jaken!

good morning. gosh, we’ve been sleeping late every night. and since our breakfast is 6:30 in the morning, i want to get some good rest but can’t. my eyes just open at 4am and i’m so awake. then the “shimanchu nu takara” song pops in my head and i start singing. i don’t know what it is but i think i have an idea. i’m going to okinawa in a few days and i’m so excited!!! it’s my 3rd time for this year and i might be going back again before the year ends. i want to get a big barrel, and spear a big tuna. ‘BOKU GA UMARETA[:????$B”L(B?:][:????$B”L(B?:]KONO SHIMA NO UTA O[:????$B”L(B?:][:????$B”L(B?:]BOKU GA DORE GURAI SHITTERUN DARO[:????$B”L(B?:][:????$B”L(B?:][:????$B”L(B?:] i’m so happy!!!!!!! have an awesome day!
we’re heading to hiroshima today. i’ve been there 2x and it’s pretty heavy for me because of the atomic bomb museum. we have a few people in our group who’s grandparents are from there. my grandparents are from there too so i know that feeling. it’s going to be heavy for them but it’s something that every person in this world should see. now, they are going to finally see japan’s side. a side that not too many americans know about….


tomoe ame or what we call in hawaii “rice candy” has been around for generations. i’ve been eating it from baby time and so has my mom’s generation. they sell it all over in hawaii and i was wondering why i don’t see it in japan? or do they still sell it here? and i wanted to ask tomoe-san, “what happened to the little toy?” yeah, there use to be a little plastic toy in there. now, there is only a sticker. i bought a box the other day on the way to the airport in hawaii and was shocked to see only a little sticker in there. “I WANT MY TOY BACK”……

*junior’s been checking out my blog for sometime now and we’ve been emailing each other. i was always amazed by the awesome photos he posts and now just came out with JUNIOR’S A-FLAME SLIDESHOW DVD. i’m stoked that he sent me a copy. thanks so much junior!!!

i think junior lives in kamakura or something because i see so many photos from there. thanks again junior. shooting, surfing, and blog ganbatte ne!!!
**CLICK HERE FOR JUNIOR BLOG…

good evening. day 3 here and things are going by so fast. i guess time flies when your having a good time. and a good time is what i’m having. i got a few emails from people asking questions.
what i do for a job? my job is to surf. my job is to shoot photos. my job is to free dive. and my job is to have fun.
what am i doing here in japan with 18 people from hawaii? i’m with red sea adventures showing 18 wonderful japanese americans from hawaii around. we’re going to places thats not in your typical guide book. it’s a lot deeper than that. and at the same time, we’re filming for hawaii skin diver tv. i can’t say too much about that because i don’t want to blow the plot. but we’re getting some awesome footage that will blow the minds of the tv viewers back home in hawaii. it was once my dream to show the people of hawaii, japan, and to show the people of japan, hawaii. and at the same time, introduce the wonderful people along the way…

when ever i come to osaka, i go to my favorite restaurant. i’m not going to say where it is because it’s already too crowded. anyway, we had a little party there last night and what seemed normal to me, was not to the other 17 people from hawaii. we pulled up and our table was lined up with sashimi platters (as fresh as it can get), sushi platters (some of the biggest you ever seen), tempura platters (shrimp, anago, pumpkin, corn, etc…), and fresh uni, crab, and all kinds of other things. everybody was so excited and it made me happy. why? because i know exactly how that feels. i was once there!!!! anyway, meet the master of the restaurant. this man does everything. he even let’s me go behind the counter and watch him prepare the food. i seen him take a fresh fish, then 2 minutes later, it was sashimi on a platter going to the table.
did i ever tell you about another dream i have? that dream is to become a master chef. then to make a small restaurant in hawaii. i go dive in the morning to get the fresh fish for the restaurant, go for a surf. go to my restaurant and line up the fish on the counter. the customer walks in and tells me what fish he wants to eat. i make it sashimi, nitsuke, or steamed style right in front of him. pour him a drink, pour me a drink. and talk the night away. that’s japanese style and that’s the kind of places i love. gosh, i better start!!!

check out this old elementary japanese school. wow!! talk about “old school”…..

i was teaching the others how to use japanese toilets. i want to make sure they squat the right way. and i want to make sure that they don’t think these are sinks and start washing their hands in there. haha….
**i got so many photos but no time to download them. in fact, i still got photos from my last trip in my camera that i haven’t downloaded yet. chotto matte ne!! anyway, have a wonderful evening….