i had no idea that yesterday was the last day at the older wing at the Okura Hotel in tokyo. they are going to knock it down and rebuild it just in time for the 2020 tokyo olympics. so pulling up there was kind of a weird moment. happy to be there, but sad at that this beautiful hotel will be gone forever.

the lobby was packed! people from all over wanting to get the last glance at this historic hotel.

media everywhere! when you think about it, it’s like Moana Surfrider Hotel getting demolished to build a new hotel. unthinkable for me.

people even taking photos of the elevator. i stayed at this hotel a few times and the rooms are so beautiful! jumping in the big bathtub, sleeping on a high quality bed, and waking up overlooking the terrace and pool. i’m sure going to miss that a lot.

and to think Kyubei Sushi will be gone is sad. this restaurant is rated as one of the best of the best sushi restaurants in the whole wide world. i’m sure going to miss this place too.

dinner there is always exciting. i just wait patiently for dish after dish to come my way. when ever i go there, i feel like an emperor sitting on the sushi bar.

you always start off with something special. this time, it was the freshest black abalone. omg! after this, i put my camera away because i wanted to enjoy every second of my last experience at Kyubei Sushi. every last drop of beer, and every last grain of rice.

happy faces and excellent service. 5+ star hotel for sure.

then we walked into Orchids Bar. this will be the last time also. had some great time in here. good drinks, good laughs, and good memories. will surely miss it.

our last drink of fine whisky at this wonderful hotel that brought many people such awesome memories. thank you Inaida-san and Yuki-san for a wonderful night! thank you for the opportunities throughout these years for me to experience Hotel Okura. it’s like one chapter of a book is closing. looking forward to the next chapter ahead. thank you again for all the great memories!

want to know how small this world is??? first, want to introduce to our two lovely new friends. Masae-san on the left is the person that contacted me after i posted the missing boat i found in hawaii. she searched and contacted the owner for us. we’ve been emailing each other back and forth ever since. because of my lack of recognizing japanese names,i actually thought Masae-san was a man all this time. come to find out, Masae-san is a very determined woman that directs a non-profit organization called “It’s Not Just Mud.” she’s been helping the volunteering efforts in ishinomaki ever since the tsunami. an amazing person with a great big heart. to the right is Masae-san’s high school classmate Etsuko-san. she’s the english teacher at the We Are One Market in kitakami! she knows Naomi-san very well and teaches english to Hiyori-chan! it’s amazing what a small lovely world we live in. just more friends and a bigger world now in our Tohoku group of friends. thank you ladies for connecting us to the owners of the boat and thankfully leading up to a very happy ending.

Ogatu is another peninsula located near kitakami. super secluded and almost cut off to the outside world. no convenience stores, no gas stands, and no big shops. just jungle and pure untouched nature. the drive there was amazing. thank you Masae-san and Etsuko-san for guiding us there.

i was super stoked to venture into the unknown. a place i definitely want to visit again.

about an hour drive away from the city and driving through the mountains, you arrive at this little fishing village. a very small bay with breathtaking views. this is the exact place where the boat went missing.

wakame right on the shoreline.

if i lived here, i would be walking to the beach every morning and gathering wakame for my daily miso soup. the simple natural life.

this is the Abe-san couple. very happy retired japanese enjoying their peaceful and simple lifestyle.

we sat down, listened to the stories, and enjoyed the talk, tea, and snacks.

Abe-san is a retired tuna fisherman that has been working on tuna boats traveling from japan to mexico. he’s been to hawaii many times to refuel gas on the long journey to central america. an avid fisherman and waterman for practically his whole life.
Abe-san went to get his boat prepared on march 10th. he was planning to go out on march 11th to pick uni and wakame. then the tsunami came and his boat was lost at sea. Abe-san and his wife have been wondering what happened to it ever since. now, they know that it’s sitting on one of the most beautiful and secluded beaches in the world. it’s some sort of closure to a man that has been fishing for 50 years of his life. it’s a pretty crazy story when you think that his boat landed in hawaii this long after the tsunami. and it’s a pretty crazier story that i was the one to find it. and it’s a pretty craziest story how we are now all connected.

think we live in a small world? i surely do.

so happy to see the kids growing up into young fine adults. i feel like i’m shrinking!!!!

Minami-kun and Hiyori-chan sure grew up these past 4.5 years. bigger bodies and bigger smiles. smiles that can brighten up anyones day. i love it!

the beautiful people of ishinomaki. a night to remember for a very long time. good food, good drinks, good karaoke, good ramen, and most of all, good people. and when i look at the people in this photo, i’m amazed how something so tragic can bring such good friendship. tears of joy rolling down my face.

seen the most beautiful sunflower in oshika hanto. perfection! things around are looking good. new houses, new businesses, new roads, and new life. i’m so  amazed!

only been to japan for 5 days now. have hundreds of stories and thousands of memories. will be going back to hawaii tomorrow and download the photos. Then I’ll tell you everything about it.  stay tuned.

so i arrive in ginza at 7pm. i’m starving! i walk around blocks and blocks in the rain and cold wind looking for a place to eat. i see something that catches my eyes. fresh vegetables and a chef. can’t go wrong right?

i love sukiyaki! so when i see the beautiful photo of the sukiyaki teishoku on the menu, i order it. then when it comes, i thought to myself “is this a different restaurant??”

i could have made a better sukiyaki. it was just too plain and no taste. but i was so hungry that i ate every bite and even drank all the soup.
Then got back to my room and slept like a baby.  Another day has come. Going to start it right now!