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We’re three years into the remote work thing now. Sure we did it before in parts and we know it has its drawbacks but its also opened a whole new world of possibilities. We’d worked with Chris Burkard for 18 months before actually meeting him in person. So when we did it felt like an old friend. Another such person is Lucas Beaufort.
Lucas has made a beautiful book call HEART (his lockdown project) documenting the love for the role of core skateboarding stores in cities around the world and is now going on the road to meet many of them. We got a postcard from him in Japan with his top 10 moments and his best skate store recommendations. Read them below.
Lucas - In April 2022 I have released a book celebrating 40 years of skateshops’ history called HEART. But why? Simply because I owe everything to skateboarding. I had the chance to discover this world at the age of 13 and since then, I have never stopped writing and documenting about this culture.
I made “HEART” book during covid time, we were all stuck at home and I wanted to do something for the skateshops, I wanted to pay a tribute to the foundation. A year after the release I thought it would be cool to go visit all the skateshops involved and create a big HEART tour with a first stop in Japan.
Before flying to Japan early April, I could never have anticipated the love I would receive and not only from the skate community.
Morning Roppongi
My last trip in Japan was in 2017. I couldn’t wait to come back as everybody knows that it’s like entering a different world. We started the tour with Tokyo and we stayed in the lively district of Roppongi. This is me at 5.45 am, the first morning of the trip ready to devour the city.
Casual day in Shibuya
When you hang around in Shibuya (Tokyo) you always meet the unexpected and that’s what I love about this district. Sometimes I just sit there and snap a very special moment like this guy who is not a dog sitter. I ran after him and found out that all the dogs were his.
Gundam Factory
After crazy 4 days in Tokyo and an amazing first show at Prov skateshop, we moved to Yokohama which is just 45 minutes west by train. As all the people who were born in the 80’s I was fascinated by Japanese anime like Dragon Ball or Captain Tsubasa. While strolling on the harbor of Yokohama we discover these 18 meters tall Gundam causing me an emotional shock. You can see this only in Japan.
BBQ with the local Yokohama skater kids.
Uruma Masanori is the owner of Lacquer skateshop and the goat in the city. In his shop you will always find someone to show you the good spots in town. He's such a generous person, he's constantly organizing events for the community such as this legendary BBQ party. I was really touched by this moment, everyone was welcome.
Big time in Kashiwa
Probably one of my favorite moments of this Japan trip. Kashiwa is a small city not so far from Tokyo. Yokkun is the owner of the Humble Batsu skateshop. Before going there, I had no real expectations but when I arrived at the shop, I was surprised by the number of people who came for the show. All the skater kids but also families brought me food and gifts just to tell me how happy they were to meet me. What an incredible moment of simplicity and love.
Unreal moment in Osaka!
I was hanging out in Osaka when suddenly a guy honks at me and parks right next to me. The guy gets out of his car and jumps on me saying are you Lucas Beaufort? 5 minutes later I started to paint his car.
From Kobe with Love
In Kobe there is not only beef but also this beautiful 88 years old woman who cooks a local specialty called okonomiyaki (type of omelet). When we sat down, we were like kids in front of a great lady who told us all her history and the opening of her restaurant 60 years ago.
Kobe Demons
We can't talk about Kobe without mentioning Masayuki Irishio. Masa opened his skateshop called Shelter in 2006 and since that day he has never stopped feeding the city with his energy for the skateboard community. I have rarely met a man with such dedication to his city. He is also known for partying and it is not uncommon to end up in a local karaoke until the early morning.
HEART
One of the shops that impressed me the most is Chocolate Jesus on the island of Okinawa. When I discovered it online, I always told myself that I would go there to discover this completely hybrid space. The owner called Kaz, has a crazy story and started with a small shop 10 years ago and grew up to become one of the craziest places I've ever seen.
/ Lucas Beaufort
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