Upcoming Dates:
- $4000-4400 NZD (approx $2300 USD) – $3200 for non surfing partners
- Fly to Tokyo – Spend the night as a group, then next morning take a 1 hour45min flight to our location and your nearby beachfront accommodation
Inclusions
✓ 7 nights accommodation
✓ Daily surf guiding and transport to surf spots
✓ Comprehensive daily surf coaching on land and in the water
✓ Breakfast daily + tea and coffee at the surf camp + all lunches and dinners at local restaurants
✓ All your surfing video footage and photos downloaded to Dropbox daily
✓ Assistance with the language and customs
✓ Visits to local attractions and sightseeing
Not included:
Flights, 1 night stay in Tokyo but we can help arrange it and travel through Tokyo with you, alcoholic drinks, Meals before your arrival at the surf camp and after you depart.
Japan Surf Trip Overview
Japan is such a cool surf destination if you have the required spot and language knowledge to make a trip happen. The diversity of waves in the region we are going to combined with the rural landscapes, delicious food and the truly unique Japanese culture will leave a life long impact on you.
I deliberately haven’t named the region here, but we’ll be going in late Summer when the weather and water is extremely warm (as in warmer than Bali) and swells are consistent due to Typhoon activity out in the Pacific ocean. This camp is aimed at Novice and Lower Intermediate Level and the focus will be on building confidence and improving your turns with a higher wave count.
Surfing aside, this trip could easily be a stand alone food and culture tour! Walk the neon alleys of the city on balmy nights, explore peaceful fishing villages, cool off in fresh mountain streams, find waves hidden down rice paddy roads….and experience all the quirkiness that is Japan on a daily basis. Shinto Shrines, Castle Ruins, Electrical Stores, Samurai Villages, Pachinko Parlours, Green Tea Plantations and Izakaya restaurants are all there to be experienced.
On the surfing front I’ll be coaching you in the water often, but video analysis will also be part of the plan. You can expect to surf beachbreaks, coves, and gentle cobblestone reef rivermouths.
If at present you aren’t content with your surfing level, this week of coaching will give you a strong sense of progress, autonomy and hope for the future. The Japanese surf culture is a breath of fresh air and seems to be less about the image and more about continuous improvement. Overall this will be an adventure that is food for the soul and highly rejuvenating. A step outside the norm.
Japan Surf Camp Highlights
✓ Enjoy a higher wave count and build confidence in your ability to surf more challenging conditions
✓ You’ll be immersing yourself in the uniqueness of a surf destination that you’ll know very little about in advance, and that’s the best way to travel!
✓ Overcome any of the common “Novice Sticking Points” that hold people back from improving, such as confused pop-up technique, low wave count, poor wave reading, fear with steep take-offs, trouble surfing backhand, difficulties with turning, speed generation and learning basic manoeuvres
✓ You’ll go home with a whole lot of photos and videos of you surfing and exploring Japan
✓ Sharing your journey with a small group of like-minded and like-leveled surfers
✓ Eating in Japan is unforgettable, not just the tastes but the locations and atmosphere of the restaurants often feel surreal
✓ You’ll surf a variety of surf spots and see 2 different coastlines, that have quite different personalities
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in our destination around 10am after the short morning flight from Tokyo. A short train ride and we’ll be picked up and taken to our accommodation. We can grab some lunch and get our first surf session in that afternoon.
Day 2 – 7: We’ll have 6 full days of surfing and exploring the area.
Day 8: Our final day, we’ll have one last morning surf and head back to the airport for our early afternoon flight back to Tokyo.
The Daily Routine: As on all our trips, the routine will be flexi and based around the surf conditions and tides, but here’s a general guide…
Wake up and check the surf immediately as our accommodation is directly in front of a long surf beach. Some days you might go for an early session out front, other days we might just load up on breakfast then jump in the car and head off to find an ideal spot up or down the coast. Depending on swell size and direction these surf missions could be short and sweet then back to our base, or they might be full day excursions to more distant surf zones.
Most days we’ll probably surf twice, and some days we will go on non-surf excursions. We’ll also have a bit of chill time at the camp, and we’ll fit in some Smoothstar skateboard drills or do other technique work during the afternoons.
Lunches will generally be at whatever restaurants are close at hand on our surf adventures, many good ones can be found nearby. At dinner time we can go out as a group and mix things up as there are lots of options from lively Izakaya (Japan’s version of the pub) to Soba Noodle houses, Ramen Shops and Teishoku “Set” restaurants, just to name a few. Trying festival food and even convenience store food is part of the experience and really good!
What level is this Surf Trip for?
This trip is for level 2 and level 3 surfers. You can check your level here
There will be a higher proportion of in-water coaching and support than on some of our other more advanced trips that mainly focus on video analysis and land-based drills. You can be quite a novice level surfer but it’s not for total beginners as there will be no coaching in the whitewater, you need to already be surfing out the back. We won’t be hunting the biggest and steepest waves with hard paddle outs though. More like gentle peelers and then a few slightly challenging sessions once you’ve warmed up!
Anyone from anywhere can join this trip. Most of our trips have a base of Kiwis but often a few people from other countries join us as well. The vibe has always been supportive and fun.
Accommodation
As already mentioned, our base is right in front of a beachbreak, it is a long beach and has good peaky waves on a regular basis. There is a cool little surf vibe in the surrounding area with outdoor eateries, parks, walks to shrines, supermarkets and other stores.
The camp has great communal areas with a kitchen, lounge areas, outside bbqs, surfboard racks and a skateboard bowl. All rooms have the much needed A/C (it’s everywhere in Japan due to the heat), are small but comfortable with a mix of twin-share, private rooms and bunk rooms. The price will vary slightly based on your preference.
Bookings
To secure your place, a deposit of $800 NZD will be needed, with the remaining balance due 90 days before departure.
