Skateboarders Take to the Streets to Perform in Nagoya Shopping Area

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:25 JST, July 10, 2025

NAGOYA — Twenty skateboarders recently performed at the Osu shopping street in Naka Ward, Nagoya, where skateboarding is usually prohibited.

On June 21, cheers arose from fans and crowds as the athletes skateboarded at high speed, performed kickflips and pulled off other tricks at Red Bull Maneki Jam, an event organized by Red Bull Japan Co., a Tokyo-based beverage maker. The company had set up a skating area for the event, which was named after manekineko, or beckoning cats, a symbol of the shopping street’s Fureai Hiroba square.

A vote by professional skateboarders was also held to determine the most exciting performer of the day, with the audience joining in the voting.

A 37-year-old company employee from Obu, Aichi Prefecture, was one of the participants in the competition. He said the applause of the audience made him even more determined to pull off his tricks.

“It was so impressive as everyone was flying high. I want to be able to skate as cool as them,” said a fifth-grade elementary school student, 10, also from Obu.