A beach town in Chiba Prefecture is fast becoming a surfing mecca, with schoolchildren rubbing shoulders with pros and taking to the world-class waves.
Ichinomiya, a town of nearly 12,500, was chosen to host the surfing events for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But even before then, local authorities had been working to lure families to move there, hoping to revitalize the area.
On a sunny day in October, 7-year-old Mauna Fujimoto and his father, Kei, 49, dashed into the water with surfboards in hand. "When I ride smoothly on the waves, it feels like I'm flying in the sky," Mauna said with a smile. "It feels good."