Foreign Feelings: Osaka, Japan

Foreign Feelings:

It feels like half of my friends are in Japan right now. I keep seeing their feeds and I’m feeling jelly so I decided to reminisce and sift through some photos. If I post all my friends and moments around me, that transports me to the place right?!? Yep, I feel like I’m kick pushing through namba already. Can you hear the pachinko machines?!

I was already traveling through Japan with @ttamdude when he told me he was meeting the boys down in Osaka. I haven’t actually hung out with them in years and wasn’t sure what to expect. Being in the same skate scene for 20 years though, I was worried in the slightest.

Arriving in Osaka, I was greeted with instant new friends as well as old ones. The skate scene never lets me down. Not seeing @bubbytoed and @cameronalloneword for maybe 10 years felt like nothing had changed. We were sharing jokes and talking shop without missing a beat. Having been coming to Osaka for over a decade, they knew the spots and locals inviting me past that surface level of getting to know a place. Good food, good friends, and good stories were had! Always so special.

To hold this piece of wood across the world seems to open doors and extend hands I never imagined. Borders are crossed, concrete is exchanged, and friends are born. Anytime I’m ever lost, skating always seems to find me. So thankful for deciding to make this a part of my life 25 years ago. The giving never stops!

To say I was stoked on my Osaka section would be an understatement. Looking forward to 2025! See y’all there!

@cameronalloneword @bubbytoed @ttamdude @memorylaneclassic @nobu1990jp ありがと for having me along!

Rainy days are better than sunny ones to me lately. They’re slow and you don’t rush around to do anything. You’re comfortable doing nothing. They also make me feel like I’m more in an anime as well so maybe in Japan it’s the combination.