Nick Smith, was born in California and grew up mainly in Nagasaki. He runs his own computer graphics and design company in Japan called Picnix, but he’s had a passion for skateboarding since he was a child. Smith recently launched DzNutz to develop innovative new skateboard hardware.
1. What is your strongest memory from growing up in Nagasaki? I remember it was during Golden Week and I saw a family at a park, actually playing with their kids. I never really saw that in America when I was young, so that made a huge impression on me in regards to what family means in Japan.
2. Did being non-Japanese in a smaller city present any challenges? No, not outside of the normal assimilation process of learning the streets, the layout, how interactions go and so forth. It was pretty straightforward. When I moved to Tokyo, though, is when I felt the biggest conflict with assimilating.