good morning. have you ever heard of fujiya zenzai in okinawa? it’s like shave ice with azuki beans and mochi balls. it’s the favorite snack of okinawa and i heard they deliver to where ever you are. i always eat it when i’m in okinawa…..

mix everything up and don’t eat it too fast or you will get an ice cream headache. i’m going to eat one today too…

and i’m not the only one enjoying it. the owner of fujiya happens to be a friend of mine and also a great surfer!!! that’s what makes fujiya even better….
**now getting back to the 2 nights ago when were fortunate to have the locals play live music for us. the beat was high, every body was dancing, singing, and giving each other cheers at any chance. then the mood swings as he starts strumming on his sanshin the opening cords for nada sou sou. the cheers stop, every body’s in silence as he starts singing. people were actually tearing to one of the most beautiful song i’ve ever heard. nada sou sou is a song out of okinawa about losing a loved one. the words are beautiful and even though you don’t understand japanese, you feel comforting, happy, and sad at the same time. it’s a song that when played, reminds me of grandparents that passed away. listen to it as you watch the emotions in the room change. it was a pretty heavy experience for me because i usually listen to that song alone. but to listen to it with a room full of happy people that emotions change with the first strum of the sanshin, it was pretty heavy. i could just imagine what was on everybody’s mind… i know what was on mine… my grandparents that passed away….

saiko!

good evening, i’m still tripping out about last night. imagine sitting in an old okinawan house style restaurant on a side street, eating and drinking with friends, then one of the staff takes out his sanshin and starts jamming live. everybody joins in, there are laughs, and even tears. one minute we are all cheering and dancing with total strangers, then another minute, there are silence and tears when he starts to sing nada sou sou. it was an experience i will never forget….

these people are like family to me. i can’t explain their kindness and warm hearts in words….

the guy on the left walked up and plugged in his sanshin, the girl on the right started beating her drum, and that was the start of the party. there were people from osaka, kobe, fukuoka, nagoya, wakayama and from other parts of japan. we were all complete strangers enjoying the okinawan culture together….

there were so many cheers that my glass cracked!!!
**anyway, as much as i thought i knew about okinawa, i’m still a virgin here. there are so many things to do and see on this beautiful island and i can’t wait till tomorrow. for now, check out the live fun we had last night in that classic restaurant. this was the fun part. i will post nada sou sou tomorrow. i was watching the video of that and i had the chills. well, have a great evening….