I’m almost home!
A beautiful day.
So happy.

welcome to Ohchi Sushi! we always come here to enjoy the great sushi, great sake, great friends, and a great time. quality food and time at its finest.

my favorite is always the O-toro! melts in the mouth! it’s amazing how good food can make a person so happy. i never realized that until coming to japan. good food with good friends is an unbeatable combination.

after dinner drinks. great to see and spend time with awesome friends in my life. thank you Inaida-san, Yuki-san, and Junya for the great dinner, drinks, laughs, music, and memories in tokyo last night.

i’ve known Junya for 3 years now. he’s a very great musician with so much talent. i could see him singing from the heart more and more and his music is sinking deeper and deeper into my soul. i got chicken skin last night as he sang a song written by Inaida-san to our dear friend that recently passed away.

Kaoru-san was our great friend. the classic designer of japan, the stylist, and a man with a warm heart. i had a lot of happy memories that i will never forget. as i drink from the whisky bottles produced by Inaida-san and designed by Kaoru-san, i can feel a connection. i could see Kaoru-san’s smiles, i could hear his words of wisdom, i could feel the laughter, and it makes me very happy to have met such an amazing man. Cheers my friend!

after traveling for so many years in japan, i still get amazed by the transportation system. so efficient, on time, and very clean. it makes me worry so much about the rail system being built in hawaii right now. being the hawaiian time style of living, i really don’t think it will work.

Matsu and i got a train back from kyoto to yokohama. had lunch at this tantanmen restaurant in the station. omg, my mouth was on fire!!! i had to go eat ice cream after this and everything became all right.

it was really good, but it was really spicy.

a big article on hawaii came out on the surfing mag web. went through the photos and was super stoked to see the kids! Seth Moniz in flight. photo: Noyle

Isaiah Moniz in the big bowl. photo: Heff

and lucky me getting my best photo by far ever on the south shore of hawaii. my best photo by the best water photographer in the world. can’t wait to get back home and get more barrels like this. photo: Noyle

thought i’d check the international news this morning. big volcano eruption in indonesia. lucky i didn’t choose to climb that one.

396 people dead and counting. when traveling in countries like this, you better have an escape plan. every time i board a ferry, i always look for a way out in case something happens. because in countries like china, you are on your own. don’t expect anyone to help you in emergency situations.
well, got up at 4:30am. listening to relaxing music, now getting ready to go back to my home in hawaii. another fast trip, but a very great one. the more i come to japan and spend time with friends, the more i love it. a country that will fascinate and make me happy for the rest of my life. thank you and sayonara to all my friends. see you again soon.