the coastline is so close to downtown tokyo, surfing addicts can grab a few waves on the way to work. japanese have been body surfing for over a century, floating on small wooden planked but after world war ii when american soldiers in japan began riding their long boards japanese were instantly hooked. the tokyo author and surf caroi shoji. they looked at the g.i.s having fun with just a board and they thought to themselves if they can do that, so can we, and that is how it started. reporter: japan s surfing obsession supporting a thriving local beach culture and a community of artisans like soeda surfboard which caters to a finnicky clientele. the boards are fine tuned to the surfer skill level, body lines an local wave condition. the sweat sued carries on a long tradition of custom fit