Amazing!

want to thank Kanae-san and Saito-san for sending some photos. most i remember, but some i already forgot. haha.

Eri-chan, Kimura-san, Kanae-san, and Yuki-chan. my beautiful friends!

i still can’t wait to see all the photos Taisuke-san took. here is a sneak peak.

super stoked to see my longtime friend Ganti there too. i met Ganti 23 years ago on an Indo boat trip. since then, he’s given me hundreds of waves at padang padang, thousands of waves all around bali, introduced me to all the bali boys, and also got me out of a lot of trouble in bali. haha. and probably the millionth time i shook Tokura-san’s hand thanking him for everything he’s done for me.

the full paparazzi! there were cameras everywhere!

i used to surf the JPSA with Ushikoshi and Fukuchi. two super good champion surfers that represented japan surfing in a very good way.

like i said, i had a glass and 2 beers all night long. some people call it japanese style. i walked around toasting to all of my friends. so imagine toasting 300 times @ 4 rounds? buy 9pm, i didn’t remember a thing.

Dove is not just japan history, Dove is international history. guys like Buttons Kaluhiokalani, Tony Moniz, and Dane Kealoha rode for Dove. some solid hawaiian roots.

i take it back. the clock in the back says 8:45pm. by 8:45, i don’t remember a thing because i don’t remember taking this photo at all.

Matchi, Kame-kun, and Satoshi. we were all Dove for most of our lives. pro surfers all surfing during the biggest surfing boom in the history of japan surfing. yeah, the 90’s were ours!

Furuki-san is an amazing artist. not only amazing, but very kind. he’s been making cool illustrations of all the Dove boys for many years. super stoked to see him at the party!

another thing i forgot. Furuki-san gave me a present during the party. i couldn’t carry it because of the beers in my hand. luckily, Yuki-chan carried it for me. such a sweet girl! i asked Eri-chan earlier and she told me “no way man!”

then the next morning it was right at my front door of my room. thank you so much Yuki-chan for not losing my precious present.

yes, a R/C Kikaider! thank you Furuki-san for the cool gift and all the amazing illustrations.

sipping sake with 40 years of history. i’ll keep this for the rest of my life.

last, want to thank my friends for celebrating my birthday with me. i can’t believe i’m past half my life span and i’m enjoying life the most. thank you again!

japanese competitive life of surfing contests. just hanging out at the beach all day long cheering on friends. here is the Toda-san fan club gallery!

at contests like these, everybody wins! here is the lucky winner of the paddling contest. winner of a round trip ticket to Bali! awesome!

and yes, the coolest hand made trophies ever! i wish i could win one of these! super classic 40 years of Dove Wetsuits.

twice at night, i walked into the wrong room. yeah, all the doors were unlocked so it was easy to make that mistake. our room was 415 but for some reason, i kept on going to the 5th floor and walking into 515. the first time i walked in, i saw different bags and stuff lying around the room. opps, wrong room! then the second time was after the party going back to our room. i walked in and seen a girl in the bathroom brushing her teeth! omg! wrong room again! i said sorry and closed the door. unbelievable i made the same mistake twice in one night. haha. i think my memory is getting bad.

waking up the next morning and seeing this is depressing. you just know you’re in for a long lazy day. i still can’t believe we all fit in our tiny room. haha.

sitting at the airport on standby getting hungry. i walk around and see something i haven’t eaten on this trip. sush! so i order the king plate for 1700 yen or $14. yummy!
i have a favor to ask. i was too busy filling up drinks all night so i didn’t take too many photos at the party. if you have some, please send it to me because i want to try to remember what happened. haha. great time, great memories, and waiting for the great photos. mahalo!