While Hawaii is the undisputed birthplace and global mecca of modern surfing, Japan has nurtured a fanatic wave-rider culture all its own.
ON THE SHONAN COAST, Japan — In summer, the action gets going at four in the morning. Men and women in black wetsuits begin to appear, lugging their boards on foot or tucked into special bike racks. Before the rest of the country wakes up, Kugenuma beach is already a sea of surfers, perhaps the most popular slice of seashore in the country. Japan’s island geography means a beach is rarely far away. So while Hawaii is the undisputed birthplace and global mecca of modern surfing, Japan has nurtured a fanatic wave-rider culture all its own — in many respects, a fitting stage for the debut of one of the world’s oldest sports. at the games on Sunday. Surveying the throngs that would put off surfers in other parts of the world, regular Masaya Uchida, who commutes here several times a week from his home in Kawasaki city, radiated chill. „It is crowded,“ he said, „but the ocean belongs to everyone.“ „It’s really laid-back here, and welcoming,“ he told CBS News. „Like being in California!“ By train, surfing destinations on the Shonan coast can be reached in about an hour from downtown Tokyo, allowing surf addicts to indulge their passion for a few hours before work. It’s not uncommon to see office stiffs in the parking lot, quickly shedding wetsuits for business suits.
