ever since the big Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011, i get alerts to my iPhone whenever there’s a earthquake in Japan. so this morning, i woke up to this! i hope everybody in Japan is ok…
this morning, i finally got to open my hard drive and look at old surf trip photos. trips i have no recollection of because i was so busy that years went by so fast. it was literally one trip after another so instead of coming home and looking over the photos, i was already repacking for the next one. so looking back brought back precious memories, smiles, and also some tears. this trip consisted of Japanese legend surfer/snowboarders that took place in 2009.
we left Padang port, sailed half the coast of Sumatra, and ended up at the Southern tip of Bangkaru. it took a total of 40 hours to get there. but stopping at Nias to get a few barrels helped that long journey. 
i don’t recollect taking this photo so when i opened it, i froze. teary eyes followed by a broken heart. i miss Akazawa-san so much…
i’ll never forget the surf sessions, the parties, the laughter, and the smiles. it was probably one of the happiest times of all of our lives. Tokura-san invited me on this trip so i’m very thankful for that. 
Dear Akazawa-san, thank you for the sponsorship, friendship, and support you’ve given me from the time from Gonzo clothing to Spice clothing. those 25 years were amazing and i’m so happy to have spent time with you both in the office, and in our playground. the day will come when we both share waves again in Heaven. until then, keep on smiling my friend…
at the end of each day floating in the Indian Ocean, we would always get together, open a Bintang beer, and do a toast. as surfers, we all knew that we only have one life to live. and we wouldn’t have wanted to be any where else in the world at that time. to many it may seem selfish, but to us, nothing else mattered. we lived by ONE LIFE!
