Join Bruno Hoffmann as he explores the streets of Japan with Rich Forne behind the lens. Thanks to Japan’s efficient transit system and high-speed Shinkansen train, most spots are just a short (and fast) train ride away. Bruno’s smooth style shines as he navigates through the city’s most densely populated areas… Don’t let me keep you, Get a train ticket at the nearest terminal, and hit play.
INTERVIEW
Where did the idea to film a part in Japan come about? The idea to film a part in Japan came a couple years ago, after going there for only a few days and not really having the chance to see much of Tokyo and any other parts of the country. After looking into it, and talking with Hikaru about what cities to hit, we made the plan to go around in the Bullit train. Then Covid hit and put everything to a stop for almost three years because Japan had one of the hardest restrictions about traveling there from Europe. When it all cleared up the idea came back to mind and we wet off to Tokyo Narita in the beginning of April.
How Long did you stay in Japan? I think in total we were in Japan for like 16 days, so minus all the travel days to and from there and inside the country it was about 10 days of riding, The Shinkansen train is super convenient since its takes off every couple minutes but you still have to take your bike apart like you take a plane, so everything still takes time.
What was your favorite area to ride in Japan? I mean Tokyo is just mind-blowing. The size of the city, the amount of spots, just everything. Riding wise it can definitely get a big frustrating because of the amount of security outside of most spots, but I still liked it the most. Nagoya was the complete opposite, still a massive city by European standards, but super chilled and empty compared to Tokyo. Osaka was the perfect middle I would say, but we had some police issues there and decided to leave early to not run into the same cops again… Instead, we went to Kobe for a day, which had a super cool sea side town vibe.
Was getting around easy? As I mentioned above, the Shinkansen is super accessible and convenient, ecpsecially with the help of Hikaru. Inside the cities we barely used any public transport and just pedaled around, which would easily be 20-30km on some days. But yea, I would say its easy to get around.
Did you have to wrap your bike in bubble wrap to take it on the bullet train? How fast does that thing go? Haha no, that only works on the metro from what we’ve heard. On the Bullit ( or Shinkansen ) train you have to use your usual bike bag, otherwise they won’t even let you on. I’m pretty sure the Bullit train goes around 500 km/h ( or 200-275 mp/h) average, but you don’t really feel it. They’re super spacious inside, too. What blew my mind the worst was, how often the trains go. I think they are departing every 2 minutes, more often than the metro in Frankfurt, haha.
Japan spots are on another level. Did you enjoy them? Yea I really enjoyed them, I feel like it was a good mix of super new and clean, barely ridden marble set ups to really crusty old spots. Even though you bump into some stuff, we couldn’t have done it without all the locals because some stuff is really hidden. Thanks so much!
What’s the reality of trying to ride spots in Japan? Security? Foot Traffic? Did you have any issues? To be honest, I was kinda worried about that prior to the trip but once being there it was pretty chill. Security is kinda chill and I feel like you can outplay them by just leaving and coming back a little bit later. The amount of people, especially around Shibuya on Shinjuku area in Tokyo is on another level, though. The only place where we had some little issues was in Osaka, but at the end it was fine.
Did you ride more at night? Or during the day? Definitely during the day, even though we made sure we had the right set up to film at night. To be honest I thought we would only be able to film at night, since a lot of footage you see from Tokyo is nighttime. At the end if was a cool mix, and some days we stayed out till late to make sure to get a few night clips for the edit.
Looks like you hit a lot of spots, Did you have a tour guide? Yeah, we actually had Hikaru showing us around most of the days and even joining us on the trip. The whole experience wouldn’t have been possible without him so I can’t thank him enough for that!
Japan has an awesome BMX scene. How was it kicking it with the locals? Yea the scene is truly amazing, everyone is super friendly and helpful, every city has one or even more fully legit bmx shops with their own crew doing cool stuff. It was really sick to see and I’m already looking forward to come back at some point!
If you had to pick, Family Mart or 7-11? Haha, good question, I think it’s a tie with Lawson. The amount and quality of snacks and drinks 24/7 of the day is insane.
Any advice for BMX riders planning to travel to Japan to ride? Just make sure to have enough time to adjust for the size of the cities, get a e-sim card and bring a light bike bag for the trains. Other than that just be open for the culture and the people.
Any thanks / shoutouts? Yea loads, first of all Hikaru for showing us around and taking care of stuff while on the road, couldn’t have done it without you! Also thanks to Kilian for tagging along and Rich for being down for these kind go projects. Luc Flosbach for showing us the best ramen spots and constantly talking shit. Thanks to Pegy, Motobunka, Rodi Connect, Daichi, Yuya, Tang, Omasse and Yoshiya. And last not least Redbull Germany for being down for projects like this and fully trusting us with it. Thanks!
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