[ JAPANESE / ENGLISH ]

Group shot_Taiyo Tanida
Tour shots_J.O
Special thanks_HUF Japan

 

VHSMAG (V)：　Is TOKIDOKI the first video for the HUF Japan team?

Daiki Hoshino (DAIKI)：　It is. This is the first video that focuses on skating, not apparel.

V：　How did this video project start?

DAIKI：　Our team manager Osada-san (J.O.) negotiated with the company to make the filming tour possible. The filming period was about a month, right?

Kaya Sakakibara (KAYA)：　yeah. It was three months in total, but with several tours, it was actually one month.

V：　It's amazing that you guys were able to get that many clips in that time frame.

DAIKI：　When J.O. called me to tell me about this project, he was like, “I want to make a 10-minute video for HUF Japan,” but we only had about a month, and I was like, “It's so tight!" But he gave us this chance, so I gave it my all.

V：　How do you feel looking back on the shoot?

DAIKI：　Every tour was tough, we were just hitting spots. It was interesting. There are no opportunities like this to shoot and make a video in such a short period of time. It was a great experience.

Toki Kakitani (TOKI)：　This was my first time doing something like this, and it was super fun. We got to hit a bunch of different spots, and even the ones I always see in Osaka felt completely different when everyone skated them. Watching that happen was really interesting.

KAYA：　For me, it was just… how do I put it? It really reminded me of how fun skateboarding is. Everyone skates different spots, with different styles. Traveling with this team made me appreciate that all over again. It was a solid tour, at least for me. I’ve set my next goal too, so I feel like this was a good step forward.

Taisei Kikuchi (TAISEI)：　This was my first time on this kind of tour. I wasn't able to participate much due to health problems, but I did the best I could. It was a good experience for me to have something different from the usual.

Mana Sasaki (MANA)：　I was only able to join for the first stop in Osaka. I’d met and skated with everyone individually before, but we’d never all gotten together to hit spots as a team. That’s what made the tour special—getting to skate with everyone in the same session. It wasn’t just about skating either; eating together, staying in the same places—it all added to the experience. A tour really makes you feel that sense of unity as a team.

V：　So it was a very special project.

DAIKI：　But this tour was seriously chaotic. On the first leg, my ankle was totally wrecked. I was skating every day with pain relief patches on, popping Loxonin just to keep going. Mana was dealing with an injury too, right?

MANA：　Yeah, the bottom of my foot was hurting the whole time.

DAIKI：　And Taisei weren't feeling well either. Then on the second leg of the tour, everyone got sick. Mana had the flu first, right? Taisei wasn’t doing great, and Kaya showed up looking super sick too. I wasn’t feeling well a few days before joining either. By the end of the tour, the whole crew had caught a cold.

KAYA：　I’m pretty sure I caught the cold from Daiki since I was hanging out with him. So on the first day of the tour, I was already feeling super drained. It was rough (laughs).

TOKI：　Wasn't I the only one who was really well?

KAYA：　MC was the most... (laughs).

V：　Why are you calling Toki an MC?

DAIKI：　In the van, Kaya was playing Japanese rap tracks, and we were just messing around, freestyling like, “YO!” I was like, “C’mon!” trying to get Toki to jump in, but he was like, “Nah, I can’t do that.” So I told him, “Dude, I can’t either, just try something.” And out of nowhere, he just went off. That’s when he officially became the MC of the crew. (laughs)

KAYA：　We were calling him MC TOKIDOKI the whole time (laughs).

V：　Is that where the title of this video came from?

KAYA：　I think so. The world of Toki was in full swing (laughs).

TOKI：　I was just talking forever.

DAIKI：　I mean, I had a super headache. Seriously, it was bad.

KAYA：　We were like, “Please, shut up for five minutes (laughs)."

DAIKI：　Like, we’d walk into a store, and if there was a green wall, he’d be like, “Whoa, it’s green! That’s crazy!” Then he’d see a mirrored ceiling and go, “Yo, the ceiling’s a mirror! Ohhh!” He’s the type who can keep that energy going 24/7. Even in the van, he was reacting to literally everything he saw. After a while, hearing that nonstop in my ear started making me feel carsick. I was like, “Toki, bro… I’m sorry, but can you be quiet for just three minutes?” It was like that the whole time.

TOKI：　Right? I didn't think I was that kind of person.

DAIKI：　But you know, it wasn’t that he was annoying or anything. I actually really liked it, but it was just so intense. I was like, “Hold on, hold on, just give me a break for a second.” It was just too much to take in all at once.

V：　So, with the tight shooting schedule, feeling sick, and Toki’s newfound talent shining through, it sounds like it was pretty tough. With all that, what trick of yours stands out the most in the finished video?

MANA：　The trick that stands out to me is the front flip over the rail. Before that, my board fell into the ocean at the previous spot, so I had to completely switch out my setup. Normally, when I change all my trucks and wheels, it throws off my vibe, but surprisingly, the trucks that weren’t fully broken in actually felt really good. They gripped just right, and I was like, "Phew, that’s a relief!"

TAISEI：　For me, it was the alley oop double flip at the Brazil spot. I had to land it within a limited time early in the morning. At first, I couldn’t land it at all, and I was really nervous, but after trying a few times and getting the feel for it, I finally made it. I was really stoked about that.

V：　I think people often associate you with skateparks. Do you film on the street at all?

TAISEI：　This was actually my first time doing it. I’d never tried it before, so I didn’t really know what to expect. But it turned out to be such a great experience.

KAYA：　For me, it was the spot in Mie. On the way to the handrail where Daiki and the others were filming, there was a bank spot where I did a nollie heel. The place had grass on top, so you couldn’t even push properly. We ended up laying down some plywood and just taking one push to go for it. You don’t see banks like that very often—plus, the bottom had a proper curve to it. That spot really left an impression on me.

DAIKI：　For me, it was the kickflip into the bank. I actually went there twice. The first time, I tried it in the evening, right before we were about to leave, and it was really dark. I tried a bunch of times, but it was so dark I couldn’t even see my board. My nose kept scraping and my tail was getting wrecked, so I changed my board. But the new shape felt terrible, and I had to give up. So I went back to do it again, but even then, I was still struggling and I was like, "Maybe I can’t do it." I started getting frustrated with myself. But then, I decided to just try one more time, and when I jumped, my board spun perfectly underneath me, and I was able to land it relatively quickly.

KAYA：　I totally forgot everything at that moment. I got blown away. Watching from below, I was like, "Whoa!" It was such a sick feeling.

DAIKI：　I had also heard that Jake Johnson had tried the kickflip there before and gave up. Since I’m confident with kickflips, it was really frustrating for me not to land it with a trick I’m good at. It made me even more determined to get it, so that’s why I was so pumped when I finally landed it.

TOKI：　For me, it was the varial heel over the stairs from the wooden deck. I actually tried it about a year ago during a HUF apparel shoot, but I couldn’t land it. So, during this tour, I went back to redeem myself and finally landed the varial heel.

V：　You had an injury to your face, what was that?

TOKI：　I got hit in the face when the board bounced back after I landed the varial heel. My face is still broken right now. It seems like my nose and eye socket are fractured, and the hospital told me to come back for another visit, but I haven’t been able to go yet (laughs).

KAYA：　The king of broken (laughs).

V：　By the way, you're wearing a cast on your foot. Tell us what’s going on with your current situation.

TOKI：　There are two bones above the ankle, right? The bump on the outside, the lower part, snapped diagonally like "spang!"

DAIKI：　It snapped like a broken chopstick.

TOKI：　Yeah, exactly, good one! At first, I thought I just sprained it. I was walking normally, thinking it was just sore. Then when I went to the hospital, they told me, "It’s broken." I was like, "What!? No way (laughs)!"

V：　By the way, was the DJ at the Tokyo screening your dad?

KAYA：　Yeah, it's my dad (laughs). I mean, HUF is a brand that really values family. My dad runs this place in Yokohama, and Kamekyo had gone there and listened to his DJ sets. We had talked about how it would be cool to work together someday, and then when this project came up, we finally booked him for the first time (laughs). It feels like this project really came together through our connections.

V：　So, can you tell us about the last trick in the video?

DAIKI：　That rail is actually right next to the spot where I did the kickflip. The day I tried the kickflip and gave up, I had actually checked out that rail and said, "I want to hit this rail." After I landed the kickflip though, the adrenaline had worn off. Then Toki was hyped up saying, "I’ve got to do something too!" So he ended up doing a 50-50 on that rail. I didn’t do it at the time because I didn’t want to push it and get hurt, but it was a spot I really wanted to hit, so I was kind of bummed that Toki landed it first. When we were back at the place we were staying and watching the footage, we were all talking about how cool that rail was. So I was like, "Hey, is it cool if we go back to that spot tomorrow?" And the next day, I went back and landed it.

V：　How long did it take?

DAIKI：　Both Toki and I did it in two tries.

TOKI：　Yeah, but it was so scary. I had to smack my own head with my board to hype myself up. I was talking to myself the whole time, like, "Man, this is so scary." I just kept talking to myself, talking, and then finally did it (laughs).

DAIKI：　That day, I changed my board size from 8.25 to 8.38. It changed the wheelbase, and even though I said I wanted to do it and came back, I was feeling off. I was frustrated, sitting on the edge and getting myself worked up. I decided to just go for it, full push, and flew over the stairs. The warm-up took a while because I needed to get my mindset right, but after that, I probably didn’t try more than 10 minutes, right?

KAYA：　It was super quick. You actually almost nailed it on the first try. When you landed it, I couldn’t even find the words. But at first, it was rough. Before trying, Daiki was seriously pissed. It wasn’t even the kind of vibe where you could talk to him.

DAIKI：　It was one of those situations where, once I decided to go for it, I had no choice but to do it. The pressure during this shoot was huge. The timeframe was short, and we had to film 10 minutes for HUF Japan's first video. I couldn’t just put out something half-assed. It was a project that J.O. worked hard to bring to life. So honestly, throughout the filming period, I was mentally drained. That back lip happened during the last tour under those circumstances. It was pretty chaotic in my world, at least. Everyone probably had their own struggles, but that’s what I was dealing with.

V：　So, if the next video project happens, what would you like to do?

DAIKI：　I’d love to go to the countryside with the HUF team. For example, if we go to Tohoku, we could visit all the prefectures, skate with local skaters, and promote HUF while hitting the streets. It would be cool to create a video of a Tohoku tour, shooting street spots while interacting with local skaters. I think that kind of project would be really interesting.

MANA：　I’d also love to go abroad with everyone, like to Korea or Taiwan. When you're outside the country, skateboarding and everything else feels fresh, so I think something new and exciting could come out of it.

KAYA：　Through HUF, I want to pursue the joy of skateboarding with this crew, capture some great clips, and pick up a lot of new moves along the way.

TAISEI：　I’m still new to street skating, so it would be great to do something again with this crew and learn a lot from everyone.

V：　Well then, shall we have MC TOKIDOKI wrap things up?

TOKI：　Shit, really? Oh, this is tough! Anyway, I’ll focus on healing my injury first!

 

HUF Japan
@hufjp

The Japan team consists of five riders: Daiki Hoshino, Kaya Sakakibara, Mana Sasaki, Toki Kakitani, and Taisei Kikuchi. With the attitude of the late Keith Hufnagel's "FUCK IT," they are taking over the streets.