there was a story on the news about surfing in Japan. i was very interested because i have so many friends there. they showed a normal day at one of the beach breaks in Shonan. it’s actually not that crowded in this photo. 
i didn’t know that there were bodyboarders in Japan over a century ago. look at her wooden board! so cool!
check out these cool surfers. i wouldn’t want to drop in on a wave at their spot. these guys are super fit! 
do you notice anyone in these photos?
back to Kugunama, Shonan. this was the first spot i surfed when i went to Japan 30 years ago. it was 20 minutes from my house so this is where i checked every single morning. 
in Japan, style is everything. 
so stoked to see people i know. this is Hiroshi Fukuzawa who is a heavy local at one of the most regulated surf spots in Japan. if i say the spots name, i would never be welcomed there again. i’ve had my best waves of my life there surfing with this cool local. he’s always been super nice to me from the beginning and i always respected him for that. 
when they came to this part of the story, i already knew where this was. there is only one factory that is allowed to glass Wade Tokoro Surfboards. and that’s the Soeda Factory in Hiratsuka. 
super good to see Tomohiro Soeda all grown up and running the business. i knew this kid before he even started surfing. he was still a baby.
nowhere in the world has better quality surfboards than Japan. they glass it to perfection. quality is everything…
then they showed Hiromichi Soeda. nobody is more stoked than this guy when he surfs. i just love watching him come out of barrels like this with the biggest smile ever. by the way, this isn’t Japan so don’t surf there. haha. just joking…
i had this photo on my desktop for a few years waiting for the right time to post it. and now since we are taking about the history in Japan surfing culture, you have to include Jerry and Tokura-san. 100% legends!
