Tokyo BMX

2020.06.05

Shibuya & Shinjuku by Night

This is TOKYO! This is the INKYO JAM. The official lockdown just ended a week ago in Tokyo. Anyway the lockdown wasn’t that harsh at all. You could go out at any time and ride BMX and skateboard in the streets. And the streets were more empty these weeks. So people followed to call and stayed home more including us. So it was about time to gather the BMX scene of Tokyo to finally ride and drink and go crazy together after all the virus mayhem.

The BMX core scene revolves around to well known areas in Tokyo, many folks already heard about: Shibuya and Shinjuku. While Shibuya is more known for shopping, party and showing off the latest trends in nearby Harajuku, Shinjuku has a way more filthy, dangerous and adventurous appeal. Known for its notorious party areas and the Yakuza undermined red light district Kabukichō. These two districts have always been the pinnacle of the Tokyo BMX scene for more than 20 years. If there are foreigners coming to town to ride BMX or skateboard, most likely they start in Shibuya. There are many good riders out there in the streets of Tokyo, you never heard of, but you will cross path most likely, if you ride BMX or skate around Shibuya and Shinjuku at night.

Here’s the Edit

Riding BMX street or skateboard in Tokyo
means you are mainly riding at night.

There’s a almost zero tolerance policy in this town during daytime. Also according to the huge amount of people moving around certain areas during office and business hours. It feels like reclaiming the city at night for your own purpose after everybody else just got channeled through this city environment as planned by some urban city architects. It’s really amazing how suddenly around 9pm and later on the streets get filled by BMX riders and skater and you see groups of them buzzing around Shibuya all night, finally taking on all the concrete and steel environment and making it their creative playground at night time. In the morning the salary man and woman will take over again with their very pre-planned ways of moving around in this city, not having the certain sense to see a creative obstacle instead of regular concrete curb they pass by everyday. If you knew, you could tell my all the traces left last night from grinding this curb to the bone.

Everyone’s a winner at INKYO JAM.

The INKYO JAM was initiated by Masa from 150S TOWN to be a very inclusive jam format for any skill level and age. Especially to motivate beginners to try new things and get comfortable among more established riders. Everyone’s a winner at INKYO JAM. It’s a really about the foundation of BMX, having a great time together and pushing each other to new limits. And hereby it doesn’t matter if you learn your first grind or barspin in and out everything. Everybody gets respect and prizes from the jam’s sponsors. Another intention of the jam’s maker is to help Japanese brands to get some more attention. Brands like ALIVEindustry, YELLbrand, RODIconnect and 150S TOWN are rider owned and come really from the core of the scene. The jam is also about connecting cultures and getting riders from Japan and the Tokyo scene out there in the world.

The INKYO JAM truly reflects the core of BMX: Friendship, fun, commitment, motivation, being including and respectful. It’s the very heart of our culture and an example for anyone inside and outside of the BMX scene.

@inkyojam888    @150stown   @aliveindustry    @yellbrand   @rodiconnect

Photography: Yanjie Ma @jackiemadance_

Filmed, Edited & Text: Peter Keller @menschlabor.info

View the feature on DIG BMX & Freedom BMX