Growing up half-Japanese in the (near-)literal center of the contiguous United States was a wispy tumble through the fields for sure. I was born in Tokyo and spent nearly half my summers through high school in Japan, even attending a tried-and-true public school for a month (their school year is expectedly longer than ours). I also attended Saturday school in Kansas to both maintain and learn the language and culture I was umpteen miles from. And while I definitely developed a strong foundation, at least relative to most if not all of my half-Asian contemporaries, I did not grow up in Japan, and thereby knew very little of pop culture or what was happening in the way of the youth. So it is beyond cool to get a pop culture education of sorts through my favorite outdoor pursuit.
And there is no denying that Japan — both mountains and riders — are doin’ the damn thang and doin’ damn thang right by snowboarding. The Stonp or Die crew and the grind their currently on is the blood and sweat of the now international recognition the nation’s outsized talent base is enjoying. These boys don’t mince direction: they are FULL TILT when embracing that increasingly signature raw, throwback style.
The team has grown significantly since their rebellious grass-roots beginnings, but the mission remains the same with national hero Kazu Kokubo still at the forefront. So as you might expect, I’m stoked to see the fifth annual offering from Stonp this coming fall — the team simply does not disappoint.
For shits and giggles and all kinds of hype, as an outro, let’s bask in the head-bangin’ glory of their fearless finger-huckin’ leader.
