Hyogo Outdoors

Japan is experiencing something of a skateboarding wave since it showcased the sport during the recent Tokyo Olympics. Many purpose-built skateboarding facilities have sprung up over the last few years, from sponsored all-weather indoor parks to free outdoor parks. Here is a small selection of places to try out your skills. Spotaka Park Factory X, Osaka Osaka is the hub of skateboarding in the Kansai region and has more parks than any other city. This stylish all-season indoor facility is in the basement beneath the Spotaka skateboarding shop in Shinsaibashi. Opened in 2015, the local skateboarding community designed it and features wall ramps, rails, boxes, and half-pipes. You can buy a single session ticket (starting at Y500 an hour) or a monthly pass. The park also runs lessons for school children. Address: BIGSTEP, 2nd basement floor, 1-16-9 Nishishinsaibashi, Chuo ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 542-0086 Good Skates Park, Kobe One of the longest-standing and most well-known skate parks in Kansai, this park on Rokko Island is part of the Good Skates chain and is known to locals as the G Skate Park. It was built over 25 years ago and has indoor and outdoor facilities featuring vertical ramps, half-pipes, kink rails,…