I’ll be moving to Japan in a few days but I’m wondering if I could bring my penny board with me. I don’t do tricks, I just prefer going to places with a penny board than a bike. I’m scared bc I’m scared of getting deported lol.
I’ll be moving to Osaka and I’ve been wanting to explore the city and the sights while riding my penny board.
16 comments
You are scared of getting deporting if you ride a skateboard? I don’t think that’s something I would worry about at all.
No one will care if you ride a skateboard around the city. Just be respectful, don’t get in anyone’s way and you will be fine.
Technically you aren’t allowed but people do it. Some cops will simply tell you to stop. As a foreigner, some cops may want to check your ID then tell you to stop, but nothing more than that.
My husband had a penny board in Japan. That’s how he got around. He bought it there.
We never experienced being stopped. I lived in the countryside and he lived in the city.
Your employer may have an opinion on how you get to and from work as they’re partially liable for it. Otherwise I wouldn’t expect you to have any real problems with it.
Technically, it’s not legal to ride on a skateboard on public roads or sidewalks. It leads to other problems if you get into an accident during commuting. As mentioned, your employer could be partly liable for the accident, and it could put them at a difficult position as the unlawful activities is involved in the accident. You are also covered by an insurance, but riding a skateboard may nullify the insurance coverage if anything happens during commuting.
I would not do it. I think many people will judge you (mostly silently) and think you are annoying. Look at what most people do in Japan, and follow that example more or less. That’s my advice. You don’t want to stand out in a negative way 🙂 I would let it go, except if you are super passionate about Penny Boarding.
In the cities its not legal and people will be annoyed by you. Now if you live out in the country knock yourself out.
You won’t be deported or anything crazy like that but people will hate you.
As someone who has used a longboard to commute to school when the weather is nice in Tokyo, if you plan to do it, you want to leave either before or after the morning walker commute because at least in Tokyo, people do not pay attention to what’s around them and have their faces glued to their phones while they’re walking.
I’ve even had someone look directly at me and still nearly step in front of me. Just be a bit wary.
I used to skate heaps in Tokyo/shimokitazawa area and I was stopped fairly often and not just by police.
I never really considered a skateboard that loud, but Japan definitely changed my opinion of that.
Still though, what everyone else has said is totally true and I’m just tossing out some anecdotal evidence for that. You’re not getting deported and I was never fined, but it’s certainly testing the people around you.
You should use a go cart, that’s legal 😆
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Just buy a bike.
Skated to and from work in Japan for years. Afaik, it’s a legal grey area and you’re allowed to skate on sufficiently quiet streets, but there is a provision for police discretion and they can tell you to stop doing it. In those cases, just comply, and find another route, or stop doing it all together. Main thing, is to use common sense and be respectful/safe.
The bigger crime is riding those terrible tiny plastic penny boards.
Do you come from a region similar to japan. Shits hilly and mountainous. I could understand penny boarding in my country, but it might not be convenient in Japan.
You will be totally fine riding a Penny board, Japan is not a draconian authoritarian state filled with people trying to arrest you for the most minor infringement.
I lived in Tokyo and rode a normal skateboard around all the time (much louder and more annoying than a Penny board, which is super quiet), and never had anyone say or do anything let alone the police.
Don’t worry about it at all, and although it’s of course very important to be respectful and polite in Japan and with Japanese people, you can still be yourself and express yourself how you’d like to. Most Japanese residents are not gonna be judging you anywhere near as much as you and others might think.