going back and looking at my old albums, i find moments that i’ll never forget. when i met Asayama-san for the first time, he was a little nervous in the ocean. but after taking him surfing big waves, free diving in the blue water, and swimming with the tiger sharks, he’s became very calm and comfortable. that was so amazing to see…
we also went on many romantic dates. eating sashimi in the middle of Kapiolani Park, having a beer at sunset, and eating salads in the mountains. it doesn’t get more romantic than this for me. haha. 
but my most memorable moment was surfing at Pipeline/Backdoor with Asayama-san. it was kind of big, very shallow, and super powerful. he took off on this pretty big Backdoor wave and tried to get barreled. he actually completed this ride and after that, i told him he’s probably the oldest man that has ever surfed Backdoor. do you know anyone older than that? i sure don’t. 
now Asayama-san is surfing in Ibaraki. still surfing, still smiling, still confident, and still calm. what a legend!
