[ JAPANESE / ENGLISH ]

Photos courtesy of Pass~Port
Special thanks_Harvest Dist.

VHSMAG (VM)：　First off, congratulations on finishing Pass~Port's new full-length, You’re A Stranger Here But Once. You were just in Sydney for the premiere. How did it go?

Yuta Takei（YT）：　It was amazing. The premiere went off! KenKen (Kento Namekawa), who made his Pass~Port debut in this video, absolutely killed it. At first, people over there were like, "Who's this guy?" But he came through with some incredible footage, including tricks at spots nobody had ever skated before. He's usually pretty shy, but he really held his own over there, which was great to see.

VM：　I heard the video was about two years in the making. What was your personal filming schedule like?

YT：　It started in March this year when we went on a two-week camping road trip through Australia. Originally, the plan was to make a video just from that trip, but the weather was terrible and we didn't get as much footage as we'd hoped. Then Trent (Evans), the founder of Pass~Port, hit me up and said, "A few of the guys already have their parts done, so we're going to combine those with the tour footage and make it a full-length. I want you to start filming in Japan in May." That's when things really kicked off.

VM：　Considering how soon the video came out, that must have been a pretty tight schedule.

YT：　It was super tight. This summer was ridiculously hot, and we had a lot of rain too, so we were constantly racing against time. On top of that, I'd injured my leg early last year and couldn't skate for about six months. So that Australia trip in March was actually my first overseas tour since coming back from the injury.

VM：　That nollie flip into the bank from the Australia trip really stood out. It was one of the highlights of your footage.

YT：　That was actually the same trick I was trying when I broke my leg the year before. So there's that scene in the video where I land it, hug everyone, and collapse on the ground. That reaction was basically just pure relief, like, "Thank God I didn't break my leg again!"

VM：　Wow, I didn't realize there was that much story behind it. How was the tour itself? Traveling around and camping sounds pretty rough.

YT：　It was definitely a pretty hardcore trip (laughs). We camped our way from Sydney toward Canberra. We'd wash ourselves in the ocean, and when I woke up early in the morning, Callum (Paul) would already be out fishing. He'd make coffee and teach us about the local insects and plants. Sometimes they'd just fire up a gas stove inside the van and start cooking bacon. I'd be thinking, "Dude, that's dangerous!" But it was so much fun.

VM：　How did the filming in Japan go?

YT：　From May onward, I was mostly filming around Kawasaki, and I'd go out with Kamekyo to hit spots around the Kanto area. I hadn't really had many chances to skate with KenKen before, but this time we finally got to have some proper sessions together. That was really inspiring.

VM：　Looking at the whole video, were there any particular moments from the other riders' parts that stood out to you?

YT：　Everyone killed it. Sam (Sutton)'s opening part was amazing, and Tenny (Alex Tennison) at the end was just insane. Tenny actually got shot in the arm while he was in a car in California during the filming period. You can see footage of the incident in the video. Knowing he went through something like that and still came back to land that massive frontside boardslide really blew my mind. And then there was Matthieu (Lucas-D’Souza)'s no-foot ollie over a rail using a bank. The whole crowd at the premiere just erupted, like, "What the hell was that?!"

VM：　Sounds like the whole Sydney trip was one big party after the premiere, too.

YT：　Totally. There was a brand festival happening in Sydney, a WKND premiere, and even a surprise pro announcement. Something was going on pretty much the entire time. On our last day, KenKen was completely wrecked. His whole body was sore, and he was like, "I can't move anymore." So we figured we'd just take it easy, maybe go to the beach, and we were hanging out at the Pass~Port store. Then we spotted Mike O'Meally outside. He walked straight in, pointed at KenKen, and said, "You're in my city now. I'm not letting you go back to Japan until you shoot with me!" Then he literally picked KenKen up, threw him over his shoulder, and carried him outside.

VM：　That's such a great story (laughs).

YT：　After that, we all went to Bondi Beach, and KenKen even got to go surfing. He really made the most of Australia. Apparently, it was his first trip overseas, so I think he couldn't have asked for a better start.

VM：　I'd like to dig a little deeper into your history with Pass~Port. When was your first trip to Australia?

YT：　Back in 2015. I was 19 and went to Melbourne on a working holiday visa for a year. My first time overseas was actually when I was 17, still in high school. I spent two weeks in Vancouver during summer vacation. After graduating high school, I wasn't really interested in going to university, so I thought, "Maybe I'll just go abroad." A bunch of people around me told me Australia was great, so I decided on Melbourne.

VM：　I imagine you didn't speak much English back then. What was life like over there?

YT：　I couldn't speak English at all. I just jumped straight into it on a working holiday visa. But whenever I went to a skatepark, the local skaters would come up and talk to me, so I made friends pretty quickly. There were also quite a few Japanese skaters around at the time, including Yuya Ishikawa from Chatty Chatty, which really helped. I did get scammed out of about 140,000 yen in a rental scam almost as soon as I arrived, though. Someone told me I could move into a place, I paid the money, and it turned out to be a scam (laughs). But wages were paid weekly in Australia, so I somehow managed to get by. Melbourne is a really compact city, and it's an amazing place to skate pretty much all year round.

VM：　And that's where you fell in love with Pass~Port?

YT：　Yeah. All the locals were riding Pass~Port boards, and there was this really strong sense of hometown pride around the brand. I thought that was so sick. Their boards were also priced a little lower locally, which made them more accessible to skaters. It felt like a brand that genuinely cared about skateboarders. While I was there, I also briefly met Callum Paul and Trent, the founder.

VM：　How did things develop from there to you officially joining the Pass~Port team?

YT：　After I came back to Japan, my friend Sera (Kanno) introduced me to Kashi, who works with Pass~Port's Japanese distributor. That's how I first started getting boards from them. Later, when the Pass~Port crew came to Tokyo on tour, I reunited with them at the premiere of Kitsch. We started skating together and got to know each other better.

VM：　At what point did you feel like you were officially part of the team?

YT：　Before that, they'd invite me on tours and to film for collaborations, but I was always a little unsure about where I stood. I was like, "So... am I actually on the team or what?" During the Evisen x Pass~Port collaboration tour, I finally asked Trent about it, and he was like, "What are you talking about? You're already family!" That made me really happy.

VM：　Changing the subject a bit, your skating has a really distinctive style, especially your spot selection and the way you approach walls and banks. Where does that come from?

YT：　I grew up skating at Shin-Yokohama Skatepark, and seeing Kosuke Kageyama skate at local premieres and at the park had a huge impact on me. I've always loved skaters who push really fast. I also watched tons of footage of Dennis Busenitz, Omar Salazar, and John Cardiel.

VM：　What do you focus on when choosing spots and tricks?

YT：　I try to find lines that feel the most natural and fun for me to skate, keeping that flow going. I've never been particularly good at jumping down stairs or skating big rails. Those things have always been difficult for me. I've always preferred walls, banks, and ledges.

VM：　Is there one thing about your skating that you absolutely refuse to compromise on?

YT：　Speed and the push, for sure. Not just the speed going into a trick, but the pushes between tricks, too.

VM：　You turned 30 this year. Looking back on your twenties, how do you feel about those ten years?

YT：　They went by so fast. There were times during COVID when I couldn't really do much, but my desire to skate hasn't changed at all in the past ten years. If I had to pick the projects I'm most proud of from my twenties, it'd definitely be the Evisen x Pass~Port collaboration and this new Pass~Port full-length.

VM：　Now that you're in your thirties, what are your plans and goals for the future?

YT：　I'm going to keep working and skating just like I always have. I'm also planning to start filming again for another Pass~Port part. I don't think my lifestyle or attitude toward skating is going to change. And I'm really excited to see what the future holds for KenKen. We went to Australia together, and he's off to such an amazing start. I can't wait to see how he develops from here.

Yuma Takei
@kawasakiboy

Born in 1996 in Kanagawa, Japan. Known by the nickname "Kawasaki Boy," Yuma is supported by Pass~Port, Vans, Carhartt WIP, and others. He is featured in Pass~Port's latest full-length video, You’re A Stranger Here But Once.