welcome to winter in hawaii. it’s pretty dam cold and doesn’t get colder than this. i’m wearing sweatpants, sweatshirt, socks, and i’m still cold at night. still warmer than 0 degrees japan so can’t complain.

finally downloaded the photos of my trip. on my first night in tokyo, i was lucky to eat a special order leg of a ham. aged 3 years and by far the best ham i’ve ever eaten in my life. this is fine dining japanese style! i wish i can have another piece.

everybody loves japanese candy. thank you Toda-san!

when we where checking the waves in taiwan, Mori-san got out his Steiner Navigator binoculars. one look into the german made $2,000 binoculars, i could see for miles away. clear and crisp. now i know what i’m buying myself for christmas!

woke up this morning expecting chest high waves. i was wrong! it was overhead and perfect! i went to surf bowls and got so many perfect long barreling waves. one of my best sessions of 2014. so stoked!

coming off an airplane and paddling out into warm water yesterday felt so good. i really expected the waves to be super small but i was still excited. especially when i seen head high sets and perfect conditions!

teaching kids how to surf is so rewarding. watching them getting better and better makes me as happy as they are.

and once you can duck dive, you will see another beautiful world.

i planned to go out and catch a couple of waves but it was so good that i didn’t want to come in. perfection! it’s been a very lucky year for me when it comes to getting good waves. i hope that luck continues forever!

from japan to taiwan to japan to hawaii. sunset after sunset after sunset. the best way to end a perfect day!

on Mission 2 way back in April 2011, we found this fishing village off the main road in oshika hanto, ishinomaki. it was one of the many villages that were totally destroyed. it was less than a month after the tsunami. but something was different here. we pulled up and seen a group of fisherman working from dusk to dawn cleaning up. with so much uncertainty, these men from Kobochihama were very determined to get things back to normal, with help from the government, or without help from the government. within that group of fishermen, we met Kimura-san. a person who lost more than you can ever imagine. i don’t want to go into that now because when ever i do, i start crying. anyway, each and every time we went back to Kobochihama, Kimura-san greeted us with a smile and warm welcome. we became friends ever since and he is now a part of my life. i think about this man every time and just by his smile, he gives me strength.

that was then, this is now. when i heard about Kimura-san’s new boat ceremony, i checked my calendar, adjusted my schedule, and made sure i wouldn’t miss something i always prayed for. it’s days like this i live for, and it’s days like this that make my life so complete. watching this big, strong, and solid brand new fishing boat pulling into Kobochihama harbor brought chicken skin and tears.

tears building up in my eyes that were hard to describe. if i won a million dollar lottery, i wouldn’t cry. if i won a world championship, i wouldn’t cry. if i came president of the united states, i wouldn’t cry. this was different. this was 3 years and 8 months of emotions all coming out in one moment. this was what i was waiting for, this was in my life “The Day!” all happiness, all smiles, and all joy. this is what We Are One was all about.

japan culture is amazing. so rich in colors, so rich in tradition, and so rich in meaning. i can’t read any of these flags, but i can tell it has enormous importance in what was happening at this moment.

and to see the other fishermen on the boat was amazing. other fisherman that probably don’t remember me, but i remember each one and each of their stories of that tragic day.

a very strong boat for a very strong man.

then seeing Kimura-san’s son on the side of him was a great moment.

it was zero degrees, it was snowing, it was freezing, but it was one of the warmest moments in my life.

three generations of the Kimura-san blood, sweat, and tears.
as we were leaving Kobochihama, Matsu said it best “Hey Kirby, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!” i almost cried then. i had to hold it in. but now, i don’t. tears of joy rolling down my face. love you all! We Are One.
Photos by: Matsu

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Hammer on Head?
Good morning 7am.
North shore 4-6′ and from the North direction.
Pipeline 2-4′ and junk. No Pipeline Masters. Try again Friday. South shore swell! 2-3′ and perfect off shore!
Bowls head high and going off!
Trade winds at 20-30mph.
Clouds, sun, showers, and rainbows.
I’m going surfing.
Have a wonderful day!