What lies just outside your front door? There are still so many beautiful places to discover close to where Keisuke Yoshida was born and raised in the Hokkaido region of Japan.
Backyard is a visual record of his 2022 winter season, when life and world forces asked him to stay at home. This short film is an expression of Keisuke’s forever-passions: pursuing good snow and riding new slopes with old friends.
Watch Keisuke float through his own backyard to the sounds of the music he grew up with.
Backyard is a visual record of his 2022 winter season, when life and world forces asked him to stay at home. This short film is an expression of Keisuke’s forever-passions: pursuing good snow and riding new slopes with old friends.
Watch Keisuke float through his own backyard to the sounds of the music he grew up with.
A FEW QUESTIONS ANSWERED
BY KEISUKE YOSHIDA
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Hokkaido, Japan
北海道旭川市
HOW DID YOU START SNOWBOARDING AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN RIDING?
I have been riding for 23 years now. I first started snowboarding because of my older brother. I was a baseball kid and didn’t even know about snowboarding when I was small. One day, my brother took me to a local snowboard shop and I watched a video there and thought – wow, how cool is this!? Since then, I have been snowboarding at my local ski resort. When I couldn’t get to the resort, I went to little slope spots in my neighborhood just so I could ride every day.
兄が始めたことがきっかけで始めました。野球をやっていたんだけど、兄が通っていたショップでスノーボードビデオ見てカッコよくて。それ以降家の近くのゲレンデや滑れそうなところを歩いて行って、スノーボードばかりしてました。
WHAT WAS LAST SEASON LIKE FOR YOU?
It was a good season for all of Japan because we got a pretty
good amount of snow – way more than past few seasons. I was still forced to stay in Japan because of Covid-19 stuff. But it was okay! Because all of my local friends, who usually go out of the country to ride and take photos and video, also stayed in Japan.
So it was a good chance to explore new spots in my own
backyard with all of my friends.
去年は日本全体ですごい雪に恵まれたシーズンで、仲間達と一緒にまだ行っていない場所、そこに住むローカル達とのセッションができて充実したシーズンでした。
WHAT MOUNTAINS / AREAS DID YOU FILM? WHY DO YOU LOVE THEM?
Most of the footage in the film was shot in north Hokkaido, which is only about an hour from my home. Hokkaido is the northern island of Japan. It was so amazing that we got to explore new spots that hadn’t been filmed in the past but were still right in our backyard. Depending on weather, snow conditions, and our vibe and flow, we picked different areas and slopes to ride. (A few clips were from a trip to Hakuba on the main island of Japan – that was a fun little trip.)
北海道の道北エリア、白馬も少し映像で使われているかな。
今回の映像のほとんどが自分の住んでいる場所から車で1時間くらいの所で、まだ行っていないスポットを探し続けていました！あとは天気や雪良さそうなところをその時の流れで自分達の思うままに遊びまわってたって感じです。
TELL US ABOUT THE MUSIC IN THE FILM AND THE MEANING BEHIND IT.
The film’s music is a mix of modern sounds and traditional music of the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido. The band heard here is Oki dub Ainu and they work to spread Ainu culture through their music.
They played music live in my hometown once while I was growing up. I loved them as soon as I heard their sound. I was born and grew up in Hokkaido. I feel rooted and linked to the traditional culture, the land of Hokkaido, and myself when I listen to their songs. So I reached out to Oki dub Ainu to ask them if I could use this song in our film. Luckily, they were down for it – I feel like this piece was made complete with this song.
They played music live in my hometown once while I was growing up. I loved them as soon as I heard their sound. I was born and grew up in Hokkaido. I feel rooted and linked to the traditional culture, the land of Hokkaido, and myself when I listen to their songs. So I reached out to Oki dub Ainu to ask them if I could use this song in our film. Luckily, they were down for it – I feel like this piece was made complete with this song.
北海道の先住民であるアイヌ民族の伝承弦楽器を使っているバンドで、アイヌの文化を音楽通して伝えているバンドなんですよ。そのボーカルのOkiさんのライブを地元で初めて見た時、本当カッコよくて！是非自分の映像の楽曲に使わせてもらえたらと思って連絡したらいいよって言ってくれて。
自分のスノーボードのルーツは北海道にあるし、リンクする部分も少なからずあるなと思って彼らのバンドの曲を使わせてもらいました。
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT SNOWBOARDING?
It’s so free! You can do whatever you want to do!
自分の思うままに自由に出来る事！
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