good morning 3:30am. left tokyo yesterday morning at 7am, arrived here in wakayama at 5:30pm. 10.5 hours and it felt super long. luckily i got to take a good nap in the car. had a very nice dinner, slept very good, and now getting ready to get a ferry to shikoku. heard there are some waves so i’m looking forward to surfing. as for the weather, it’s freezing cold! omg, i have my thermal underwear on and i’m still cold. it’s been a while since i took a dip into the cold water so i guess i’m looking forward to that. hopefully be surfing by noon when i arrive at ikumi beach. see you there!
i had a very elegant dinner at a very elegant members only restaurant in tokyo. as i sit and get served some of the best food in the world, i look at the presentation of food and think about my grandma. my grandma Osaki use to go to japan and collect dishes like this back in the 1970’s. i still have some of her dishes and use it daily back home. so eating here is like eating with my grandma. i finally could appreciate the elegance of eating good traditional food served in traditional dishes.
the tai sashimi had to be my favorite. i watched the master chef prepare this and i can’t wait to go back to hawaii and prepare some for myself.
and the lobster sashimi just melted in my mouth.
and the fried abalone. omg, i felt like i was in heaven with every single bite.
and to wash everything down with soba. the perfect happy ending. i am a very lucky person with a lot of very lucky opportunities in my life. thank you Inaida-san for the wonderful time in tokyo. see you in hawaii as our wonderful surfing sessions continue.
then i stepped out of the house, walked in the rain, took a taxi to the station, and i felt like i was a salary man again. yeah, that was once my dream.
then Saito-san and Naoka pick me up, i get in the cadillac, and we head to shikoku.
but first, i stop by Rise and Shine to see my longtime friend Matsuo. i’ve known Matsuo for 24 years so over half my lifetime. a great friend with a great heart. after he showed me his last hokkaido snowboarding trip, i got jealous. next year, i’ll try again.
if you want to surf in japan, you need a wetsuit. and luckily i have the best wetsuit in the world, Dove!
the staff are young, fresh, excited, and hard core surfers. a family, a team, and great friends.
sakura makes me happy so i was happy all day yesterday looking at the beautiful cherry blossom trees. this is beautiful japan!
then had dinner with my family in wakayama. photos coming later as i have to go. i’m sitting in the living room, everybody is sleeping, i’m wide awake jet lagged, and it’s time to move. see you in shikoku.
