this huge storm off japan produced all the snow we’ve been getting in hokkaido. it also produced some huge waves heading to the north shore of hawaii now. tomorrow should be 25′ in the evening so please be careful.

it’s good to have friends around the world. this trip started off as a bare necessity backpacking trip. i came with nothing but now i have everything. here is Osamu-san fitting my big feet with snowboard shoes. then Tokura-san let me use some snow wear, and now i’m fully equipped.

it’s hard to believe a backpacker can travel to niseko and get set up with all the best of the best of gear. i have the best circle of friends in this world. i love it!

last nights snowboarding with the lights was amazing. super cold going up the mountain but super warm coming down. the blood was flowing and my adrenaline was at an all time high.

woke up early and got the snowboarders dream. powder of the powder. Tokura-san carving up the mountain. and Tokura-san is actually the person who introduced me to snowboarding 23 years ago.

Kenjiro-san from fukuoka rips. first time i met him was on a boat in the middle of indonesia 8 years ago. now we are here in hokkaido snowboarding. the awesome surfers circle.

like i said, i have the best equipment any snowboarder would dream of. that makes it super easy for me to carve up the mountain. it’s been a very long time but everything is coming back pretty fast. i felt like i was surfing the biggest and most glassy wave in the world. looking from the top of the mountain down steep unridden slopes is amazing. it’s like taking off at waimea bay! i’m not as good as the guys i’m with, but if they go, i go. Tokura-san always tells me to “go slowly.” but i don’t know what slowly is. full speed is my life and full speed is what i love to do best.

i have a very long way back to tokyo. 715 minutes to be exact. 12 hours of trains and trains. one part of me is wanting to go back on train because i have my free pass. but another part of me is wanting to catch a 1.5 hour flight back too. my wallet is saying train. but my sore body is saying airplane. tough decision to make. actually, not that tough. haha.

A beautiful powder snow day!

omg, shocking news from the surfing world. young pro surfer Ricardo Dos Santos was shot and killed on the streets in brazil. this kid won the tahiti trials in tahiti and went on to beat kelly slater and other top talent in that contest. he was just making his mark in the surfing world at the young age of 24. omg, this is very sad news for everyone.

after many delays because of the bad weather yesterday, i finally made it to niseko. got picked up by Tokura-san and we headed deep into the mountains. it’s been such a long time since i was up here so i was pretty excited.

first, we stopped at Tamai Taro-san’s shop. gosh, the three of us have some awesome memories. from going to snow back country, to indo boat trips, to hawaii, all great times in our lives. Taro-san, Tokura-san, and i with our 19 year Niseko reunion.

i will never forget this day 19 years ago. this is when niseko was still unknown to the world. Taro-san was and still is the legend of snowboarding. known all around the world. Tokura-san and i were very lucky to have this wonderful experience that we will never forget. omg, i look so young in that photo. what happened? haha.

right when i got here, Osamu-san and the boys got me dressed up. it was already 4pm but just in time for a night snowboard session.

going up the lift was scary because it’s just been too long. the thoughts going through my mind of falling over the edge of the mountain, or hitting a tree. now i know how it feels when people come to hawaii to surf after being out of the water for years. that’s how i felt. Tokura-san, Kenjiro-san, and Osamu-san watching over me and keeping me safe.

it’s been 19 years since i snowboarded. a bit nervous to tell you the truth, but once i hit the powder on my first drop, i felt like i was surfing the biggest wave in the world. i was yelling and screaming with joy! what a great feeling!

then had a wonderful dinner and beers with the boys. thank you Tokura-san, Osamu-san, and Kenjiro-san for my first day of niseko experience!
another day, another snow. see you on the mountains!