Front hand grabs over the front leg and grabs the toe edge between the bindings. Front leg is usually pushed down and the board is pulled behind the rider slightly. Usually the nose is pushed higher than the tail on straight airs with Japan as you straighten the back leg downwards and pull the board upwards. The Japan Air has become a true classic. It is a grab that can be tweaked like crazy and when done right (usually with backside spins and McTwists) it is mega. Originally invented by skateboarder Tony Hawk, the Japan Air has been frequently seen in snowboard circles in recent years. Nicolas Müller sent the Japan to another level when he did it with a Backside 720 and he went basically upside down while tweaking it out like crazy. Since then, Bode Merrill, went one better and went and landed the Back 7 Japan with one foot in his binders! Terje Haakonsen and Kazu Kokubo are also due credit for their Japan McTwists. WHY JAPAN? Because it’s tweakable. Tweaking and poking tricks is what shows you have control in your riding, and having control in the air is usually what makes a trick feel good! HOW DO I MAKE THIS TRICK LOOK GOOD? Make sure you get your hand onto your toe edge and keep your grab between the bindings. Because your leg can get in the way a little bit, it is easy to ruin this trick by grabbing your boot. Boot grabs aren’t rad, so keep that hand in between the bindings and, seriously think about stretching before wrenching a good tweak on this bad boy.