Skateboarding as a transportation method

15 comments

1. This isn’t California.

2. It really depends on the neighborhood. There are a lot of places around where I live where skateboarding is prohibited

3. Just get a skateboard with handles (a scooter). For some reason, that’s completely acceptable on the mean streets of Japan.

4. Yep. It’s considered pretty obnoxious here.

5. Skateboarding on the streets is illegal in Japan. Kickboards on the streets are illegal, too. Private property or designated skateparks are the only legal places you can skateboard.

   That said, I do often see people on both skateboards and kickboards being used on the streets. Like, say, the one forbidding photocopying/photographing copyrighted material, it’s not a stringently or consistently enforced law.

6. >Is this normal?

   Yes. I did the same 10 years ago in Osaka as a student. Late at night, residential area, no cars. I even had full safety gear: knee, elbow, and wrist pads and a helmet. Police car was doing patrols and I got a stern “Please get off your skateboard”.

7. Tell them you are an Olympic athlete in training, for your country, Lichtenstein.

8. I’ve inline skating outside of a skate park is illegal. Maybe skateboarding is too.

9. I find it stupid that skateboarding is apparently obnoxious but cyclists and women on mamicharis speeding and weaving in and out of pedestrians on the pavement is fine. Ugh.

10. I rode my skateboard to school every sunny day back in 2016. Yes it is illegal, but most police officers will just tell you to get off. I haven’t heard of anyone being fined.

11. For transportation i use a cruiser, and for skating i go to skateparks or street spots in non residential areas, people will not care

12. not strictly correct but are you up to arguing against the police?

13. Been skating long distance for transportation and fun for the last ten years. Longboard and big shortboards, always soft wheels, so they don’t really make noise. I probably get told to get off my board about once a year. You just have to choose your spots and not be stupid, also helps when you visibly look competent on a board. I live in Kanagawa though. Sometimes I go on a skate mish in Tokyo but I generally avoid the main areas. Man I love skating here, the streets are butter almost anywhere, no potholes

14. Japan wins both men’s and women’s gold medals in the Olympics.

    Japanese police “NO SKATEBOARDING!”

    Can’t tell you how many times I have to dodge Japanese kids texting/watching tiktok videos on their phones while riding their bikes on the street…

    Skating is a much more safe mode of transportation.

    Even compared to someone riding a bike normally.

15. Skateboarding on a busy road with people or cars? Dangerous and annoying. Skateboarding on a residential street, especially after dark? Noisy and obnoxious. Hold onto it until you get to the skate park.