Japan

I was in Japan from June to December, 2000.  This page is still under construction as I search out my surf pictures.  Misawa is in northern Japan, on the island of Honshu.  The Misawa pictures were taken at the beach that is reached by going about 5 miles directly east of the base there.  We had to ride bikes to get to the surf, so I didn't really get to explore too much.  But I have heard that there are spots to the south that get really good, including Hachinoe, about 20 minutes to the south.  The surf is standard beach break, cold in the winter and warm in the summer.  The weather was very hot during the summer months, then in December, just before we left we were caught in a blizzard.  There were definately some local surfers.  On a good day, there were easily 30 or more surfers at the best break.  However, most of the time, my friends and I were the only surfers out.  And as you can see, there's plenty of surf to go around.  Gear and traveling in Japan is very expensive.  A new board costs well over $1000, and a bad used one will run you about as much as a new Al Merrick in the States.  Bring whatever gear you think you'll need with you!

The view of the beach from the air.  Pick your jetty and paddle out.

The surf.  Cold, grey, and lonely.  The jetties here are built to last, giving a good idea of what the surf gets like in the winter.

The "warpig" the day before I was supposed to leave, caught in a blizzard.  No flying today.

Then there was beautiful, tropical Kadena, Okinawa, Japan.  The water here was super warm and clear. The only place I actually surfed was the Sunabe seawall, on the East China Sea side of the island.  Usually the surf was small, but it got epic when the hurricanes started coming through.  The reef is really shallow and sharp, and exposed at low tide.  Also, there are about a million surfers in Okinawa.  On this knee high day, there were probably over a hundred people out.  The level of surfing isn't real high in general, but there were definately some standouts.  The Japanese aren't real aggressive surfers (in my experience), so you can get your share of waves if you're smart.  There are a couple of surf shops near here, and a cool bar overlooking a really good spot that breaks "just like pipeline" when the surf pumps.

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