Meet Hiromi Matsubara, CEO of Surfrider Foundation in Japan. Hiromi is a free spirited yoga instructor, macrobiotic vegan chef, environmentalist, and all around amazing human being who embodies the generosity and hospitality of the Japanese people. She lives in the woods in Chiba, close to the beach in an incredible artist community where she hosts many a wandering traveler, showing them the best that Japan has to offer. Click the link below for the full story.
Meet Hiromi Matsubara, CEO of Surfrider Foundation in Japan. Hiromi is a free spirited yoga instructor, macrobiotic vegan chef, environmentalist, and all around amazing human being who embodies the generosity and hospitality of the Japanese people. She lives in the woods in Chiba, close to the beach in an incredible artist community where she hosts many a wandering traveler, showing them the best that Japan has to offer.
My name is Hiromi Matsubara. I live a life of a surfer, NGO director, chef and yoga teacher. After graduating college, I started my corporate career in a mega financial institution (wasn’t my fit), then shifted to the non-profit sector to be part of something good, then started my own media venture company to share good ideas and stories for positive social change, then did a national radio hostess job and I am currently working for Surfrider Foundation Japan.
I spent 5 years of my early childhood in London UK and after that grew up mostly in Chiba Japan. Now I live in the woods in Chiba, a lush forest community 90km east of Tokyo, 10 min to the beach.
CEO Surfrider Foundation Japan
When the waves are good, I go surfing with friends or alone before work, head into the office (3 minutes from the beach!), have my cup of coffee and start my work. Recently as we have been organizing lots of events to increase our membership, I spend a lot of time on planning and meetings, sometimes catching the train into Tokyo. And of course with the recent leaking of radiation from the crippled Fukushima plant, we have been busy with lobbying actions, collaborative efforts with other NGOs.
Definitely yes. Many people (not just surfers) are concerned about the state of our ocean and we’d like to be a reliable, authentic, trustworthy source of information. But it’s very hard, as it is an unprecedented time in history where nobody yet really knows the full scope, scale and the real impact to the health of the planet and its people.
We have been conducting water quality and bottom sand (knee-thigh high deep) testing programs to measure radiation (C134, C137). Fortunately we have not yet detected any harmful amounts of radioactive isotopes in the water nor sand, but with our limited sample and lack of professional knowledge and expertise, it will be inappropriate to declare, with 100% confidence, the safety of the ocean. We just don’t know yet. But, we hope to build a metric or some sort of independent water quality standard with experts and officials in the future. Now talking about the food contamination. It is true that radiation does accumulate in the ecosystem (soil and food system) and some isotopes have long half lives so we just have to be cautious about where we live and what we eat, to minimize radiation exposure (both external and internal exposure).
I think all of the environmental problems today are derived from human ego. We have destructed, taken so much out of the nature, in the name of development, better lives, good lives… (but is it really that good and worth it???)
In the developed world, we have to realize that we already have so much stuff and waste in our society and yet we are still driving consumerism and capitalism which is so unsustainable. The challenge is to make people realize that we are all part of a finite system and we are the cause of the results of our problems. Only humans make waste that nature cannot digest. So we have to rethink our core behavior so we can also be part of the solution. The richest person is not the one who has the most, but who needs the least. Less is more, small is beautiful.
Meeting liked-minded passionate people from around the world and sharing the enjoyment of surfing with them.
I just came across it randomly through a local real estate agent when my friends and I were looking for our satellite office (for my previous job) somewhere in the countryside. When we found this place, it was love at first sight. We started renting in Summer 2009 and I moved out of the city and moved permanently in April 2011 — so almost 4.5 years.
I love everything about the house (except for the fact that it is darn cold in the winter!) But maybe the view from my dining room. The green, lush rice fields in the summer are absolutely stunning and it nurtures my soul and DNA.
It’s a mix and bit of everything. Californian, Hawaiian, Australian, European, Scandinavian, Balinese and Japanese. A lot of the stuff I have in the house are gifts from people who have stayed with and visited me. It’s a nice way to always remember them, the fun times spent together and feel their presence somewhere in the house.
It is so quiet that I can hear the trees whisper, the birds sing, the insects cry and the sky is actually so open and the air is so fresh, which has become almost unnoticeable in the city. People don’t even have the time or space in their minds to look up to the sky and breathe deeply.
Nature is so powerful and when I see the seasons change slowly and elegantly, I feel so much alive here. And I think being surrounded by something bigger than yourself, people become humble, gentle, giving, creative and sensous and hence try to be themselves to live life, and live their dreams. Everything here is REAL, nothing here is fake and you cannot be pretentious.
In nature, you can really let go the suppressed emotions, get in tune with you your values and follow your passions.
It’s kind of the quality of life that money nor time can buy — you just have to be here in THIS moment, HERE and NOW, to be appreciative that you are simply alive.
Also, people chose to live here intentionally, whether for surfing, in pursuit for organic, sustainable living or for other reasons. There is one thing in common; we all have a story to be told and shared and we have time and space to listen to others. It’s the story that led us here in this present living, the story we chose to be different from the norm and to be unique which is much needed in the Japanese society.
Surfing, or surf culture is a massive trend in Japan. The fashion industry started to penetrate into the surf lifestyle / culture and now it’s booming with hipster high end clothing apparels in the surf scene. It is estimated that more than 2 million surfers are in Japan! And many surf stores have opened up in my local small surf town. After the earthquake in 2011, the beach was so quiet, primarily due to respecting the sufferers and victims of the Tsunami and also people were afraid of the radiation risks. The local business were hit hard. Many of the conscious surfers, some whom are really good friends, fled and moved out of Chiba very quickly down to as far south as they could get, to escape any potential risks and threats of radiation exposure. It was sad to see them leave but sometimes we just have to accept some things and such is life. Move on and learn from our mistakes, and do good things for the future. Now people are a bit more educated and although the environment is still at risk, the 2013 summer season was busy once again with many surfers out in the water of Chiba.
Brown’s Field (organic farm and macrobiotic cafe), Travel Coffee, Primrose (Indian curry restaurant in my community), Jamnesia, my office lounge.
Malibu, Katsuura.
Mainly self taught, but I have assisted in a cooking workshop tour (to Australia ) with macrobiotic chef, Deco Nakajima (founder of Brown’s field). I have recently started my vegan macrobiotic catering, “Hiromix Kitchen” and just love cooking and being creative with new recipes. It’s all about mixing traditional healthy Japanese ingredients and cooking methods with western or foreign ideas to create something new, inspiring and colorful. It’s where people meet and mingle (hence the name Hiromix) over healthy tasty meals and there the conversation is naturally bound to be about healthy conscious eating habits. Good food speaks for itself.
Not really. My principle is to enjoy home made fresh, local and seasonal food and listen to what my body wants and what nature can provide. So if I go out for a meal with friends, I would be selective, but not too picky and would eat fish and maybe a bit of meat occasionally – to appreciate what is given and have a good time and laugh.
When working in the city, my diet became very unbalanced – eating out all the time so i decided to cook and eat well and detox at least when i was at home and started practicing macrobiotic.
That’s a hard one. I don’t know how many people from how many countries have come through… But maybe the Vouch Surf crew from Byron Bay, Australia who came right after you left. I hosted 6 Aussie Boyz (all of them first time ever in Japan) and 1 Japanese guy whom I never met before. They stayed for 5 nights and it was sheer madness… So much fun! I prepped breakfast, dinner and basically was a mom of 7 kids.
We scored good waves at Malibu from the typhoon swells, entertained the crew with a lot of new cultural experiences, had sleepless nights with an unbelievable amount of joy and laughter, and the house was full of good energy and happiness. Byron is the place I call my second home and to be able to meet, hang out with and to be part of such fun loving group of guys made my Byron affection so much stronger. I think everything happens for a reason and we all meet for a reason. I was blessed to share and give what I could offer and do all the good I can so that their first Japan trip would be memorable and unforgettable as it was so with my frist Byron trip. What you get makes your living, what you give makes your life.
Biarritz, France and San Sebastian Spain. I went there in 2011 for the Surfrider International Conference. It was so inspiring to see the surf culture in Europe and the scenery was so beautiful and historical. And of course, shredding with my best mates at 9pm in the Cote Basque were priceless moments. Oh, and the food was just amazing!
The Japanese are good at mimic-ing and re-inventing things into something totally new. We have always taken our inspirations from the Hawaiian, Californian, East Coast and now recently from Australian surf culture and cultivated that with our own aesthetics and attention, perfection to details. As In the Japanese saying – “ 温故知新” – ONKO CHISHIN – an attempt to discover new things by studying the past through scrutiny of the old, Japanese culture has its beauty in balancing the old and the modern, being minimal, simple, subtle and modest.
For more on Hiromi, check out her blog “Tales & Trails”:
/ Photography & Interview by Matt Titone
A goofy-footed graphic designer who hails from the first state, Delaware. After attending Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL then graduating from SCAD in Savannah, GA with a BFA in Graphic Design and Illustration, Matt moved to NYC and found work as a freelance designer and art director. In 2006 he moved west to Venice, CA where he co-founded ITAL/C Studio and now resides a bit further north in Oxnard.
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