i once went to a private birthday party in Tokyo.  i basically flew from Hawaii to Japan, went to the party, and flew back to Hawaii the next day.  that was a very short trip, but a very special one.  at that party, there were 3 bottles of wine.  back then, i really didn’t know about wine but i’d drink it anyway.  the wine was called “Romanée-Conti.”  and this was one of the 3 bottles and thank goodness i took a photo of it… then i was at a party recently and my friends were talking about wine.  he scanned the label of one of the bottles of Romanée-Conti i drank with his wine app, and this is what showed.  just this one bottle averaged $18,500USD or over 2,000,000 yen!  OMG!  multiply that by 3 and that’s a whole lot of money!!!   Romanée-Conti is in the Top 1% in the world for wines.  now looking back, i should have appreciated it a little more and finished my last glass.  will i get another chance?  probably not as this fine wine is even more expensive now since you can’t even find a bottle.  but if i do get another chance, i’ll sip it slower and maybe even light up a cigar.   and i don’t even smoke.  haha.  “The hangover only lasts a day, but the memories last a lifetime.”  yes, i will never ever forget that special night in Tokyo with special friends, and special wine.  that will last more than a lifetime of memories for me…

yesterday we paddled out at dark again.  and since this is not Ryu-san’s first time, he knew exactly what to do…

the morning local crew at Bowls.  very nice surfers so please don’t bother them…

Suzuki-san trying a smaller board and turning it much better.

now when he goes back to Japan, he probably can foil!

Li-san kept on practicing his new style and it looks great!

now when he goes back to Japan, he probably could become a pro surfer…

Jeannie Chesser sprayed my beautiful board, and there she is surfing in front of me.  one amazing woman…

now when Ryu-san goes back to Japan, he will probably start planning his next trip back to Hawaii.  haha…

thank you boys for the amazing 4 days of Boot Camp.  so stoked to see you guys ripping!  have a safe flight back to Japan and see you guys back here very soon…

Lots of rain, so lots of flowers…

Good morning 6:20am.

North shore waist high.  New swells starting tomorrow.

Ala Moana waist high and good.

Diamond Head chest high and bumpy.

Trade winds at 10mph becoming North winds at 20mph.

Sunny and cool.

Going foiling.

Have a wonderful day!