good morning from okinawa. wow, our flight got delayed last night so we got to “The Beach” hotel late, had dinner, champagne, laughs, then moved on to my favorite bar in the world “Hard Reef.” as usual, a good vibe with Kazubo-san leading the entertainment. had the customary shot of Habusake (snake sake) and next thing you know, it was 3am. a walk back to the hotel and slept at 4am. might seen crazy but this is okinawan style. i use to come here 4x a year and even stayed for a month before. every day, every night, it’s fun! i miss this place and i’m going to enjoy every minute while i’m here.
i was watching tv the other day and seen a free diver on a commercial. what? i know this girl?
OMG! it’s my friend Tomoka!!!! i met Tomoka a while ago here in okinawa. back then, she always told me about her dream of traveling around the world to free dive. i dove with her a few times in okinawa and hawaii before and she moves like a mermaid under water. super graceful, and super relaxed. anyway, the timing was weird because i just got an email from her the day before i seen this commercial. she had big news!!! Tomoka represented japan in the free diving competition in greece and won the GOLD MEDAL!!!! she dove 68M or 223′ and won the gold! i’m so proud of this girl. to see somebody set a dream and do their best to achieve it is amazing. Tomoka will bring back the gold medal to okinawa as she makes her way back home. perfect timing because we are all waiting to congratulate her.
people think we are party animals. no we are not. we just know how to celebrate special occasions and know how to have fun. turning 60 years in japan is a huge thing. it’s Kimura-san’s time to shine and we are all here to celebrate his important day.
this is Hard Reef, the most entertaining bar in the world. it’s our routine to have a drink after dinner for the past 13 years i’ve been going there. i love this place.
anyway, last night was fun and it was just a warm up for tonight. yeah, tonight is the real party. haha. see you at the party and hard reef after. for now, i’m going to jump on Takahashi-san’s Harley Davidson and take a cruise around this beautiful island called Okinawa. then take a much needed nap in my a/c room at The Beach, then it’s time to get ready for the big night. Haisai!
