While skateboarding is still not widely accepted in Japanese society, Japanese skaters have been making their mark on the global skateboarding scene, especially in recent years. It's home to some of the greatest talents ever, and leading the pack without a doubt is Yuto Horigome. Born and raised in Tokyo’s Kōtō ward, Yuto grew up a stone’s throw from the site of the 2020 Olympics where he captured the first-ever gold medal for street skateboarding. To call him a contest skater would be doing him a disservice though, as he dominates on any terrain. To celebrate his successes, he has collaborated with his longtime sponsor Nike SB to release his own signature SB Dunk, accompanied with a video part where he tears up various Tokyo spots.
"I was able to accomplish something I always wanted to do, which was to complete a skate part in Tokyo. After the Olympics, I was told so many times that I wouldn’t be able to skate the streets in Japan anymore, that it would get covered negatively on the news, that Olympic athletes aren’t allowed to skate the streets of Tokyo, and I couldn’t do anything at all. But if I can’t skate in Tokyo, the city I grew up in, like I used to do with my friends, then what’s the point of skateboarding and it being an Olympic sport? So, I have no regrets on shooting this video in my hometown!" - Yuto Horigome