now that I am back in Japan things are starting to take off. Busy, busy, busy! If I am not mistaken Chad and Teff were busy this past week (and weekend) with the ASR show in San Diego! We, too, are gearing up for our "ASR" which is called Interstyle Expo (Sept. 1~2.) This expo is pretty much like ASR, just in Japanese! haha

Since the last post several more orders have been placed for Index Ink - woo hoo! In particular, a really cool, small-time skate and surf shop called, "SUBSTANCE SURF"! The owner and long time surfer/skater, Moroi-san is as legit as they get! Surfing and skating for over 30 years it goes without saying this guy knows his $%&^! He's really stoked on his Index decks right now!!

And, since we're now talking about Tokyo...I happened to go out the other night in Shibs (Shibuya) with some friends for some drinks and some dinner and happened to stumble across these two distinguished gentlemen. The "less fit" gentleman to the left woke up just after I took the pic and informed me, verbatim... "I AM BLACK BEAR!" to which he then proceeded to resume his hibernation... And, for the record, guys and gals passing out like this in public is not all that uncommon.

Like this guy, I'm out!!

東北の出張 -- Tohoku Trip!

2010-06-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

This past week my boss, Akane-san, and I headed up North to visit some of our pro shop customers and some Murasaki Sports stores. We had a lot of fun and the staff from Murasaki Sports were surprisingly very happy to see us! So much so that the Akita store put in a big order for us!! =D

Needless to say, we got the good word out all over the Tohoku region and a lot of people are really starting to take notice of Index Ink over here in Japan - Awesome! Naturally they always ask about our skate team and who we have. And, the recent addition of Clay Kreiner to the Index Ink team is great!! I think he could definitely become a reference point for young skaters here in Japan, as well as the US.

I suppose I should mention that one of the places we hit up was Akita Prefecture, and, that I went to a university there for a year (exchange program), which is rapidly growing in popularity not just in Japan, but all over the world! Akita International University (秋田国際教養大学.) Check it out for yourself.

A little unknown/known fact, depending on who you talk to, Akita is one of Japan's best kept secrets. The local cuisine, culture and more importantly the people are truly the best!! They have this festival, or Matsuri (祭り), called Namahage. In short, this festival is to scare the living daylights out of children in the hopes they obey their parents, don't get into trouble, etc. To be honest, I think it works. haha

Likewise, there was this restaurant in Akita city that had the "Namahage" theme. Akane-san and I were super stoked to eat there, however, they were completely booked. We were so bummed!

I had the opportunity to attend this festival when I was in Japan the first time (2004/5) and it was as though I was literally in a dream world. It felt like something out of a movie. It really did. So, if you're ever in Japan I highly, highly suggest hitting up Akita!

Tokyo, tuning out.

Also, I found an interesting cultural Japanese character called, "Hyottoko ひょっとこ"

God Finger...?

2010-05-06T22:47:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Things are going great here in Tokyo and/or Japan. While Index is making inroads on its own, I had some down time this last week (thank you Golden Week) so I decided to hit up 'Akiba' (Akihabara) to check out the latest "Geek" goods and hit up some Maid cafes (yeah, I went!)

On my way back home, however, I had to pick up some things so I decided to stop at a chain store called "Donkihote" to pick up some beverages (they literally have everything from food to beer to clothes to electronics and then some!) So, having the a whole week ahead of me, with nothing to do, I decided to just browse around the store for a little bit.

Now, I must make something clear, after having lived in Japan for the last 6 years I can claim that there is not much that surprises me anymore. Sure the never ending myriad of goofy English names still make me giggle, but, hardly will I see or experience something hilarious or down-right shocking. But as the saying goes "There's always something..."

It's true, there IS always something. Ladies and Gentlemen, behold... "GOD FINGER" Now, I happened to be accompanied by my lady at the time so we felt that a cell phone pic was a definite must for this "special" occasion. Apparently, homeboy is a rather famous "AV Actor" which I, of course, had no idea (but that's what my lady told me.) Needless to say, I did find it rather peculiar that she seems to "know" who this guy is...(that situation was a little awkward to say the least) lol.

Over and out,
God Finger

This time... something interesting....

2010-03-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
It's more than obvious I haven't posted anything in a while, but I do have some good news. The first being business.

We just recently got some more Murasaki Sports stores on board, as well as another pro shop/retail shop! Which is great. The latter throwing in an order for six decks and two sets of wheels! YES!! While this may sound sub-par, it couldn't be further from the truth.

Anyway, changing gears a bit, I thought my American/English readers might enjoy some recent pics I've taken with my cell phone here in Japan. Enjoy!

From L to R (Top to Bottom):
(1)Time with mommy. (Arcade in South Shinjuku, Tokyo)
(2 & 3) No, that is not a mask on the guy impersonating MJ. (Shibuya, Tokyo)
(4) My favorite Japanese cuisine, Okonomiyaki! (Osaka)
(5) Saba (Mackerel) my favorite sushi. (Shinjuku, Tokyo)
(6) Tan-Tan Men - Some of the best Ramen in Tokyo (Shibuya, Tokyo)
(7) Yakiniku - grilled meat - Matsuzaka Gyu, some of the best beef in the world! (Matsuzaka, Japan)
(8) And lastly, some festival close by our office here in Shibuya!! (Shibuya, Tokyo)

It's been a while...

2010-01-21T00:43:00.000-08:00

Finally I've had some time to sit down and write about what's been happening these past few weeks/months here in Tokyo. We finally got our Index decks and shirts in - a lot of which will be used as giveaways.

stock room pic

I'm super stoked on getting everything out there and spreading the good word. Just before Christmas I headed down to Murasaki Sports, Harajuku (Takeshita Dori) and handed over their Index order. Needless to say, they were stoked (especially on the iClone deck!)

Fast forwarding a bit, next week (25th onward) we are having an in-house "mini-expo" for our customers since they are coming from various places throughout Japan to Tokyo, as many of the big snowboard and ski distributors hold their in-house expos around this time of the year.

And it usually holds true that most places that rock snowboard gear also rock skateboard gear. So, we are all pretty excited about seeing our customers and more importantly introducing them to Index Ink first hand.

I, however, will be buggin' out on the 27th for the SIA show, which is held in Denver this year and won't be back until the 31st. There I will be catching up with clients most notably Automaton Snowboards' Brenton Woo, who previously went to Chad for some deck designs (most recent and most notably, 2008/09 season's "Independent").

Chad Carothers' 2008/09 Independent (Automaton)

For now check out this pic of our office (it's a mess as we are preparing for the upcoming in-house expo, and, it was taken from my phone.) I will post up some more pics once everything's in place. I'm out!

From Japan,
Kel

temporary showroom pic

Some Harajuku Love

2009-12-07T01:13:00.000-08:00

This is my first post from Japan - so bear with me.

We are super stoked about getting our Index Ink decks and apparel in, and more importantly, getting it out to our customers! We should be getting our shipment sometime early next week -- can't wait!!

In the meantime, I've been keeping tabs on the Japanese skate market and fashion trends, so, today I headed down the fashion capital of Tokyo - Harajuku. There I met up with one of our long standing customers, Fujiwara-san from Murasaki Sports, which happens to be on the infamous "Takeshita Dori" or "Takeshita" street.

As usual the cats at Murasaki Sports were super busy, but Fujiwara-san indulged me, and we sat and talked about everything from skate to business, and then some. Overall, it was a productive day! Needless to say, they're pretty stoked about getting the Index Ink goods - the first thing he asked me, "Where are my decks!?" hahaha!!

Anyway, here are some of the snap shots I took - Enjoy!!
*The last pic is of the『ギャル』or "Gyaru" style for girls, which is popular in Harajuku.

Thanks,
Kel