All he wanted was to keep skateboarding. That determination led him to VANTAN, where he spent three years as part of the inaugural class of its Skate & Design Department. Immersed in skating every day, he developed not only his skills but also valuable connections and life experiences. Today, while continuing to pursue his career as a sponsored skateboarder, he has come full circle as an instructor, mentoring the next generation. We caught up with Kaya to look back on his student days and hear what makes VANTAN special from the perspective of an alumnus.
──KAYA SAKAKIBARA (ENGLISH)
[ JAPANESE / ENGLISH ]
Photos_Taiyo Tanida
Special thanks_VANTAN
VHSMAG (V)： Let's start from the beginning. What made you decide to enroll at VANTAN?
Kaya Sakakibara (K)： I'd been skateboarding for as long as I could remember, and around the end of my second year of junior high it was time to decide what to do after graduation. The problem was, my grades weren't good enough to get into a regular high school. But I knew I wanted to keep skating. My teachers kept telling me, "If you don't go to a regular high school, you won't be able to make a living." Even so, skating was all I wanted to do, so my parents and I were looking into correspondence schools instead. My mom had actually known about VANTAN for a while because a friend had told her about it, but she kept it from me for about six months. She said if she'd told me too early, I would've immediately said, "That's where I'm going!" She saved it as the last option, and when it became clear that a regular high school probably wasn't going to work out, she finally told me, "Actually, there's a school like this." The moment I heard about it, I knew that was where I wanted to go.
V： What was your skate life like before you enrolled?
K： I was technically on the track-and-field team, but I barely showed up. As soon as school ended, I'd change clothes and head straight to Shin-Yokohama to skate. That was my routine every single day.
V： Sounds like you were already all-in.
K： Totally. I was a full-on skateboarder (laughs).
V： You were part of the very first class in VANTAN's Skate & Design Department. Were you nervous about joining a brand-new program?
K： Not really. I already knew the instructors. When I was little, Hiroki Muraoka taught at the skate school in Shin-Yokohama, and my mom knew all the teachers too. She said, "If Hiroki and those guys are involved, you'll be in good hands." That gave us confidence.
V： What was it actually like once you started?
K： At first I couldn't believe how much freedom we had (laughs). There really weren't many school rules. We skated every day, and then we'd have classes like English, drawing, or filmmaking here and there.
V： Which class did you enjoy the most?
K： Definitely skateboarding. That's what I looked forward to every day. We had park sessions built into the schedule, and each day we'd meet at a different park. Maihama one day, Tamachi the next. Sometimes we'd have art classes at the Ebisu campus before skating, and other days we'd spend the entire day skating. The curriculum was centered around skateboarding, while also teaching us English, filmmaking, and art.
V： Which instructor left the biggest impression on you?
K： Itoshin, for sure. His classes had so much personality (laughs). Nobody else could've taught the way he did. He was completely unique.
V： Looking back, do you feel like those three years helped you improve as a skateboarder?
K： Absolutely. Without those three years, I definitely wouldn't be skating the way I do now. I was completely focused on skating. Kento Yoshioka (Japanese Super Rat) was one of my classmates, and he already rode for Welcome back then, so I always had that competitive feeling of not wanting to lose to him. That pushed me to skate every day.
V： A lot of your classmates are still involved in skateboarding today.
K： Yeah. A lot of the first-year students are still active. Some work at skate shops, some have started their own brands, and a lot of them are still skating.
V： Besides improving your skating, what else did you gain from VANTAN?
K： The connections. I met so many people in the skate industry. People from companies, sponsors, and brands. Those relationships helped me grow just as much as skating itself.
V： What are you doing these days?
K： I work with sponsors like HUF and Eyevol while teaching skateboarding at Pretty Solid. I also teach first-year students at VANTAN alongside Issei Morinaka and Hiroki.
V： Now you've gone from student to instructor.
K： It's kind of surreal. I'm still young enough to remember exactly how the students feel, but I'm also beginning to understand the teachers' perspective. Sometimes I think, "I used to be just like that." I do correct students when I need to, but more than teaching, I want to skate with them and enjoy it together. It's more like, "Let's go skate!"
V： Looking back now as a graduate, what do you think is VANTAN's biggest strength?
K： If you go to a regular high school, it's pretty difficult to become a professional skateboarder or work in the skate industry. At VANTAN, you're naturally surrounded by people in the industry. But just being in that environment isn't enough. The people who stay focused, keep skating, and don't get distracted are the ones who continue getting opportunities even after graduation.
V： So it's really up to the individual to make the most of the environment.
K： Exactly. I spent all my time skating, improving my skills, talking to people, and making sure they remembered who I was.
V： You've also been traveling overseas quite a bit lately, right?
K： Yeah. I've gone on tours to China, Thailand, and South Korea. China especially surprised me. There's not much information about it online, so I didn't know what to expect. But once I got there, I thought, "This place is incredible for skateboarders!" Traveling through skateboarding teaches you much more than skating itself. You develop problem-solving skills, patience, communication skills, and survival instincts. It also takes you to places you'd probably never visit as a regular tourist, so you get to experience a much deeper side of the local culture.
V： What are you focusing on the most right now?
K： I'm filming my welcome part for LAUG, a skate shop in Motomachi. They offered to support me, and we've been filming for about a year so we can release it around the shop's anniversary.
V： How's it coming along?
K： It's almost finished. I probably need about one more minute of footage. It's been really hot lately, though, and I've been waiting for the right timing at certain spots so I don't cause any trouble.
V： Any more overseas trips coming up?
K： I'll be in China this August, filming while I'm there. The city I'm visiting is honestly amazing. It has pools, beaches, soccer fields, basketball courts, and gyms. The architecture feels more European than Chinese. A lot of the places don't even show up on Google, so you only discover them by actually going there. I'm really looking forward to it.
Kaya Sakakibara
@kayasakakibara
A member of the inaugural class of VANTAN's Skate & Design Department, he is currently supported by HUF and Eyevol while also teaching at Pretty Solid and VANTAN. Alongside filming both in Japan and abroad, he is currently working on his welcome part for Yokohama-based skate shop LAUG.
