good morning. first of all, wanted to thank everybody for their emails.
-keito-san, thank you for enjoying shimanchu no takara too. and thanks for the wonderful hula video you sent me. i’ll post it soon…
-scott, the beach break photo i posted is somewhere up north. i don’t think it’s a secret point because the whole island was there that day. but i’m not saying where just in case…
-takashi-san, i’m glad to hear you had a great time in hawaii. and glad you got some good waves at bowls. sorry again i wasn’t there….
-kurando-san, thanks for your nice comment. yes, i love the way i live my life too. i wish everybody could experience the things i do….
-and megumi-chan, thanks for the surf reports. keep on surfing!!!
-and to everybody else that sent emails, thanks so much!! LIVE YOUR LIFE TO THE FULLEST….
**i still can’t seem to get the song out of my head. since i arrived in okinawa on my last trip, i’ve must have listened to it over 1000 times. listening to it by myself as i wake up in the morning, listen to it on the way to surfing, on the way back, listening to it during my afternoon nap, listening to it during the sunset, and listening to it in the car after a few drinks while we all sing out loud. this song will be in my heart forever because of my last okinawan experience. it has so much meaning and i wanted to thank everyone in okinawa for changing my life forever…. i found the english tranlslation on the web so check it out…..

SHIMANCHU NO TAKARA BY BEGIN[:????$B”L(B?:][:????$B”L(B?:][:????$B”L(B?:]
boku ga umareta kono shima no sora wo
boku wa dore kurai shitteirundarou
How well do I know
These island skies that I was born under

kagayaku hoshi mo nagareru kumo mo
namae wo kikaretemo wakaranai
The shining stars, the passing clouds
Even if you ask me, I don’t know their names
demo dare yori dare yori mo shitteiru
kanashii toki wo ureshii toki mo
nandomo miageteita kono sora wo
But more than anyone, I know them
In joy and in sorrow
I’ve gazed up at this sky countless times
kyoukasho ni kaitearu koto dake ja wakaranai
taisetsu na mono ga kitto koko ni aru hazu sa
sore ga shimanchu nu takara
You can’t understand it just by what’s written in a textbook
Surely, there is something precious here
That is the treasure of the islanders
boku ga umareta kono shima no umi wo
boku wa dore kurai shitterundarou
How well do I know
The seas of the island where I was born
yogoreteku SANGO mo hetteyuku sakana mo
doushitara ii no ka wakaranai
The wounded reefs and dwindling fish
I don’t know what to do about them either
demo dare yori dare yori mo shitteiru
suna ni mamirete nami ni yurarete
sukoshi-zutsu kawatteyuku kono umi wo
But more than anyone, I know
Caressed by the sand, tossed by the waves
This ocean that keeps changing little by little
TEREBI de wa utsusenai RAJIO demo nagasenai
taisetsu na mono ga kitto koko ni aru hazu sa
sore ga shimanchu nu takara
You won’t see it broadcast on TV or playing on the radio
But surely, there is something precious here
It’s the treasure of the islanders
boku ga umareta kono shima no uta wo
boku wa dore kurai shitterundarou
How well do I know
The songs of this island where I was born

TUBARAAMA mo DENSAA bushi mo
kotoba no imi sae wakaranai
The Tubaraama, and the Densaa Bushi, [1]
I don’t even know the meaning of the words
demo dare yori dare yori mo shitteiru
iwai no yoru mo matsuri no asa mo
doko kara ka kikoetekuru kono uta wo
But, more than anyone, I know
On celebration nights and festival mornings
The songs that drift over me from somewhere far
itsu no hi ka kono shima wo hanareteku sono hi made
taisetsu na mono wo motto fukaku shitteitai
sore ga shimanchu nu takara
Until that someday when I part from this island
I want to understand the precious things here more deeply
That’s the treasure of the islanders

(sore ga shimanchu nu takara)
(sore ga shimanchu nu takara)
(That???s the treasure of the islanders)
(That???s the treasure of the islanders)
**now come along and sing it with me….

eat, work, sleep…
goodnight…

gosh, i sure miss those wakayama oysters from the other day. it was so creamy!!! thanks again waka-san for taking me diving. can’t wait to go again….

somebody asked me the other day how deep i can go. i really don’t know because i don’t dive with a dive watch. i use to have one but freaked out when i’d dive deeper than 60′ or 20 meters because the alarm would beep. it was a mental thing so i gave the watch away. the deepest i’ve ever dove before? umm… i used a 100′ or 30 meter tag line before and took it all the way down. if i didn’t have the line holding me back, i would have went deeper to chase that fish. but when the line stretched and i realized how deep i was, i looked up and got a little scared. so to say exactly how deep i dove before, i wouldn’t be able to answer that. diving is 90% mental and if you have a strong focused mind, you can make 100′ deep dives and hold your breath for 3 minutes no problem…. just make sure you have a dive partner you trust your life with….

and last, as probably every single japanese person knows, sakai noriko got released on bail for doing drugs. i watched the news and couldn’t help to feel sorry for her. people make mistakes in life and i just hope everybody can forgive her. i already did. why? because in america, drugs are a big problem and i’ve seen it ruin too many lives. and i also seen drug addicts recover and do good things for the community. nobody is perfect. i just hope noriko can recover and educate japans youth about the dangers of drugs. we need role models that have been there and done it. we can now just sit back and hope that good comes out from all this bad. ganbatte aya!!!