Ichinomiya: The Surfing Town Selected as the Venue
for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020!

The Ichinomiya region has birthed many world-class surfers, including: Hiroto Ohhara, the first Japanese athlete to win the U.S. Open; Reo Inaba, who is currently competing internationally; and Tenshi Iwami, the first Japanese national to win the U.S. surfing championships in the under-10 class.

Mr. Yoshioka works at Murasaki Sports (a surf shop, skate shop & café in the town of Ichinomiya) selling clothes and gear to surfers, skateboarders, and snowboarders. Originally from Tokyo, he moved to Ichinomiya twenty years ago–while still in his teens–when his love of surfing drove him to pursue the dream of going pro like his two older brothers before him. Now retired from surfing professionally, he still loves the sport, and he continues to make his home here with his wife and son; who also enjoy surfing.

When he first moved to Ichinomiya he used to commute back and forth to Tokyo by train, but he eventually settled here due to the quality of the waves, and the mellow atmosphere of the Kujukuri area, where life moves at a much slower pace than it does in the nation’s capital. Considering that it takes only about one hour by train, or about ninety minutes by car, its still convenient enough for him to occasionally visit Tokyo. When asked what he finds most charming about his city, he explains that there are various small but distinct shops in Ichinomiya. He enjoys visiting all the surf shops, but most adores Surf Garden Shop & Café, attached to Murasaki Sports. There, he expands, you may even enjoy beers from different countries after surfing on a rented board.

WREATHS is a laid-back and stylish surf shop that sells new surfboards and surfing apparel. With easy access to Tsurigasaki Beach, WREATHS is a great home base if you’re looking to hit the famous surf here. You can rent surfboards and wetsuits, there’s a shower outside for easy clean-up, and places nearby to relax before or after your surf session. The owner expressed to us his desire for Ichinomiya to become the top surf destination in Japan, like a resort town centered around surfing; much in the way “Niseko” in Hokkaido has become a destination for skiers and snowboarders.

Ichinomoya offers visitors an authentic Japan-travel experience, even if you’re not a water-sport enthusiast. After all, Japan is an island nation, so naturally the sea shapes much of the nation’s character and charm. It’s here on Chiba’s Kujukuri coast you can have that once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing the sun rise off the horizon and over the Pacific; a moment that will make you feel you’ve finally arrived in the “land of the rising sun.” To top it all off, this seaside escape can be reached in just over an hour by limited-express train from Tokyo Station.

Learn how to cruise around Ichinomiya by rental-bicycle here: visitchiba.jp/things/cycling-ichinomiya/