JAPAN UNCOVERED? or should i say COVERED?
a few months ago, like any normal year, there was a typhoon that came through japan sending awesome waves. a few international pro surfers and international photographers flew in and exposed one of japan’s hidden secrets to the world. surfing magazines around the world are featuring cover stories about the waves in japan. some people happy, some people not.
want to know my opinion? ok, i’ll tell you. for me, i’ve been coming to japan for the past 21 years and if anybody knows how good the waves are, it’s me. i’ve caught some of my best waves, longest waves, and most barreling waves in this country. almost drowned, almost died, and almost got swept out to sea on many occasions. i’ve been coming here for the past 19 straight typhoon seasons and when i return to hawaii, my lips have been sealed. yeah, i post a few photos on my blog, but never say where it is. many of my hawaiian surfer friends beg me to bring them to japan, i refuse. the secrecy, the privacy, and the beauty of the waves in japan have kept me coming back. i’ve have some of the most amazing photos i’ve ever taken and when a mainstream worldwide magazine contacted me 2 years asking me for photos of japan typhoon swells, i didn’t even take my time to respond. no way!
so when i pass by the magazine rack in the supermarket and see a cover shot with JAPAN EXPOSED!!!, i get bummed. i get bummed for the locals that are going to have to deal with all the international pro surfers and media that will flock here every time a typhoon pops up on the weather charts. it’s going to get ugly!
as for the photo above, craig sako got it off the web somewhere and sent it to me. when i seen that photo, i knew exactly where it was. it’s my favorite surf spot in the world. a surf spot i was keeping secret to friends for the past 19 years. and now, the whole world knows about it. shock! hey craig, i still won’t tell you where that is. haha.
