|
|
Itinerary |
|
|
||
This is how it all went down: Trevor
Houlihan, a good friend and fellow Monke rider, was already in Japan
and had been living in Tokyo for nearly a year, skateboarding and teaching
English. |
|
||
Acting as the bridge between Monke and our Japanese distributor, Trevor helped setup the tour with our Japanese friend Hiroki ‘Watcho’ Watanabe, furthermore, who we met while he was studying English and skating in Canada, was back in Japan, living in Tokyo, ready and willing to skate. In Vancouver, I called up Steve Strang and asked him if he could get time off work for the tour, and he confirmed. We needed, however, another skater, so we talked it over and decided to bring Devon TheBerge, who is from Surrey, BC, as our guest skater. Finally, as I didn’t want the burden of carrying the video camera and filming the entire tour video on my own, I invited our long time ghetto star Elliot MacDonald to help take the load off my back, film, and represent. As everything was set, we booked our flights to Japan. |
|
||
In the afternoon of May 2, 2005, Steve, Elliot, Devon, secret agent Foxy Brown, and I departed for Japan on a ten hour direct flight from Vancouver, Canada. Due to the sixteen hour time difference, we arrived at Narita Airport, which is located in the countryside just outside of Tokyo, in the early evening of May 3, 2005. After clearing customs and getting our bags, we took a one-hour train ride on the Narita Express into Tokyo, where our good friend Trevor met us at Ueno Station. From there, Trevor took us via a Van to his cozy pad in the outskirts of Tokyo. After getting settled, we all went out that night for some tasty food and drinks at a Japanese tapas bar (A.K.A. ‘izakaya’), consuming plenty of Chu-hai before heading home to Trevor’s pad to sleep. Wow!!!!!!!!!!! We made it to Japan!!!!!!! The very next day, May 4, 2006, was a day of rest and skating. First thing in the afternoon, I went out and started to film the guys skating some nice-size flat bars right outside of Trevor’s house. After getting some footage of both Devon and Steve, we all took a train into Tokyo and hit various spots around the city. With numerous skate spots with marble benches and smooth ground, Tokyo reminded me of skating downtown Vancouver during the late 80’s and early 90’s. What a great first day!Over the next two weeks we did so much stuff. Our days consisted of eating, sleeping, driving to the demos, skating, some drinking, and karaoke, shopping, going to clubs, and gawking at girls. One
of our most memorable moments was the day we skated the Odaiba spots.
This area is meant to be skated! The spots consist of three-long-wooden
stairs, the ‘dream bridge’ with the ascending-marble ledges,
an obscure launcher, and the infamous gap to rail. After skating all
day Steve gave the word on throwing down some hammers on the gap to
rail. At around midnight, while I was filming a line on the ‘dream
bridge’ ledges, the boys went to unscrew the caps off the rail,
while Watcho called up our man Abe Chan (photographer) and his other
homie with the lights and generator. With three video cameras, one
photographer, and a crew of spectators, everyone was hyped all the
troops were excited and ready for the late night session on the rail.
Steve called out ‘I got two tricks’. |
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
Steve did really well, placing 4th (missing the podium by one skater)
and earning himself $50,000 yen, which was about US$500 at that time.
Trevor, furthermore, made the first cut but missed the finals earning
himself 11th place. Following
an exciting night of partying in Rappongi, checking out some interesting
pets at a pet store, and bombing a hill at dusk, we arrived back at
Trevor’s house at around 9 am, just in time to pack and to get
everyone organized for our flight home to Vancouver. After our man
Mr. Mori kindly gave us a ride to the airport to meet Monke’s
secret agent Foxy Brown, blessed by our secret agent, Air Canada bumped
us up from economy class to first class. First class on Air Canada
consists of extra large reclinable chairs, a personal flip-up T.V.
with video games, gourmet meals, complementary slippers, a night bag
and Champagne, and guava drinks all night long. |
|
|||
Famous quotes: “Chu- hai till I die” (Chu-hai: alcoholic beverage) “what Chu-hai’s are only 180 yen?” “Let’s get some Chu-hai” “I love Japan!!!! p___y everywhere” “Let’s do this” The things I like about Japan: First, I like the people. The locals are kind and respectful. Second, Japanese food is generally less fattening than North American food. As a result, on average, Japanese are thinner and healthier than North Americans. Unlike in North America, Japanese convenience stores, for instance, sell relatively cheap meals that consist of such things as rice, chicken, and salad. Third, most Japanese convenience and grocery stores sell alcohol and it is legal to drink in public, though you will rarely see anyone drinking alcohol in public. Fourth, the most popular and common outfit for young girls is mini skirts and ankle boots—hot!! On top of all of that, I like Japan’s advanced technologies, such as heated toilets, sink with automatic-sensor taps, and advanced electronic gadgets. Perhaps the most astonishing thing for me, however, was that, despite Tokyo being one of the most densely and highly populated cities in the world, it is one of the cleanest cities I have ever seen. What I don’t like about Japan: Almost everyone smokes, from young kids to old folks. Consequently, nightclubs are unbearably filled with cigarette smoke. Also, during rush hour it’s a sea of people commuting from place to place; if you don’t know where you are going you may get knocked down. Nonetheless, I love Japan, as it is a very unique place, the people are friendly and respectful, the food is delicious and healthy, and there all sorts of interesting and useful new technologies there. Someday, I would love to go back and skate it up again with the Monke Crew. Travel Tips: 1. Always carry your passport!!!!! While I was skating by a police booth on my way to Tammachi Skate Park, for instance, I was stopped by police and they asked to see my passport, which I had unfortunately left at Trevor’s house. As a result, the policemen took me to the police station where they held me until Trevor’s girl faxed them a copy of my passport. Thanks to Trevor’s girl, after an hour of interrogation, I was able to go on my merry way. Nevertheless, I would have been able to avoid the circumstance if I had been carrying my passport. 2. Bring lots of money! You could easily spend about $25 a day traveling by train around Tokyo, as it costs an additional fare whenever changing train lines—the transit system in Tokyo is not owned and managed by a single company. If you are up to partying, Furthermore, admission for clubs in Tokyo is generally around $20-30. Moreover, if you like to eat fruit, it is very expensive in Tokyo. Watermelon and other types of melon, for instance, cost about $30 -50; I saw someone selling slices of water melon for $5, as well as single bananas and oranges for a $1. Shout Outs: I
want to thank everyone that was involved in making this trip a success:
my troops; our sponsors, Royal Trucks (Rick, Megan, and Rudy), DVS
shoes (USA), Jones Soda, Timebomb (for Steve’s stuff), WORD LIFE……PEACE! Story by Ben Chibber |
