Here we come Harajuku

Floating on air! Cruising down the hill at the closed off street in Jingumae near Harajuku. For a couple of years period in the mid seventies, every Sunday, my brothers and I would catch the bus to Shibuya and ride our skateboards up past the Olympic stadium to the road that was closed off to traffic for public recreational use.

We each had our own boards and rode them around everywhere. Looking at the photo it reminded me how much I used to love my board. It was a Gordon & Smith ‘Fibreflex’ with Tracker trucks and red polyurethane wheels. One of life’s pleasures is having a treasured item that brings you joy every time you use it - even see it. Different things at different times fill this role, depending on what you are into. It could be a laptop, a mode of transport, a piece of sports equipment. It may be something that you researched carefully beforehand - learning all the specifications of, satisfying yourself with it’s attributes. Acquiring it is made even sweeter if you saved up for it, allowing the anticipation to build. For me, that board was one of those things. I spent ages studying the various options, going through the skater magazines of the time, regularly checking the excellent skate shop up the high end of Takeshita Dori (before it became super trendy.) I saved my yen over many months until I could finally afford it. And it was all worth it.

We used to hang out with the older skater/surfer crew that used to congregate at the top of the hill, taking turns in riding down and showing off new tricks as they slalomed down. Their skill levels were far superior to ours but it was fun to be a part of the gang and they were really friendly and welcoming. We were the only foreigners in the group but it never even felt like we were any different. Our language skills by then were fluent and we integrated easily. My overwhelming memory is of patience and kindness as some of the older guys taught us new skills. (Looking closely at the photo, I just noticed some of the 50’s era rockers - who have since become Instagram heaven for tourists.)

It was during a challenging time for me at school, during the week, where I had become a bit of an outsider and rebel and was having trouble with certain teacher’s abusing their authority. As well, I was being bullied by upperclassmen because of my unwillingness to kowtow. Teen years are a challenge for everybody. Each of us in our own way. I discuss it in more detail in the book but at the time there was no outlet and much of the struggle was internalised. So, I was thankful for the weekend freedom and the opportunity to find a temporary sense of acceptance and belonging as well as to fly a little on my G&S Fibreflex.

Because Love Letters To Japan is written in letter form, each chapter a personal letter to Japan itself, as well as it being a memoir of my Tokyo life in the 70’s, I did not shy away from discussing the more personal and sometime challenging aspects of the coming of age experience. It felt natural for me to confide intimate truths in the narrative rather than presenting a glossed over telling of simply what occurred. My intention was to be as real and honest as possible, revealing and examining layers of existence beyond the surface levels and producing a document with heart and soul that will hopefully enrich the reader, as well as inform and entertain.