if you're a skateboarder, and you happen to be lucky enough to be traveling to Japan, the escalating skateboarding opportunities there deserve your attention.

The major difference between skaters in Japan and skaters in the U.S. is the Japanese skaters don't seek out and wear the countercultural laid-back attitude of their American equivalents. Japanese skaters are neat, tidy and well-groomed. They don't adopt the bad-boy, semi-punk, surfer nonchalance of skaters in the U.S. Even though the Japanese police have cracked down on skateboarders and where they can skate, the skaters remain courteous and respectful.

In the U.S., skateboarding is considered an outdoor sport. Vast skate parks may be found even in smaller cities. Not so in Japan, where they are landlocked and land goes for premium prices. Most skate parks in Japan are located inside warehouses, and then only in the largest cities. For the most part, the warehouse skate parks are concrete, while anything outdoors is temporary and made of plywood. Limited space is the obstacle holding back skateboarding in Japan. The kids think skating is totally cool, but the simple fact of the matter is there aren't enough places to skate.