Skating in Japan is becoming more popular, though it's not at all like the skate scene in the States or the UK etc... Maybe the skaters in Japan are uh, more polite--- hard to say, but it's what I've read.
I've also only seen a few skaters here and there, there isn't much of a street skating scene as other places--- and the cost of the equipment is also a bit prohibitive as well.
Though I've not seen any Japanese skate mags, the mag Samurai does tend to feature a lot of skaters and typical skate clothes-----