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5:00 AM. While many are still asleep, one woman heads to the ocean. Anone Matsuoka. At just 19 years old, she is already attracting attention as a pivotal figure for the future of Japanese surfing, and this time holds special significance for her.
"If there are waves, I wake up around 5 AM and surf before breakfast."
Her day always revolves around the ocean.
A Natural Passion Born by the Sea
――Please tell us about your introduction to surfing.
Matsuoka: I was born and raised in Chikura, Minamiboso City, Chiba Prefecture, and lived right in front of the coast. My parents ran a surf shop, and from there, naturally, I've been playing in the ocean since I was six, building sandcastles and bodyboarding. I was so young that I don't even remember it, but before I knew it, I was already standing on a board. My parents had a big influence, and that's how I started surfing.
The first competition I entered was when I was four years old, and I came in second in the surf shop's push class. The following year, when I was five, I won, and from then on, I found it really fun and started seriously.
――Does your whole family surf?
Matsuoka: I'm an only child, but my dad surfs a lot, and my mom surfs occasionally in the summer, so we're a surfing family. It just naturally happened that I started surfing.
Strength Forged Through Rigorous Training
――Please tell us about the background that led you to dedicate so much passion to it.
Matsuoka: It's definitely the joy of winning for the first time, and of course, surfing isn't just about competitions. The scenery when riding big waves and the feeling you can't experience in daily life have become ingrained in me. Because there's joy when I succeed, I have a very strong desire for more and more.
Of course, my current goal is to win competitions and enter the world championship race, but before that, I do it because I really love surfing and find it incredibly fun.
――I heard you had a tough time as well.
Matsuoka: Absolutely, many times. I never hated surfing, but my dad was quite strict, and we had always worked together as a team.
From around the third grade of elementary school, I started surfing all year round and began entering more competitions. But at first, I couldn't beat the middle and high school students, so I would lose in matches, or if I couldn't catch waves during practice, I'd receive instruction. At those times, I would be told harsh things. Of course, I knew it was because they had the world in mind, but the next day at school, my friends would say, "Your dad must have been mad at you," if my eyes were swollen. That kind of thing happened often, and the pain of being scolded was tough.
However, thanks to that, I think my mental strength probably grew, and I am very grateful for where I am today.
The World Opens Up with International Challenge at 10
――What sparked your awareness of the world?
Matsuoka: When I was 10, I went abroad for the first time. I went to California alone for about two weeks, and after that, I started going every year. It was a shock. There were so many kids my age, and even younger kids, all competing every weekend, pushing each other to get better. I kept placing in the top ranks there, and it really boosted my confidence in my surfing.
I became friends with girls my age from abroad, started going every year, and gradually learned English. Now I'm on the second-tier Challenger Series (CS) of the World Tour, so I think going abroad and seeing that from a relatively young age also played a part.
――I can't imagine going to California alone at 10 (laughs).
Matsuoka: There was a host family of Japanese people there, so at first, I was welcomed without any problem in Japanese. For kids under 12, there was a guide who would accompany them on the plane. I was very nervous at first, but it was fine, no problems at all.
At first, I cried. There was definitely tension and fear, but once I got there, I forgot all about it.
The Path to the Youngest Ever Record
――It was a very short period from turning professional with JPSA to becoming Grand Champion, wasn't it?
Matsuoka: When I was 15, I first entered a competition in Oarai, Ibaraki, which combined a trial to become professional with the Japan Pro Tour. I managed to turn professional in that trial, and I also won the competition itself, so from there, I registered as a professional and decided to aim for the Grand Champion title.
However, I only participated from the second of the four events, and the ranking system was based on the best three results out of the remaining three events. As a result, I placed third in the next two events, but my initial victory counted, and I was able to become Grand Champion.
Growth That Transforms Pressure into Enjoyment
――Did the pressure increase significantly after turning professional?
Matsuoka: With top athletes, it's easier for a challenger to compete without pressure than for someone already at the top. I had nothing to lose and a strong desire to challenge myself, so when I first became professional, I could compete without pressure.
However, after becoming professional and starting to get results, when people started calling me a top athlete, I felt pressure. Now I'm competing in world-class competitions, and among truly top-ranked athletes, I'm still a challenger, but I also feel a lot of pressure now about what if I lose.
As I gain experience and go through various things, there are parts where I become stronger, but the more I do it, the more I also have anxieties like "what if I lose" or "what if it doesn't go well." However, I've learned not to overthink it, and to accept and release those thoughts, which has made me feel much lighter.
Even now, I still get nervous and feel pressure, but I'm starting to find enjoyment in it.
Quality Sleep Supporting an Athlete's Life
――Please tell us about your daily schedule.
Matsuoka: If there are waves, I wake up around 5 AM and surf before breakfast, but there are more days without waves in Japan. On those days, I wake up around 6 or 7 AM, stretch first, then surf once before breakfast, come back, have brunch, and either surf again or walk my dog since I have one. In the afternoon, I surf again and then train in the evening.
In the summer, I can surf until 7 PM, so I might go to bed at 10 PM or even 11 PM sometimes, but I try to get to bed by 9 or 10 PM whenever possible.
On competition days, I wake up at 3:30 or 4 AM to leave, and competitions can start around 6 or 7 AM after entering the water at 5 AM. So, since the mornings are quite early, I try to go to bed by 9 PM.
――Do you feel the impact of sleep on your performance?
Matsuoka: When my body is in its best condition, my concentration is high, and I feel like I'm in the zone, full of energy. But if I'm a little tired or sleep-deprived, I don't enter the zone, and my performance changes completely.
I'm not yet at a level where I can have a dedicated trainer, so I have to take care of my body myself through massages and stretches. That's why I truly believe the quality of sleep is incredibly important, and I prioritize quality over quantity.
The Mystical Moment of "Seeing the Waves"
――Please tell us more about being "in the zone."
Matsuoka: I find it easiest to get into the zone when I'm living a simple life, when all I'm thinking about is surfing. Waking up in the morning, checking the waves, surfing in the morning for practice, coming home, eating, and then preparing for a competition right before it starts—that's when my body is in its best condition, and I can truly see the waves.
――What does it feel like to "see the waves"?
Matsuoka: No two waves are the same, but there are times when the timing and the way the waves break align perfectly. That's when I "see the waves," and I get that invincible feeling of being in the zone.
It's not about the waves doing this or that, but rather I see waves on which I can really perform well, waves where I can showcase my skills.
I've been watching the horizon constantly, and even when a wave isn't coming, lately I've started to know, like when I touch the water, "Ah, it might come from the right." It feels like the blood, the flow, is connected to the ocean, and I think truly top athletes probably have an even sharper sense of this ability to perceive.
Brain Sleep Transforms Fatigue Recovery
――How has using the Brain Sleep Pillow changed things for you?
After practice, I get really bad muscle pain, especially from paddling, which is the motion of swimming towards a wave. After paddling for a long distance, my neck and shoulders get so stiff, it feels like I have rocks on them. If I sleep on a regular pillow like that, it gets even worse the next day.
But when I used the pillow I received this time, I woke up refreshed in the morning with no fatigue at all, so I was surprised, like, "Wow, what kind of pillow is this?" (laughs). So, I even took it with me and used it during the competition expedition in Shizuoka.
The fatigue accumulated from training and surfing has parts that can't be recovered with just stretching, but when I woke up in the morning, I truly felt refreshed and without fatigue. Anyway, the shock of the first day was incredible (laughs).
――Did you also feel any changes in your mental state?
When I wake up in the morning, my mind is very clear. My vision is also clear, and when I say "Good morning" to my mom in the morning, my voice has more energy, or rather, I can say it more cheerfully. I think I've become much more positive in those ways.
Passion for the Future: "I Want to Teach Children"
――Please tell us about your future goals.
Matsuoka: My biggest goal is to join the world championship race and become a champion. Also, I'm looking at the Olympics, specifically the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. I'll be 22 then, so my goal is to continue raising my level, win globally, and become an Olympian.
My parents ran a surf shop, and I often taught lessons at the surf school. I enjoyed teaching a lot, and it always makes me happy to see the smiles on the kids' faces when they manage to ride a wave. Lately, I've had fewer opportunities to teach due to expeditions, but once my career settles down, I'd like to teach surfing to children.
――What does sleep mean to you?
Matsuoka: It's indispensable for my sport. If the quality of my sleep were poor, I wouldn't have gotten this far, and it's one of the most important things for me as a professional surfer, very high on the list.
The waves "seen" beyond the horizon. They are not merely phenomena, but special moments created by Anone Matsuoka's accumulated experience and sensibility honed by high-quality sleep.
"Lately, when I touch a wave, I can tell, 'Ah, it might come from the right.'"
Her words, spoken with a depth of insight remarkable for a 19-year-old, allow her to converse with the ocean. This ability isn't just talent. It's a combination of a regular daily rhythm, high-quality sleep, and above all, a strong will to "never let passion sleep." When all these come together, Anone Matsuoka becomes a surfer who "sees the waves."
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are just three years away. For her, aiming for the world's top, tonight's sleep is another crucial preparation to "see" tomorrow's waves.
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▼Passion Never Sleeps - Special Page
