about 6 years ago, i drove down this same road to visit surf shop owner sugimoto-san. Â this is kamaishi, iwate. Â back then, we surfed together, this time, we tried to figure out what the heck happened….
his surf shop is totally gone! Â only the phone/fax machine was tangled in the mess….
take a look at the wood stuck up on the tree! Â that’s how high the tsunami came. Â sugimoto-san calls it 20 meters or 60 feet. Â the biggest tsunami in the history of the world? Â scary….
i came across an antique surfboard mixed in the debris. Â i hope sugimoto-san revives, rebuilds, and brings back surfing to his favorite beach. Â we are with you all the way…
yeah, the 2nd wave came up this high onto the road. Â sugimoto-san told me how he ran up into the mountains. Â all the roads in and out there were blocked so he was stuck there for 2 nights in the freezing weather. Â no electricity, no water, and no contact with the outside world, including his family….
as surfers, we love the ocean and hope to come back to it someday. Â the day i get to surf out there with sugimoto-san is one of my dreams. Â and my dreams happen!!!!
