[ JAPANESE / ENGLISH ]

Special thanks_BBC, MBM Parkbuilders

VHSMAG (V)：　Bashi, what has BBC meant to you personally?

Bashi (B)：　Yeah... it’s the place I love the most and care about the most. I’ve felt that way ever since I first had the idea to do this, even before we opened. That hasn’t changed, and I don’t think it ever will. I really love this place.

V：　Looking back on all these years in Kawaguchi, who do you feel has supported BBC along the way?

B：　First of all, definitely the staff. There’s no way I could have done this by myself, and it meant a lot that the staff kept the place running in a way that really felt like BBC. Then there are the locals, my friends from Kitasenju, and BMX riders from all over Japan. People around my generation started bringing their sons and daughters here, and they got into BMX or skateboarding. The fact that people would say, “BBC is such a great place,” is all thanks to them. I’ve really been supported by so many people.

V：　Where did the original idea of combining a skatepark with a burger shop come from?

B：　It started when I went to SUNNY DINER, a burger shop in Kitasenju, as a customer. I was blown away by the food, how cool the place looked, and the way the owner treated customers. I basically said, “Please let me work here!” and that’s how I got started. When I decided to go out on my own, I thought it would be interesting to combine two things I loved. The BMX experience I had at Amazing Kinouchi Cycle, which was what originally brought me from Kagawa to Tokyo, and hamburgers. That’s how BBC began.

V：　What stands out the most from more than ten years of running BBC?

B：　Definitely the 10th anniversary party in March 2025. So many people came. Way more than I ever could have imagined when we first opened. But I actually crashed on my BMX that day, went face-first into the ground, and ended up being taken away in an ambulance (laughs). Even without me there, though, the staff, locals, seniors, and friends kept the party going all day. That made me really happy. More than anything, everyone looked like they were having such a good time. At least from what I saw before getting into the ambulance... so that day really stays with me (laughs).

V：　How did MBM end up taking over the operation of BBC?

Masahito Kimura (K)：　We first met at a G-SHOCK event, right? At the time, there really wasn’t anything else combining burgers and a skatepark like this, so I was really interested in what he was doing. We actually tried adding food and drinks at AXIS ourselves, but it completely failed (laughs).

B：　I was the one who reached out to Kimura-san. He has incredible skills and passion, and he’s built more parks around Japan than I can count. I had so much respect for him that I felt, “If anyone can preserve this combination of a park and burger shop, it has to be MBM.” Another big reason was Kimura-san himself. I hope he doesn’t mind me saying this, but even though I’m way younger than him, he always talks to me as an equal. He’s just a really easy person to talk to, and that was a big factor too (laughs).

K：　Everyone thinks it would be great to sit there drinking coffee while watching the park, but there aren’t many places that have actually made that work successfully for ten years. That really comes down to Bashi and the kind of person he is. The number of people who showed up for the 10th anniversary says it all.

V：　Did you ever disagree over the renovation?

K：　Oh, definitely (laughs). He kept telling me, “Whatever you do, don’t destroy the wooden bowl underneath the burger shop.” Whenever I said, “We’re tearing it down,” you could immediately see his face drop (laughs).

B：　Yeah, because that bowl is full of history for me and Yoku from Skatepark Kobayashi. We both moved to Tokyo because we wanted to be around Amazing Kinouchi Cycle, and before we knew it, we had each ended up running our own parks. We go way back.

K：　Once I understood what it meant to him, we decided to carefully dismantle it and have Skatepark Kobayashi take it. He finally looked relieved and happy, so I’m glad it worked out (laughs).

V：　The renovation is currently underway. What exactly will change at the new BBC?

K：　First, we’re adding BBC’s first concrete bowl. Sota Tomikawa is overseeing the design. If it were designed only by MBM’s builders, there’s always a chance it could lean too much toward our own preferences. So I asked him to come up with something more balanced, and we’ve been developing it together through a lot of discussion. The bowl will flow from shallow to deep, with an extension built into it. That will be BBC’s first concrete bowl. We’re also adding a shop where you’ll be able to buy skate gear, BMX essentials like tubes, and even snowboard gear right here at the park.

B：　As a BMX rider, I’m really happy that BMX will continue to be part of the park.

K：　As someone in this industry, there’s no way we would ever exclude BMX. I also want Bashi to stay involved as a rider and help keep the BMX scene going here. We want to expand the lessons too. Ideally, MBM riders will come in on different days to teach. It would be amazing if we could give kids the dream that an Olympic athlete might come out of this place someday.

V：　You also have a bigger vision for the whole area around BBC, right?

K：　MxMxM is right across the street, and I’d like to make use of the character of this industrial area and turn the whole neighborhood into something like a skate town. It would be great to see more shops and cafés open up around here and bring some new energy to an area with an aging population.

V：　Some locals may be worried about the change in management. What would you say to them?

K：　Some people might look at it the wrong way and think, “Did MBM buy BBC?” But that’s not what happened at all. We’re here to keep this place going and make it even better. For starters, we’re going to crank up the air conditioning! I want the locals who have been sweating through the heat all these years to be able to say, “BBC got better with MBM.” The last thing we want is to do anything that makes the locals turn against us.

B：　I’m stepping away from running the business, but I’ll still be here as the local who loves this place more than anyone. I’ll keep being involved with BBC as a BMX guy who loves having fun and as one of the people helping organize events. I’m just incredibly grateful.

K：　We’re the newcomers here, so we want to help this place grow with respect for everything that came before us. I hope everyone is excited to see the new BBC.

Hiromu Hashitani (BASHI)
@bashi_burger_chance

Founder of BBC, an indoor skatepark and burger shop in Kawaguchi, Saitama. Since opening in 2015, BBC has welcomed countless skaters and BMX riders while regularly hosting events. In 2026, Bashi handed over the operation of BBC to MBM Parkbuilders, marking the start of a new chapter for the park.

Masahito Kimura (MBM Parkbuilders)
@mbm_parkbuilders

Chairman of MBM Parkbuilders, one of Japan’s leading skatepark builders. He has designed and built numerous public and private skateparks across the country. With a focus on creating parks from a skater’s perspective, he is now taking on new challenges that extend beyond construction to park operations, including the renewal of BBC.