i had another awesome day! i left early this morning and came home at dark. like always, i was driving home with a smile on my face thinking of this beautiful day with amazing people. just to see the smiles of japanese people enjoying hawaii makes me super happy and proud to have been born and raised here.
Harada-san is a rugby player from kyoto. he’s been playing rugby for almost 30 years of his life and loves the game. he’s also a surfer and loves to ride waves. Harada-san is 42 years old and has a body built better than most 20 year olds i know. super strong, super fit, and super happy. the waves were big today but he kept riding, kept paddling, kept riding, and kept paddling. a power marathon surf session with long rides. i was so happy to see him catching some of the biggest waves of his life and turning right and left for the first time. amazing progress!
then in the afternoon, i went to pick up Yokomura-san. he started surfing at age 50 and never stopped. hooked on surfing, owns 5 surfboards, and just wants to surf, surf, and surf. a super cool guy who knows super cool people. the waves got even bigger this afternoon and i’m pretty sure Yokomura-san caught the biggest wave of his life. he took off at rockpiles, and rode it all the way to bowls. amazing ride! wanted to say hello to all the boys at TF Surf!
and the SUP’s were out in full force today. the waves were so perfect!!!
yes, big men can surf. this is not Toda-san, this is a bowls local.
paddle in your face. i like this photo because you can see all the action. always good to have my camera on me to capture the moments like this.
then these 2 cool japanese surfer guys paddle up to me to say hi. just so nice, so genuine, and so japanese. i’m sooo bad with names that i feel like shooting myself. they are from a surf shop in tokyo who one of my old school pro surfer friend shapes at. hello to you all and hope to surf with you somewhere in japan!
and after this wonderful day, i want to thank everyone of you who connect me with this wonderful world. first want to thank Go-Naminori for making my dream of connecting Japan and Hawaii to each other. i want to thank Addict Surf in Tokyo for sending Harada-san to me. i want to thank Hayato for sending Yokomura-san to me. both Harada-san and Yokomura-san wear Dove Wetsuits so that made me super happy too. thank you to everyone even if i can’t remember your names. i will never forget your kindness. aloha.
