Surf Stadium Japan advances construction of American Wave Machines powered surf facility

Growing interest in artificial surf wave attractions in Japan is to see an American Wave Machines powered surf facility in the coastal city of Shizunami on the country’s main Honshu island.

Currently under construction and scheduled to open in June, Surf Stadium Japan will use American Wave Machines, Inc’s PerfectSwell® technology to facilitate competitive training and stimulate a fast-growing enthusiastic surf community.

Aiming to create an arena as an atmosphere for surfing that will bring viewers closer to the action more than ever, the PerfectSwell Surf Stadium Japan is located close to Makinohara, in Shizuoka Prefecture, chosen to house training facilities by Olympic surf teams from several nations for the upcoming 2020 Olympics.

Explaining that Surf Stadium Japan (SSJ) selected what it sees as “the best performance wave pool in the world”, SSJ Executive Director, Tooshihiko Adachi stated “this project is the realisation of a vision that took four years of gestation.

“Our goal has always been to contribute to the vibrant and deep culture of surfing in Makinohara.

"With our project, we can expand the surfing community by offering recreational surfing activities and, at the same time, contribute to the development of athletes."

Welcoming the attraction, Kimifumi Imoto, Director of the Japanese Surf Association, advised “in the near future, wave pools will be a key part of the optimal training, with repetition of waves on demand.

“PerfectSwell Surf Stadium Japan will offer international surf teams the opportunity to train in an environment that imitates in detail the ocean conditions with natural situations, with frequencies and series of waves similar to those found in the oceans."

Commenting on the project, American Wave Machines (AWM) Executive Director, Bruce McFarland added “we are very aware of the level of effort that was required to approve surfing for the 2020 Olympic Games. We take our hats off to the International Surfing Association for this extraordinary achievement.

"Surfing will be on the world stage in Japan. AWM has the great honour of working with SSJ visionaries and participating in the growth of the local and global surfing community."

AWM's SurfStream® facilities have a capacity of 100 while PerfectSwell® surf pools have an additional 0.4 hectares with a capacity of 1,000. Since 2007, more than 3,000,000 sessions have been enjoyed at American Wave Machines facilities worldwide.

Click here to contact American Wave Machines via their entry in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory.

Image: The PerfectSwell® Surf Stadium Japan is expected to open in June.