No. 3 Tatsuo Takei Total Dedication ~ Pursuing the single fin longboard
The revival of classic longboarding began in Southern California in the late 90s. In Japan, longboarding was more minor and anti-mainstream than it is now, and at that time, Tatsuo Takei and I met in San Diego, California, and we both experienced the deep culture.
Regardless of trends, Otoko has always been committed to single-fin logs, living out of his car on the West Coast under the moniker VAN LIFE, before releasing a photo book titled AUTHENTIC WAVE, his culmination of his work in Japan and the US. Five years have passed since then, and now, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he has once again established himself in Japan, embarking on new endeavors. We caught up with him for the first time in a while via the modern-day Zoom app, to find out what he's thinking about, where he is, and what he's up to.
(Aomori, Japan. Photo: Kaori Sasaki)
Where are you currently and what are you doing?
I'm in Aomori, working on photography and myself!
Where do you base your life?
In the past, I split my time between Osaka and Encinitas (San Diego). I sold my car in California in February of this year and came back after spending almost a full year in Japan, so it felt like I was getting myself into a new environment.
I'm currently in Aomori, where I have an environment where I can focus on photography and my surfing, so I'm thinking of staying there for two months twice a year. This year I'll be there in May and June, then go back to Osaka in July and August, and then come back to Aomori in September and October. That means autumn will be the time to take serious photos. Right now, though, I'm focusing more on surfing than photography.
You came back to Japan from California, why did you choose Aomori again? It's so cold, isn't it?
Yes, it certainly is cold. The water is colder than I expected, and the wind is cold too. It's unimaginably cold in the winter (laughs). But the reason I chose Aomori is because I can be alone. I have friends and acquaintances there, but I like the fact that I don't have to go out of my way to meet people when I go to the beach. I can surf alone, and while there are probably a lot of issues with leashes in Japan, as long as you're reasonably careful, no one will nag me about not using a leash. I'm sure there are many places to surf longboards, but there's a place in Aomori Prefecture where I live that has decent waves that are perfect for longboarding. I went out of my way to find that place, and after going back and forth during this COVID-19 pandemic, I decided, ``Ah, this is it.'' I thought the waves were a little similar to those in California.
Was it more to focus on surfing? You said you focused on photography, but it wasn't a place you ended up in search of subjects?
As with the photos, the level of surfing among the people who live here is improving every year. I noticed it the first time I saw them, but the next time, and the next time, everyone's getting better and better at single-fin longboarding every time I come. When the waves are reasonably good, or the conditions are good for photography, we have local sessions and can take some sharp photos. I've been coming here for two years, and since my third year I've been bringing my camera with me, and I've been able to take a variety of longboard photos that are a little different from what you can get in California, which I think is fulfilling in itself.
But even if it's fine now, it'll be tough in the winter.
I guess I can't do it in the middle of winter. The end of October is my limit.
This is Japan, so of course people don't live in their cars, right?
At first I lived in a hotel, but I couldn't cook even though I wanted to. After about the third year of going there, I started to make friends and was able to rent a room in their house, and now I rent a room on a monthly basis.
You're not bringing in a pro surfer to film it, are you?
That's mostly true, but Nakamura Seitaro comes over occasionally. That's another thing I enjoy. He has some amazing surfing.
Anything else?
It's not that famous, but local surfers from Chiba and even people from Shonan, the farthest away, come here every now and then. I think underground surfers are starting to notice the surf scene here too. Troy Elmore and foreign stars, and Andrew Kidman was there last week.
Please tell us about the study groups you are currently holding around Japan.
I used to invite American kids to my house and show them videos. If one kid said they only wanted to see Lance Carson, I'd say OK, and show them a collection of Lance Carson movies that I'd dubbed over and over again. Kids would come in on Saturdays and say, "Whoa!" But the more sophisticated kids would want to see David Nuiva next, and so on. The Japanese screenings are an extension of that; in the past, there was a focus on surfing over the Sixties, but that's no longer relevant.
In particular, we have come a long way from California in the 90s, but we thought it would be good to keep a grip on that, so that's why we started a study group for adults.
So in the '90s, we were in America 30 years after the '60s, and there was a lot of excitement. A lot of things happened, and now we're 30 years after the '90s. So, from my experience, I think it's going to get exciting again, and someone will start a new movement. Maybe it'll be in California, Europe, or maybe a group of women will start it. Starting this year, people are starting to say, "Let's get serious about longboarding, let's get single fins, let's get ready early."
In this age of YouTube, the internet, and social media, why do you choose to stick to analog methods?
Well, if you do it online, it will spread, but I want people who like it to come, so I think doing it in various places while actively connecting with people I like suits my pace. There are times when I'm surprised, like, "Oh, there's a surfer like this in a place like this."
There are inconveniences that come with the coronavirus pandemic and being unable to move around, but as a reaction to that, I think we should move around and have fun now, and do things little by little.
Our current study group is focusing on the 1960s, but once we've gone around that period, we'll have to study the '90s, and we've already prepared the material for that. Joel Tudor, Tyler Hazzikian, Matt Howard and Brittany Quinn, we have to cover those guys. JJ and other longboarders of the same generation said they grew up watching Matt and Brittany surf.
(Robin Kegel Photo: Tatsuo Takei)
Are you working on anything with Robbie Kegal, who's an outlaw like Matt & Brittany?
I'd like to catch Robbie soon and take some decent footage and photos. I hear he's grown a lot since then, but have you seen his Morocco footage? He's a really cool surfer.
He's had a blast in France and is now in Ojai, California, so I'm looking forward to his next project. I hope he comes to Japan soon (laughs).
You've had a long relationship with Nakamura Seitaro, and he was in Cardiff at the same time as you in the late '90s.
Yeah. At the time, he came to Cardiff Reef with Pipes and Kevin Connelly. After that, we would meet by chance in Japan, but we were both in a hurry and would only exchange a few words, then we'd meet again, but we happened to meet again in Aomori a few years ago. He comes here once a year, so when he does, I make sure to take the time to take as many photos as I can. I feel like we have similar things and what we like.
There's something I want to decide on for this year, and we've been talking about having another session during a typhoon swell or early autumn. He's one of the subjects I want to photograph over a longer period of time. To me, he's one of the few people who really shines.
Also, since last year, I've been doing underwater filming, and Seitaro-kun helps lift my spirits. It's pretty tough now that I'm older, but the water housing is heavy. I'm wobbly while doing it, and I learn something new every time (laughs).
There's no doubt that Thomas Campbell's The Seedling, in which Seitaro appears, was an epoch-making film that introduced the world of single-fin longboarding to the younger generation of Japanese people, but at the time, before VHS was released, I remember that it was probably just me, Tatsuo, Seitaro, and our friends who were there at the premiere at the La Paloma Theater in Encinitas, San Diego, and the only Japanese people there were there.
Yes, I remember that. And Andy Davis was selling The Seedling VHS tapes and t-shirts in the theater lobby.
Thomas was hanging out in LA with Jimmy Gamboa and others, and at the time I just had the impression that he was a skateboarder photographer who was then making surfing videos.
Thomas had a black and white photo in SURFER magazine, and after that I was shooting 16mm movies in Cardiff, so I introduced myself. He said, "You take photos with a Century lens, don't you?" He asked me how I developed my photos, and I told him I did it at school, but I was about to graduate and wondering what to do, and he asked me if I wanted to share a photography darkroom with him. Then I shared a darkroom with Thomas and his girlfriend Michelle (now Michelle Kidman) in Encinitas. After Seedling, I went to Australia for four months, and when I came back they had already broken up and it was pretty bitter (laughs).
That was the 90s, but Seitaro and I sometimes talk about how we haven't wavered at all since then, and how we're still doing the same things.
What is the reason for sticking with classic single fin surfing for so long?
It's deep and interesting, and I don't think there's anything else like it. It's like how even if you've tried a lot of different ramen, you always end up at the same place.
Actually, I don't really have a specific goal in mind, I just keep going around in circles with this one thing, but I still feel like it's quite deep.
When I met Seitaro for the first time in a while, I thought, "He's even more polished than he was in the 90s, and the level of polish he's shown is incredible!"
I've been doing photography for a long time, but I'd like to take it to the next level, so he's given me another opportunity to revisit photography.
(Cardiff by the sea Photo: Julian Martin)
You wrote about van life in your photo book AUTHENTIC WAVE, but what was it like actually living the beach life? It's not something most people can do. How long did you do it for?
I've had two different cars and I think I've been doing it for over 10 years in total. I've been doing it since before it was called van life, and I've seen the beach life of many different people and seen it for what it really is. Living the beach life has had its good times and its bad times, but you kind of forget the bad times as time goes by (laughs). But even in those times, there have been many times when I think it was the best.
I live in a car, unable to survive in an environment where it's sometimes hot and sometimes cold and it's hard to adjust the temperature, and I need two things: hope and work. I thought this was the most efficient way to avoid buying a house. I can't have a family, but I've been able to do it because I had the goal of publishing my own photo book.
When you live a normal life, your possessions just keep piling up, but when you start living in a car, there are things you have to throw away and give up.
That's right. Deep down, I want a wife and a family, but if I don't set a limit, it would be rude to my partner and I might end up depending on them.
It's the same with things. If you don't take care of them, they just keep piling up. As I get older, I feel less and less like I want this or that. Even though I don't own anything, I now have time for myself, and I'm able to face my time alone, which I think is the culmination of everything I've done so far. I guess it's a bit like bath time. Today, after going surfing, I went straight to the hot springs. I got my body in shape and went to bed early. It sounds like something an old man would do, though (laughs).
That said, in America, no matter how tired you were from living in a car or filming, there were no super public baths and you couldn't even take a long bath, so it must have been tough.
That was tough! I used the shower at the fitness center, but the boiler was old, so it took a long time to heat up and the shower was slow. It was especially tough in the winter. I experienced a lot of things like that while living in a car.
(CA VAN LIFE Photo: Julian Roubinet)
You've been following the California classic longboard scene for a long time now. What do you think are the current trends?
To be honest, I think it's a bit frivolous (laughs). That's because, ever since Joel held the duct tape contest, more young people and nerds have wanted to try longboarding, but in reality, longboarding isn't the only thing they're into. I'd like to see more older guys surfing, and I'm sure they don't know what the 1960s is or what David Nuiva is. I'd like the generation that's into longboarding, regardless of nationality, to study a bit more about the 1960s and 1990s.
It's been about 30 years since you first studied abroad in California in the early '90s. How do you think the people who gather at the beach and the atmosphere have changed?
It's changed a lot. Nowadays, the beach is filled with people from tech companies like Amazon and Google, and they come to the beach in Teslas. They accelerate so fast they could run someone over in a parking lot, and it's amazing. They're wearing their fins upside down, and I think that's quite a change (laughs).
Which surfer would you like to photograph next?
As I mentioned earlier, in California I would like to work with Robbie Kegal and the young Zach Florest, and in Japan I would like to work with Seitaro Nakamura and Yuta Seto if I have the chance.
What kind of surfboard do you like? What's your favorite break?
I like longboards that are a little heavier, with a pointy nose like the Phil Edwards or Mike Hinson models.
My favorite breaks are those suitable for longboarding, like Cardiff or Sanno. There aren't many breaks like that in Japan, but I've come across classic waves that make me feel like I'm in California in places like Shichirigahama in Kamakura, Kashima in Shizuoka, Onjuku in Chiba, Hirai in Ibaraki, Irago in Aichi, and Misawa in Aomori.
(Upnorth Photo: Masato Sato)
How many surfboards do you own now?
One longboard and one single fin shortboard! The ultimate two.
Your board and your lifestyle are both minimalist and thorough.
Yes, because I don't want to be confused. I sell them all over the place, and I only have one in California. My longboard is a heavy 9'4" Davenport Tatsuo Special. I've been improving it for four or five years, and now I'm riding a model made for Japan. My shorter board is a 70's Gun from Surfboards by Donald Takayama that I had Noah Shimabukuro make for me. It's 7'6", but it's quite wide and thick, and I sprained my wrist on a dolphin when I was surfing in Aomori the other day (laughs).
Please tell us about the films that have influenced you. If our readers were to watch one, which one would you recommend?
"The Endless Summer (1966)", "The Hot Generation (1967)", "Evolution (1969)", "The Five Summer Stories (1972)", "Big Wednesday (1978)", "adrift (1996)", "Fine Flow (1999)", "The Seedling (1999)", "Zinfandelz (2013)" ”, “Forbidden Trim (2017)”.
When do you think the film will be completed?
Hahaha (laughs), you mean the 16mm. Please wait a moment! I've been filming since 2000, and I have about 25 minutes of footage, but I'd like to shoot the rest in a different style, rather than in a documentary style, and complete it. I'd like to use a technique of putting a film within a film, like when a 16mm film canister was found somewhere in America and a Japanese man named Takei filmed it. I don't think it has to be a surf movie no matter what.
16mm is expensive, after all. Each film is two and a half minutes long, and I have 25 of them, but I can only shoot them when the time is right. When I first started, I was just doing test shots and the footage was choppy, but I also got some interesting footage, like Joel's single fin shortboard. After a five-year hiatus, I started filming again, and I discovered that Joel's surfing style had changed, and I realized that I was filming much better than when I started.
Where will the screening be held and what style will it be?
I think the current caravan-like, study group-like style would be good. I'd like to show the film to a certain extent, narrating it myself. If I'm invited to any part of Japan, I'll go anywhere, and I'd like to travel to various regions with a projector. I'm not thinking about online screenings for the time being, but after that I'd probably go to America. I've never been to Europe, so I'd really like to take the photo book and film with me. When I do, I'd like to include some footage from Japan.
Thank you for today. I'm looking forward to your next work!
(Authentic Wave | Surf Photography by Tatsuo Takei 2018)
Interview by Mio Kawazoe: Born and currently living in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Graduated from the University of California, San Diego, surfing club. With a father who was a first-generation Japanese surfer, Kawazoe encountered overseas culture from an early age. From the early 1990s, she lived in San Diego and Malibu, California, for 10 years, experiencing the longboard revival. After returning to Japan, she became editor-in-chief of ON THE BOARD and worked on GLIDE and other magazines. Using her unique network, she has introduced real California logs and the alternative surf scene to Japan.