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!

I’m back to Ginza!

yesterday was a big day for me. it’s been 4.5 years since the tsunami. we saw with our own eyes what happened in ishinomaki. to tell you the truth, surfing there never even crossed my mind. a year would pass and a few surfers would start surfing again. then another year, and more surfers returning. i would hear the wonderful news and think to myself “i can’t wait to surf with the locals, i can’t wait for the day we can all enjoy the ocean together.”

well, that day has finally come. the night before, we got the surf report from Azumi-san, he let us borrow boards and wetsuits, and we did what surfers do, surf! we had a great time. so many things rushing in my mind as i sit and wait for a wave. this day was always a dream for me. Matsu felt the same way as we’ve been waiting for this moment for the past 4 years. tears of joy mix with the water off our faces as we surf. words can’t express our feelings. a surfers bond, a priceless moment. nobody cares about the waves, nobody cares about the rain, all we care about is finally sharing this moment together. this is surfing, this is life! thank you Azumi-san for the inspiration throughout the years. and thank you also and Kuni-san for the local ishinomaki surfers hospitality! we shall do this again!

leaving the beach, you can still see signs of the tsunami. pretty chilling, but we are past that already. no negative thoughts, only positive vibes.

then it’s breakfast time. surf culture in japan. i love everything about it!
We Are Happy!
We Are One!