Japan History of Surfing

It is believed that surfing was first introduced by some American soldiers who were stationed in Yokosuka and some other bases in Kanto region. They were often surfing in Shonan and Chiba, spotted by the local boys who later made their own surfborads called ''Float''. At that time ,the number of surfers was still very few. But in 1965, foundation of NSA(Nippon Surfing Association) and the introduction of fins on surfboards, advances in surfboard design, technology helped the popularisation of surfing in Japan. In late 70's, Surf culture sprouted clothing brands and an entire subsection of the media. There are now more than one million surfers in this country and surfing continues to evolve and grow as a sport, an art, and a way of life.

 

Surfing Infomation

Wave
Japan has a reputation of being small waves break in the surf area. It is true that in many locations the quality of surf will not usually be able to match waves in Australia, Hawaii or other places. Waves are uaually small and mellow. You may end up drinking "Asahi" whole time. But if you are in the right place at the right time when typhoons hit the coast, you could get world class waves with only a handful of people around.

Local
Japanses surfers are frendly in general but in some area , the locals tend to be very exclusive, so be polite and friendly. If you can make any local friends, they may take you to some well kept secret reef points.

Car break-ins
In recent years, car break-ins and car theft have been increasing. So, be careful and park your car in an area that is well-lit and near lots of people. Also don't leave any valuable items in your car

Water
Bring water to rinse off your body. Most beaches have no shower and toilet.

Shark
The number of shark attacks is much lower than countries like South Africa or Australia. Shark Attacks happen once every 3〜4 years in Japan and no surfer has been killed or injured by them.