Surfrider Foundation Japan

Intro

Japan ranks 6th in the world for the country’s coastline distance(*1).
There are 173,000 people in Japan associated with fishery industry (*2).

There are 300,000 ‘active’ members registered for wave information websites. These are people who just cannot take their minds off the waves.
Japan, an island with history of association with the ocean, has built its own unique surfing culture.
Yet, the country is struggling to protect our ocean and the waves we love.

Surfrider Foundation Japan aims to fight to protect our ocean and nature, at a national level.

(*1) source: Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook
(*2) source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Who are we?

Surfrider Foundation is comprised of marine professors and professionals, pro surfers, politicians, and all – surfers who have the passion to protect our ocean and nature.

Surfrider Foundation roots from California, USA. With passion to the ocean the same, Surfrider Foundation Japan plan to fight against needs of Japanese coastline and nature because protecting ocean surrounding Japan means protecting global ocean community.

You can start helping today

Each number of membership empowers SFJ. Registration is free. For further support, help to answer questionnaire, donate, or take part in activities we or our partners engage.

For prospective corporate partners

We are looking for corporate partners to help spread the words and activities. How about beach clean up using our banners, and logo? and more…

Catch SFJ in action – our events are posted in our Japanese website.
Please contact us for details in English.

OUR STORY/Our Ocean Culture

Mano Kamakura
In fall of 2011 in the storm, a large tree reached Akahoura Beach in South Izu coast.
This was the start of our Ancient Hawaiian Canoe building project in Matsuzaki town of Izu.
As miraculous the arrival of the tree was, it was sighted with a Mano (shark in Hawaiian), a said god for the founder of FHCA, Tiger Espere who has shared with us and to the next generations, the importance of understanding and involvement to the nature and community.
Tiger Espere founded JHCA in 1998 in Kamakura Japan through ancient Hawaiian Canoe.
The entire project is called “Kamakura” project where coincidentally (or not), means in Polynnesian, “Kama = Children”, “Ku = Rise”, and “Ra = Sun”. “KAMAKURA = Children of the Rising Sun”.

mano01

The tree used to build Mano Kamakura was 10.7m long, weighing 5tonnes. After completing sequence of ceremony for prayers for building canoe and safe voyage, the curving of the canoe was completed in hands of Ray Bumatai, Kalani Kahaliomi, and Alica Bumatai. On a sunny day of Oct 27, the canoe took first ride into ocean from shore of Shonan.

link: Tiger Espere : Kama Ku Ra

Organization

Board of Directors:

CEO	Atsushi Nakagawa
Chief Director	Chie Okada
Executive	Taisuke Sakuma

Acting Organization:

East Japan Lead	Shohei Echigo
Event Director	Yuri Saito

Accounting Advisors:

Certified Accountant	Takeshi Sakuma
Certified Accountant	Kazuki Shimatsu

Chair of the Advisory Board

Michio Kato (President Surf Legend)

Advisory Board Members :

Hidekazu Aida (CEO La Luz)
Kazuhiro Arai (Judicial scrivener – Arai Kazuhiro Office)
Kiyohiro Katayama (Chairman of NGO Shonan Vision Research)
Naoki Kamayachi (CEO of Greenroom Corp)
Azusa Kojima (COO and Vice Representative at NGO JEAN – Japan Environmental Action Network)
Yosuke Konuma (Musician)
Satoru Kawasaki (Chairman of NGO Japan Skatepark Association)
Dr. Nori Kyo (ex SFJ Chairman / Director, Technology Dept, Center for Deep Earth Exploration (CDEX), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC))
Taisuke Kondo (congressional representative in Kanagawa Prefecture, Democrat Party)
Kazuki Saga (congressional representative in Fujisawa City, Liberal Democrat Party)
Genichiro Shiosaka (Chairperson for National Surfer Diet Forum)
Kenji Shino (1% for the Planet Japan / Patagonia Japan)
Seino Satoko (Associate Professor at Kyushu University)
Yuichi Toida (Chief Editor at Neko Publishing Corporation – Blue.)
Shuichi Tokunaga (previous director of SFJ)
Ryu Nakamura (CEO of H.L.N.A corporation)
Eisuke Toyama (Writer and editor)
Seiichi Narushima (Engineer, Environmental Counselor)
Yusuke Hanai (Paint Artist)
Kaho Fujisawa (Dentsu ALPHA CEO)
Masahiro Hayashi (Japan Swimming Federation, A member of Committee for Sports Environment)
Katsumi Fujikura (Patagonia Japan)
Michiaki Moriyama (ex Representative CEO of SFJ)
Taisuke Yokoyama (Photographer)