i’ve only been gone for a week but it felt kind of long. so happy to have seen so many of my friends on this trip. would have loved to see more, but there is always a next time. the great dinners, the laughs, the long drives, and everything brought me back to the memories of the past 24 years of my life traveling throughout japan. all i can say is that i love it!

i’ve been with TSSC for 20 years and known Yassan and Tomoko-san for even longer than that. it’s my yearly trip to shikoku and it’s always great to see them. as you can see through all the photos i took, it was yet another successful contest and i’m already looking forward to next years! thank you Yassan and Tomoko-san for always taking care of me in beautiful shikoku!

on the long drive back to nagoya, we stopped by tokushima for some tokushima ramen.

it was excellent! now i officially gained about 10lbs in one week of eating amazing food!

driving through japan is fun. this is the awaji bridge which was the biggest bridge in the world. i’ve been coming here from so long ago that this bridge wasn’t even here when i first came to shikoku. we had to drive our car onto the ferry back then. thank you awaji bridge for making us surfers life a lot easier.

had a wonderful time in nagoya with Saito-san, Kanae-san, Kosei-san, and Naoka. friends who surf and friends who will always surf. thank you Saito-san, Kanae-san, and Naoka for letting me sleep on the long drives. and thank you Kosei-san for taking me to the airport from that crazy roller coaster park. see you guys in the water!
well, boarding my flight, it was another long cold day. and also a very awesome trip to japan! 24 years ago almost to this day, i decided that i wanted to live in japan. i made that dream come true and now i’m living in it. thousands more friends, millions of experiences, and billions of memories. leaving hawaii at age 22 was the smartest thing i’ve ever done in my life. cheers!

No thank you!

nobody told me it was going to be this cold! omg, i was freezing this weekend. i had thermo underwear top and bottom, a tshirt, a long sleeve sweater, a down jacket, and long pants with socks. that’s how i slept at night too. it’s full on winter temperature and my lips are chapped, my face is dry, and my hands and feet are still cold to the bone. but hey, i’m having fun! warm hearts everywhere and good surfing. check out the gallery as i sit here at 5:30am on this cold 4 degree monday morning.

i get to ikumi beach at 5:30am yesterday and you can feel the chill in the air. the waves were excellent as the golden sun rose above the ocean.

i love watching the sun rise in the land of the rising sun!

then the line forms as the competitors check in for their heats. over 160 competitors!!!!

then the heat sheets are posted. you look for you name, find out what time you surf, then you start getting nervous. i’ve been through this many of times so i know how it feels.

then the first heats get on the way. the waves were perfect all day long.

i shoot, and i support everybody that surfs this contest.

and yes, see surfers and friends that i surf with before. everybody is happy.

and friends cheering on friends. the support is awesome.

the girls are surfing better than ever.

see the We Are One sticker? yes, a surfer with a big heart and big smile.

the media is here too. a full 300 photo gallery and video coming up soon on Go-Naminori.com.

surf with a smile. oh yeah!

and watching guys surfing better and better. i was so stoked to see these guys surfing so good!

the 2014 Dove Wetsuit lineup. no wetsuit, no surf. so you better get one.

TSSC boss Yassan always welcoming everybody to shikoku.

i’ve come to this contest for the past 20 years and this year had to be the best waves by far. perfect all day long.

and yes, the sakura making me so happy.

and eagles flying high. so much nature here in shikoku.

a view from the judges tent. perfection!

Matchi and Shun. strong surfer/shaper relationship.

and the best trophies in the world. i wish i could have one too.

then the results ceremony.

the victory stage. congratulations to all the competitors and to all the winners.

then i jump in my car that i parked on purpose under the cherry tree, take a photo, and head to the party.
full gallery coming up soon. going to pack, take the long drive to nagoya airport, jump on an airplane, get to hawaii, and go straight to the beach. i can’t wait to take off the only pair of thermo underwear i’ve been wearing everyday and every night since i arrived here. haha.