A small beach town located about 80 kilometers from Tokyo has been preparing to host surfing's Olympic debut, and now it hopes it can ride the swell of momentum that will come with being at the sport's epicenter.
The Chiba Prefecture town of Ichinomiya and its approximately 12,000 residents are looking forward to the positive impact brought by the Olympics, even though the coronavirus pandemic has proved a complicating factor for locals who are trying to make the most of the games.
For Toshimune Hashimoto, who owns a small hotel near the Olympic venue at Tsurigasaki Beach, the games have provided him with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to host the U.S. surfing team and to witness how Hawaiian superstars like John John Florence and Carissa Moore prepare for competition.