good evening. my batteries shut down. might have caught a cold but don’t want to admit it. too much work? too much play? what ever it was, it hit me like a rock. but today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow. waves and storm on the way. and one more reminder to all my japanese sponsors and friends coming next week. please don’t forget a wetsuit. the water is freezing… see you guy soon…
**since i started going to japan, it’s been my dream to bridge the gap. a bridge, or rainbow, or something to connect hawaii to japan. there is so much japanese culture here in hawaii and it was all around me while i was growing up. so i know that there huge interest in japan from the people of hawaii. yesterday, i get an email response from jared katakura. jared surfs, dives, and even hunts pigs. we’re so alike but there is one thing that separates us. jared is deaf. i was taught by my mom to use the word hearing impaired but jared told me to use deaf. so i will. anyway, after i seen jared’s photo, i remember him from last year when he came to watch yumie surf the contest at pipeline. they were communicating in sign language and i knew that japanese and english sign language was different. but the smiles were still there. these are the kind of things that bridges the gap between hawaii and japan. and these are the kind of things that make me happy. so just wanted to thank jared for his email and for bringing the deaf communities from 2 countries together. keep up the good work…

check out some photos of jared in japan with other deaf surfers… this is in hanamatsu, shizuoka…

BBQ’s in japan are the best. that’s jarad wearing the brown baseball cap backwards…

and when you guys do another BBQ in japan, give me a buzz. maybe jared and i can go grab some abalone, lobsters, and fish. and maybe even a wild pig…. yummy….
**and also wanted to thank eiko okano for linking me up with jared. that’s what friends are for….

and last, pipeline doesn’t discriminate. even the best get hurt on even the small days. pipeline charger nathan fletcher broke his leg in 2 places yesterday at 3-5′ pipe. yeah, so when ever people tell me that surfers have the easiest job, better take that back. our office is much more dangerous than yours. and if you dont’ believe me, i’ll drag your ass out to pipe on a small day and you can see for yourself. but before that, make sure you have life insurance…. hope nathen fletcher makes a speedy recovery. photo by sean davey.

cool photo….

good morning. waves dropped on the north shore into the 2-4′ range. looking fun but a little morning sickness. should be getting better as the day goes along. town back to normal, knee/waist high. north/west swells, south swells, east swells, and a lot of rain on the way. stay tuned. have a nice day…

i know a lot of japanese who come to hawaii in search for the loco moco. i’ve been eating these all my life and pretty much tried every place that served loco moco’s in hawaii. want a cheap fast food $3 loco moco, go to rainbows. but if you want a gourmet loco moco that will make your mouth water, go to the pineapple room by alan wong. it’s on the 3rd floor of the macy’s store in ala moana shopping center. i eat there once in a while with my japanese friends and every body says the same thing “oh my gosh, oishi”…. they serve the regular hamburger loco moco but the one is this photo is called the “kalua pig corned hash loco moco”. my favorite. it’s served over friend rice and once you eat it, i guarantee you’ll go back for more. even though it costs $15, it’s worth it. add $3.50 for the best plantation ice tea you will ever have. and please don’t tell too many people about this place. it’s getting more and more crowded and i hate waiting. maybe see you there today. haha.. enjoy….[:?????$B!x(B???:]
**i met kat last year in japan at a surf party in chiba. ever since then, i’ve been keeping up with her and her music. she’s getting bigger and bigger in japan and her youtube vids are getting better and better. kat’s a classic example of hard work paying off. good job kat and can’t wait to see you perform in japan this year. check her out touring in the kansai area…