**about the waves in japan. it’s something everybody asks me about and until now, i didn’t give an honest answer. to my friends, yes. but to strangers, no. why? because some things are better being kept a secret. but after scoring last year in both indonesia and japan, i’d thought it’s time to compare the two.
this is indonesia.
indonesia is perfect.
indonesia is consistent.
indonesia always breaks like this.
indonesia welcomes anybody.
this is japan.
japan is perfect.
japan is inconsistent.
japan never breaks like this.
japan doesn’t welcome everybody.
i’ll break the last 3 down.
“japan is inconsistant” – yes, it’s not like this everyday or every year. in fact, this happened twice at this spot in 20 years. if you want to take a 1 week surf trip to japan, you better be on standby for 10 years if you want waves like this.
“japan never breaks like this” – yes, if you can surf a wave like this once in your lifetime in japan , your considered lucky. me? i’m freaking lucky because i always surf waves like this. you just have to have either a lot of money, or great sponsors like me. and also a lot of patience….
“japan doesn’t welcome everybody” – the heaviest localism in the world. it’s all about RESPECT! just the other day, somebody told me that i should be a surf guide in japan. i told them “no thank you, i don’t want my finger cut off.”
**take a good look at the photo. i shot much better ones that day that will blow your mind. this one is kind of a throwaway but you get the idea. the waves in japan are good. it just depends on who you ask. if you ask me, japan has the best waves in the world. even better than hawaii. that’s u-ske holding his camera looking at the wave. i’m sure he feels the same….
