i’m surely going to miss hokkaido, but i’m surely not going to miss hiking up a powder mountain with a hangover. it’s been 2 days and my legs are full of pain. maybe i’ll do that again in another 19 years. haha.

i had a great time with the boys up in niseko. snowboard all day, drink all night. we went to this coolest restaurant in niseko called “Dragon.” owned, managed, and run by a young lady sommelier Nori-san. it was the best of the best. i’ve been to other restaurants like this around the world but Dragon had to be the best. good food, good atmosphere, good vibe, and good workers.

i’m an oyster lover and these oysters were amazing. i don’t know what was in that cream but it went very well with the fresh oysters.

then came out the wine platter. sipping wine eating this great food was amazing.

and the wild deer sausage was amazing!

i’m so happy i can enjoy and appreciate wine. just another taste, another buzz, and another world.

Nori-san is amazing. i was in awe watching her work. she’s all over the place watching her restaurant like a hawk. walking around seeing if everyone was ok, opening bottles of wine, tasting, and just being such a great host. this restaurant is a success and i really want to go back there again. becoming a sommelier is very hard. you have to be very smart and have to have all of the 5 senses. i respect people like that.

this was my favorite wine of the night. it was awesome! when i get back to hawaii, i hope to find a bottle like this. Nori-san told me that this is Lady Gaga’s favorite white wine. now it’s my favorite too.

Nori-san and sister Fumie-san. after having few glasses of wine with them, we all had to run away because the wine opening wouldn’t stop. haha. all of us boys had hangovers the next day which made it that harder to hike up that powder mountain. thank you Nori-san and Dragon for the awesome experience!

walking back to the car at night takes talent. there is slippery ice everywhere so you have to watch each step. my sneakers sucked and i’m just happy i never fell down. next time, i’ll get better shoes.
if you ever go to niseko, please go to Dragon and have the best experience! i can’t wait to go back!

yesterday was amazing. surely a day i will never forget. for me, it was either getting on a train to Wakkanai, or getting in the car and going deep into the powder mountain. i chose mountain. and when Ohmu-san gave me a beacon, i knew we were in for an adventure.

we drove to the end of the road, got our gear out, and started our 30 min hike.

Ohmu-san is the man. best guide in niseko. he’s been taking care of us morning till night. we were in the right places at the right times this whole trip. i really learned a lot from this guy. here he is setting up my gear.

Osamu-san was our guide also. we call him the tail man. always behind us making sure nobody gets left behind.

my room mate Kenjiro-san. been here for a week and told me this was the best day. great news.

Tokura-san’s been coming to hokkaido every year since we first came back in 1996. and now i know why. don’t be surprised if you see me back here every year from now. haha.

Motoko-san is from ibaraki. a super good snowboarder and very energetic. i don’t know too many girls that could have done what we did yesterday.

walking in the deep powder is tiring. good to strengthen your legs, and good to strengthen your mind. Ohmu-san kept telling me “kirby, almost there.” he said that 5 times and we were still far from there. i felt like we were walking for days.

Tokura-san is so energetic. just keeps on going and going. i was following behind him walking up thinking “omg, i want to quit. i want to go home.” but if i did, i wouldn’t here the end of that one. that’s actually what kept me going. haha.

Motoko-san and Kenjiro-san right behind me. sorry for the slow pace guys. i was doing my best.

our tail man Osamu-san’s snow boots broke in the beginning but kept on following us. i don’t know how he did it. look at this amazing view! this was 1 hour into our hike. i kept turning around thinking “i’m in heaven.”

we get to the top after 1.5 hours. who said 30min? now was the time we were all waiting for. surfers vs. mountains.

i look down into fresh powder and lots of trees. this is way out of my level. i really shouldn’t be here. that was going through my mind but then i turned it into positive thoughts. “there’s only one way down this mountain. i didn’t hike all the way up here to hold back. i’m going full speed. what ever happens, happens. this is my life. this is the way i want to live “into the wild.”

the ultimate best snowboarding experience in my life. surfing a huge mountain weaving through trees in the deep powder was awesome. i felt connected, i felt free, and i felt like i was in the perfect place in the world.
now i’m done. satisfied guarantee. i couldn’t ask for anything more. going back to the warm city of tokyo, then back to the warmer city of hawaii. 10 hour train ride followed by a 7 hour plane ride. time for me to reflect, time for me to remember, and time for me to smile.

With Taro Tamai, Gerry Lopez, and the Gentem Family!
Cold snow, warm hearts.