As a teenager, Japanese logger Seitaro Nakamura moved to Southern California to attend high school and surf with his influences—Kevin Connelly, Belén Alvarez Kimble, and Joel Tudor. His minimal style was on display in many longboarding films in the late-’90s. In TSJ 34.2’s “Nothing More. Nothing Less,” photographer/filmmaker/writer Tatsuo Takei tracks Nakamura’s life and career. This film is a companion to the print feature.
“Seitaro and I began meeting to shoot,” writes director Tatsuo Takei about the production of this short. “To sidestep the crowds, we maintained a meticulous schedule. We avoided national holidays, Saturdays, Sundays, and even weekday mornings. We also waited for exactly the right swell, tide, and wind. It was like a stakeout. On one occasion, we waited in the car for five hours for the conditions to line up for a 45-minute session. On another, we waited for the final game of the World Baseball Classic to start, knowing that everyone else would be watching Japan face the United States instead of surfing. We scored perfect longboarding waves. (And we watched the game afterward. Japan won.) We also spent some time in northern Japan, enjoying the quiet atmosphere and beautiful waves of the countryside surf communities.”
Pick up a copy of TSJ 34.2 to read “Nothing More. Nothing Less: The traditional approaches of Seitaro Nakamura.”
