No, this is not a photo from a drone or my foil.  This is a photo taken from my hotel room window.  The beautiful Wakayama Castle!  In a few days, these trees will turn bright pink when the flowers blossom.  Sakura season is days or hours away!

Walking under the trees, you see the buds that are waiting for the perfect time to bloom.  

Just this one tree in the whole castle grounds decided to bloom a little early.  Not a problem for us.

It’s the most happiest time of the year!  I’ve been watching the cherry blossoms in Japan ever since 1993 every single year.  So missing the past years from covid makes this year even better.  

My friends are asking me when I’m going back to Hawaii.  I don’t get to decide that, the cherry blossoms will decide.  Until then, I’m not going anywhere!  

In the meanwhile, I’m going to continue eating the best food in the world, continue to meeting my family and friends, and continue to live a happy and healthy life.  See you under the sakura tree!

We took a walk on Isanoura Beach.  If you come here the summer, it’s packed!  But at this time of year, you can have the beach all to yourself.

There were only 4 people in the water.  Two instructors and two students.  It looked cold but when you’re surfing, that’s the last thing on your mind.

Seeing this makes me realize why my students are so freaking happy when they come to Hawaii.

The sound of waves is the sound of music…

The birds ate this fish better than I would have eaten it.  Good job!

Then we went to Yamari for some shirasu tasting.  OMG!

When ever I book a flight, I make sure I’m sitting on the right side of the airplane.  Depending on where and when you’re flying, it makes a difference  In this case, it made a difference because nobody wants to miss a sight of Mt. Fuji.  You won’t see it from the other side of the airplane.  

After 33 years of seeing this magical mountain, I still get the chills when I see it.   No matter what angle, Mt. Fuji is amazing.

My flight itinerary included a short free stopover in Okinawa.  I jumped in a taxi and went to eat my favorite meal, Okinawa Soba.    

Yes, I made a stopover in Okinawa just for this!  It’s like someone making a stopover in Hawaii just for a locomoco.  Sounds crazy but it’s not.  Haha. 

Next stop was Miyakojima.  It felt like I was in Hawaii again.  Blue water and warm weather.  

Then back on a flight to Kansai.

Maruta-ya ramen is mandatory when coming to Wakayama.  I dream about this ramen.  This is the best ramen in the world!  Where is the next flight too?  Nobody knows because I don’t even know.  This trip is all about going with the flow…