A small town in Chiba Prefecture is witnessing rapid change as it gets ready to host the first ever Olympic surfing events.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Surfing - Men's Shortboard - Bronze Medal Match - Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach, Chiba, Japan - July 27, 2021. Gabriel Medina of Brazil reacts after losing the match REUTERS/Lisi ...

Famed for its good surf and white sand, the municipal beach of Katsuura in Chiba Prefecture teems with 200,000 to 300,000 visitors in normal years. But for Yuki Yoshino, 23, a staffer at the city ...