good morning. had a wonderful day scoring super fun waves with good friend yesterday in shonan. such a different surf culture than hawaii. enjoying every minute of it!

timing has been crazy recently. wasn’t even planning to be in shonan but the waves just brought us here. found out Miwa-san and Nanako-chan were coming so we all hooked up and made it happen together. Naoka, Saito-san, and Matsu too. we enjoyed this beautiful day surfing, eating, and laughing together.

then we went to zushi to have lunch. gosh, it felt like we were in santa barbara.

ate at a local teishoku restaurant. i ordered the roast katsu and ramen set. $8 or 1000 yen for all this. and i ate it all!

then went window shopping down by the marina. walked into this store i’ve never heard of before. Yuki-chan works there so we had to check it out.

i felt like i was in beverly hills! just the top of the line of everything with top of the line prices. if you want to impress your girl, bring her here.

1,500,000 yen for this shirt?

yes, that’s $13,000 USD. i can’t believe people actually buy these kinds of things.

and 78,000,000 for this necklace? that’s $70,000 USD. gosh, if you bought this for a girl, she will love you for life. well, she better love you for life. haha.

i could hang out at marinas all day long if i had too. just looking at boats and day dreaming.

then we sat outside at the lounge and talked story for a while. good surf stories from everyone. gosh, it felt so good hanging outside with the hot sun and cool winds.

then the girls and Saito-san went for round 2. waves super perfect for them and really uncrowded. i sat on the beach taking photos and watching them surf into the sunset. the most amazing sunset with Mt. Fuji in the back. wait till you see the photos i took on my good camera!

then went for dinner. i’m not supposed to eat shrimp but i couldn’t resist. after a few pieces, my stomach started to hurt as usual. curled up into a ball last night trying to fight the pain. feel much better now but not perfect. i should stop eating shrimp already.

dinner with wonderful friends! and like usual, within the first 30 minutes, the waitress came to our table and said “volume down please!” haha. we were once again too loud enjoying our wonderful time of bonding.
5am now and heading to the dove contest and party. going to be another amazing day with friends from all over japan. can’t wait to see them all! have a wonderful day!

Japan surf culture and style!

for the past 30 years, i must have spent over a thousand dollars on masks. i’ve tried everything that ever came out and masks aren’t cheap. some costing $80/each. i would save my hard earned money, buy a good mask, take it in the water, and it would either leak, or smash my face giving me headaches. and once you use a mask, you can’t return it. that’s why the past 10 years i’ve been using the cheap old school round amasan masks. it works good but once you go deeper than 60′, the pressure gets pretty bad. and yes, i’ve also been spending a lot of money trying out other masks in the meantime.

then a month ago, my friend Umino-san from japan gives me a present. a mask? i thought to myself, “this isn’t going to work.” but he explained to me the concept, and i was excited to try it. custom made in japan by craftsmen. it must work!

when i put it on, it was so comfortable! and the back rest is the greatest idea because it stays on my head and is very comfortable. this mask is also adjustable in many ways.

here’s the trick for all you first time snorkelers. when you buy a new mask, there is a thin film on the lens. if you use it like that, it will fog guarantee! so take toothpaste, rub it good to take off the film, and rinse it in warm water. this is the insider trick that will save you the frustrations with diving with a foggy mask. it’s worst than driving with a foggy windshield.

this mask is magic! a perfect fit, very comfortable, and low volume to my face so no pressure at all. i took it down 80′ and it feels like i’m not wearing anything. the only problem is how i’m going to get another one of these. and i’m sure all my friends would want one too. i better thank and call Umino-san again! i refuse to use anything else from now on. after 30 years of frustrations, i finally found the magic mask!