i was looking back at the 5th year go-naminori anniversary party last year. it’s unbelievable how many surfers and supporters are involved with this site. to think we started this as a hobby for friends and it just started growing and growing throughout the years. then the people we’ve connected blows me away. just by all the wonderful friends i’ve met along the way is like a dream come true. connecting hawaii and japan was my vision 20 years ago and it’s now reality. back to the party, i’ll take you step by step on what i’m still trying to remember.
my friend owned this wonderful penthouse on top of the ilikai hotel. i asked him if i could borrow it for a night, and the rest was history. i took this photo when i got there. there were about a hundred people crammed into this penthouse. the next morning was a mess. imagine cleaning up a huge condo with the biggest headache?
japanese from japan. japanese living in hawaii. local japanese. japanese hawaiians. we were one big family! and still are!
to cram all the wonderful people in my life into one room is a potion for happiness. it was white teeth smiles all night. cheese! hey kimura-san, where’s your white teeth?
Go-Naminori Official girls! Nao Omura (Japanese Champion Surfer), Alyssa Wooten (Model/Surfer/Designer), Kelia Moniz (Surfer/Model/Roxy). we are family!!!! these are the Go-Girls!
this is my pot of gold. pure cool, pure kind, pure friends, and pure forever. i’ve known these friends before i reached puberty. and i owe them my life for always standing by me and supporting me with anything i do. stay gold!
the Go-Groms. hawaii+japan+okinawa on one sofa. all champions!!! and all our future!
live okinawan music, good food, good drinks, good people, and good smiles. i haven’t been to a party this good in my life. one big surfing community just having fun.
reid, kimura-san, hayato, and jacksan in the back. haha. do you remember taking this photo? i sure don’t.
okinawa’s tomoka, and takahashi-san. we do this in okinawa, we do this in wakayama, and we do this in hawaii. and we will do this again next week! hey tomoka, where are you? hope you get back from your freediving trip by next week. and takahashi-san, can i borrow your harley? haha. we will be singing “Shimanch nu Takara” all night long!
and for the people that left early, you totally missed out. hokkaido crab, hawaii opihi, friends, drinks, and fun came out for the after party. and after looking at all these photos, i decided to throw another party soon. wanna do it again? ok, let’s do it!!!!
**CLICK HERE FOR VOL. 5 GO-NAMINORI WEB MAGAZINE ON TOP OF WAIKIKI SPECIAL
