i had another wonderful day here in hawaii! just meeting new people everyday keeps my life so fresh. the Matsubayashi-san family from wakayama are so nice. we had a great surf session followed by lunch and dessert.

Kaoru-san is a young 20 years old and has a big future ahead of him. a smart kid attending college in japan and thinking about being an exchange student at the university of hawaii. yeah, i think it’s the best college in the world! why? because you can surf, study, surf, and study again. i use to go to class with sand on my feet. it was pretty cool.

Matsubayashi-san surfed today for his first time. i was so stoked to see him riding and enjoying the moment. perfect style and perfect concentration.

Happy Birthday Kaoru-san. hope to see you studying hard in hawaii and surfing at the same time. haha.

and of course, a mochi ice dessert from bubbies.

then i went to pick up Hashimoto-san. he just flew in from japan and arrived at this hotel at 12pm. then we were in the water at 3pm. we paddled out and the waves started to come up. nobody was out at bowls and we scored the peak. he was going right and i was going left. a perfect afternoon session.

check out this perfect right Hashimoto-san caught!!! awesome!!!

i was so happy to see his surfing level improve so much. just so poise and perfect surfing all day long.

see you bright and early tomorrow morning Hashimoto-san. good night.
well, not good night for me yet. still have an empty suitcase and have lots to pack before i get on an airplane tomorrow afternoon for a special trip. going to do something i wanted to do for the past 7 years. hopefully everything turns out right. wish me luck!

Bubbie’s is Best!

i went up into the mountains last week to get some fresh air. totally different vibe, smell, taste, and noise from the ocean. love um both!

then i passed by some trees and noticed a fruit way on the top.

so i climb the tree like a monkey and pick it. it turned out to be a creamy avocado!!!!

so i take what i need, and come home.

i had such a great surf session again yesterday with Masamune. it was our third time this trip and when i asked him where he wanted to eat, he told me “mushroom chicken.” i took him to Andy’s last year and he remembered the mushroom chicken plate that they only serve on tuesday. what a great memory.

at $5.95, there is nowhere else on this island you can find such a great plate lunch.

i asked Masamune what his name meant in japanese. he told me “i was named after a samurai.” what??? i was surprised!!! it turns out, he was named after the famous Samurai named Date Masamune. Date Masamune founded Sendai and was a great Samurai warrior. that is so cool!!!! next time i go to Sendai, i’m going to visit Masamune!

another great day with a great family. Masamune’s younger sisters name is Iroha. Iroha was the name of Date Masamune’s daughter. that’ so cool!

thank you Masamune and the Urakami-san family for the great time in hawaii and for the lei! mahalo!

took this photo the other day of 74 year old Legend Surfer Ben Aipa. still surfing and still having fun.

the golden sunset of oahu from the middle of the ocean. my true power spot!