We’re literally, somehow, rather deliriously checking in at the airport to leave Japan. 7 days, 3 major cities. DIY spots in the countryside. Robot cafes, underground bars, getting the boot out of numerous epic skate spots. Hotel lobby life, way too much time in a van, copious amounts of time at Lawson, family mart, 7-Eleven, Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo, our new favorite Yabisu cans strewn throughout the van. Our legs are blown out. Terps is hobbling like an old man after falling on an iPhone. Ishod blowing our mind even further since we last saw him skate in Copenhagen. Arto [Saari] shredded like a boss both on the board and behind the lens. There’s “Fuck yeah Pete!” a good old boy and then Raven is as raw as it gets. It was a blurry event, hours of footage await me in the editing bay, but check out some iPhone snaps from the road for now. Hammers dropping in the distant future, but for now we keep moving. Special shout out to Rip Zinger, the local Lord who graced us with his company and a street savvy tour of the incredible country that is Japan xx. —Kai
So Long Japan A wild seven days in the streets come to an end and the edit bay opens
Beach Goth remains freaky good The Growler’s music festival is the best Halloween party ever
Thurston Moore made our ears bleed Live from the LA Art Book Fair
Thurston Moore continues his reign as the king of dissonance at the LAABF
I still haven’t seen Cluster either And it’s being made in the room next to me
I didn’t think I’d have to write that. But there it is. The morning of the premiere and I still haven’t seen the damn thing. After a week in the desert, followed by an even more dehydrated stint in the lizard den known as the What Youth editing bay, Kai and Blake are still the…
Seven missions, 16 sessions A dispatch from your guide to good waves
Hints from a good-wave magnet
Dear Youth What Youth HQ during the making of Cluster
This is us on deadline.
A rookie’s year on the run Dear Youth with Quinn Matthews
Quinn Matthews recaps his 2014 year on the road as a rookie.
Dear Youth One more Aloha from Hawaii (with Quinn Matthews)
We just had to say aloha one more time. This time Quinn Matthews says farewell to the island. It’s been exactly a year now since Quinn Matthews caught our eye with his photos from Hawaii, and this year was a stellar sophomore campaign. Always fresh, and always rad angles.
Dear Youth: See Ya Hawaii 12 Photos from the North Shore
Nate Lawrence photos from the North Shore.
Dear Youth Swimming at Pipe: Quinn Matthews
Editor’s Note: Every time Quinn does something (anything), it’s probably his first time. And while I think he’d swam and shot at Pipe before, these were definitely the biggest waves he’d ever swam in. Which lends for good reading, especially when you line it up with the results you see below. Quinn wrote this and…
Dear Youth 15 photos from North Shore: Quinn Matthews
Last year it was his fresh approach in Hawaii that caught our eye. And throughout the year he’s continued to amaze and baffle us simultaneously with his awe of the world around him and ability to get the wildest shots at the least likely of times. Quinn Matthews is a shy, unassuming, extremely green but…
Dear Youth 15 Photos from Hawaii: Kenny Hurtado
Kenny Hurtado has always been one of our favorite photographers. Both for the purity of his photography and for his humble demeanor. He’s been over on the North Shore the past few weeks and took a very unique approach to his coverage of the most photographed place in the surf world.
Dear Youth 15 Photos from the North Shore: Nate Lawrence
Photographing the North Shore is an interesting skill if you wanna do it right. Nate Lawrence has been on the North Shore for a few weeks now, and prior to that he’s logged well over a decade of pilgrimages each year. And somehow, each trip back he manages to surprise us with the unique and…
Dear Youth Right Place, Right Time.
I just had the best month of my life.