Community project “Tomomi’s North Shore” gives Japanese riders a new training ground

Giving back and leaving something for the community: While filming “Ride to Survive II”, Tomomi Nishikubo already knew he wanted to contribute to the Odawara Forest Bike Park.

Together with his suspension partner SR Suntour, the Japanese trials ninja designed, built, tested – and just recently opened – the brand-new training ground “Tomomi’s North Shore.” At the launch jam, not only did the local crew show up to test their skills, but French freerider and Northshore wizard Eliott Lapotre also made an appearance. In the video “Building North Shore in Japan” Tomomi takes us behind the scenes of the project. 

As if a year and a half of filming “Ride to Survive II” – including heavy trail building – wasn’t challenging enough, Tomomi cranked it up another notch: to give something back to the local bike scene and support the next generation of Japanese riders, the YouTube star just kept building. The result: a legit Northshore playground with three lines full of skinny ladders, ramps, see-saws, and wallrides – perfect for dialing in balance and bike control.

For the grand opening of Tomomi’s North Shore, French freeride ace Eliott Lapotre dropped by. Tomomi showed him not only his fresh creation but also the rest of the Odawara Forest Bikepark trails – including a proper dose of Japanese lifestyle.

“Odawara Forest Bike Park is where I filmed my latest edit Ride to Survive II. When the project was done, I thought: Okay, now it’s time to build some cool stuff for other riders. So I built three lines – one for beginners, one for intermediates, and one that’s a bit gnarlier. All of them are about technical riding. MTB in Japan is growing, and I think this place will help riders really improve their skills.” – Tomomi Nishikubo 

“What a lot of people don’t know: SR Suntour has Japanese roots. So, when Tomomi approached me with the idea of building some bike park for the community, I was instantly hooked. Supporting and growing the riding scene is one of the core values of SR Suntour – Tomomi nailed it with this project. We’re super proud to back it, and even prouder to have riders like him representing our brand.” – Hoshi Yoshida, SR Suntour Marketing