i’ve said over and over that it was my dream 20 years ago to build friendships between hawaii and japan. not just me, but for everyone around me. and as years have gone by, my circle of friends is just growing and growing strong. surfing this past weekend with my friends from japan was an awesome moment. our 2 hour sunset session brought great waves, great rides, great smiles, and a great sunset. don’t have time send each photos individually so thought i’d just post them all. check it out.

so stoked to see Miwa-san surfing so much better each year. i was super impressed by her confidence and riding. super smooth and super stoked!

another awesome photo of Miwa-san. thank you for translating my blogs all these years! happy surfing surfer girl! welcome to hawaii.

this is not Miwa-san, this is Mia-chan. i just taught her how to do a bottom turn. bend your knees, look forward, put more weight on the back foot, and enjoy the ride. this is a perfect bottom turn!

i met Kara-san in ishigaki about 18 years ago? so long that i don’t even remember. all i remember is Kara-san being so kind, gentle, and full of aloha. and also a great surfer.

omg, the waves were so perfect! Kara-san getting ready for the off the lip!

getting very close to me. i was kind of scared his board was going to hit me in the face but i know he is a professional so i’d be ok.

my lens is 5 inches away from the tip of his board. Kara-san in full control! oh, and if you ever go to beautiful ishigaki island, Kara-san is the man! best ishigaki guide around! enjoy.

Nanako-chan just started surfing a 6 months ago. amazing progress!

Maki-chan always surfing so strong and smooth. must be the yoga. namaste.

Pee-chan walking the board like he’s walking on the sidewalk. nice technique and cool photo.

Pee-chan surfing good too. every year he comes to hawaii, he’s surfing better and better.

the classic bottom turn. practice makes perfect.

nice set Nanako-chan! i’m still amazed on how much nabe and dessert you ate the other night. haha.

Yuuta-san has a hardcore job. he works in the sugar cane industry in ishigaki. no machines, he cuts sugar cane after sugar cane by hand. his job quota is 4 tons of cutting and loading sugar cane per day. yes, by hand/per day! that’s how our ancestors that came from japan to hawaii did it 100 years ago. so stoked to see the old school style still going strong in ishigaki!
it’s a dream so have such awesome friends in this beautiful world! businesses will come and go, surfboards will break and be gone, things will get damaged or stolen, but surfers friendships will last forever. that’s what i truly believe. so keep on surfing!

OMG!
Good morning 5am
North shore 2-3′ and clean.
South shore waist/chest high and clean.
East winds at 10mph.
Super sunny and warm.
Going dawn patrol.
Have a wonderful day!

another marathon day in the ocean. surfed 4 hours in the morning with Dr. Hara-san. a super cool doctor from Shimoda that loves to surf. we had morning boot camp and after our 4 hour session, Hara-san told me he caught more waves today than he would in a year. always stoked to hear that.

then i took him off the beaten path for some mexican. my favorite drink is the horchata and Hara-san liked it too.

it took me less than 5 minutes to finish this plate. i was so hungry!

then we went to bubbies ice cream to get some mochi ice to wash down our mexican meal.

then passed by diamond head to check the waves and wind. it was such a beautiful day today!

then i take Hara-san to an Open House near diamond head. the view was amazing!

then we went outside where pool meets jacuzzi meat ocean. dream house?

check out Hara-san enjoying the view. it’s so funny because i sat in that chair before and thought to myself “someday!”

this is my favorite room of the house. good for my friends.

and yes, a well stocked bar is essential.

i even parked the truck in the driveway to see if it would fit. perfect!

want to buy it? well, it cost $6,638,000 and it’s yours! that’s 789,230,094.54 JPY. someday? or noway? haha.
then we stopped dreaming and surfed again this afternoon. a 1.5 hour session brings up our total to 5.5 hours of surfing! Hara-san surfed so good! learned how to do a cutback today and did too many to count. driving back to the hotel, Hara-san tells me “i think i caught more waves today than in my whole life.” a strong surfer, a happy man, a great smile, and a great doctor! thank you Hara-san! surf your dream!