Kyonosuke Yamashita wears a G-SHOCK that is not a wristwatch . feature

I don't want to make skateboarding like training.

PROFILE

Kyonosuke Yamashita

Born in Shinagawa, Tokyo in 2004 . . He started skateboarding at the age of 3. He currently lives at home with his father, mother, and younger sister. His sponsors include G-Shock, Primitive, and Lakai, and he has an astounding 385,000 followers on Instagram. IG is an 18-year-old who is expected to be active not only in Japan but also on a global level:@_kyonosuke_

long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana) 385,000 followers on Instagram(as of June 2022) is amazing. What kind of world is it? For example, do you get a message every day?

Kyonosuke:They do come, but I have it set up so I don't get notifications from people I don't know, so it's fine (laughs).

What was the catalyst for this increase in followers?

Kyonosuke:Luis said,Skateboard YouTuber. I was skiing at the same park when he came to Japan, and a friend of mine talked to him about getting him to film something. We were skiing at the same park when he came to Japan, and my friend talked to him about getting some footage, and that's how it all started. We got to know each other and became good friends, and we started to make videos of us skiing together, and that's how it all started.

Luis has 1.63 million YouTube subscribers (as of June 2022). . This is the United States of America, the skateboarding capital of the world. Now, that must have been a big event for you, but was the contract with the skate brand "Primitive" also a turning point for you?

Kyonosuke:Yes . It might be the biggest event in my life. It was sudden and totally unexpected , so I was surprised.

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A post shared by Kyonosuke Yamashita.(@_kyonosuke_)

How did you come to sign the contract?

Kyonosuke:When he went to the U.S. in his second year of junior high school, there was talk of creating something like "Primitive Japan" in Japan. I happened to be at a skate park over there at the time, and there were people from "Primitive" there, and they told me that I should join "Primitive". After that, I went back to the U.S. and was able to skate with the Primitive riders through their agency, and after that, they asked me to sign a contract with them.

Do your father, mother, and other family members understand how great you are?

Kyonosuke:No, I thought, maybe they don't understand. But my father told me, "Don't get too carried away" (laughs).

You are a good parent (laughs). When we visited your home, we saw many skate videos, movies, and music pieces that belonged to your father and mother. Did you come through this kind of culture?

Kyonosuke:. to be honest, I haven't seen many of them. Of the ones I have seen, "Drumline" (2002) is my favorite. . and "Dogtown & Z-Boys" (2001). It was one of the reasons I started skateboarding.

What made you start skateboarding in the first place?

Kyonosuke:I don't remember it myself, and my parents told me about it later, but when I was 3 years old, I got a little kid's skateboard from a crane game, and that's how I started.

So your parents didn't encourage you to do it. It was more of a coincidence.

Kyonosuke:Yes, I did. I was playing around with it, and before I knew it, I had started.

I think skateboarding is a little different from other sports in that there is no age difference, you can connect with people of different nationalities and genders, and you can watch older, better skaters up close.

Kyonosuke:. Yes, I did. When I saw "Dogtown & Z-Boys," I admired the way skaters connected with each other and the sense of solidarity.

Do you feel like you don't have to "work hard even though it's painful" like in other sports?

Kyonosuke:. I have never had a hard time skateboarding. I do get frustrated when I lose a competition, but . . I have never wanted to skateboard. Skateboarding is always fun, and I always want to do it . . I don't want it to be like training, I just really want to play. . I feel like if I train, it's not skateboarding, it becomes a sport.

I see. You are now 18 years old and a high school student. What are you studying at Vantan High School?

Kyonosuke:This is a skateboarding and video production course. In the skateboarding course, students go to a skate park and skate with a teacher. The video course teaches the skills and know-how related to video production, such as shooting and editing so-called skateboarding videos. Unfortunately, I don't have the talent to shoot video.

(laughs). Right now, is your goal to keep improving your skills as a skater?

Kyonosuke:. yes, I want to be a cool skater. I want to be a cool skater. To be a good and cool skater. To be honest, there are a lot of skaters who are just good.

Do you have a specific image of what you mean by coolness?

Kyonosuke:. There are skaters who have a cool appearance. Apart from having a cool face or something like that, there are skaters who have a cool aura about them, like an aura of standing or a cool overall appearance. I want to be that kind of skater.