just when you think you already went as deep into japan as you can go, there is even deeper than that. today we ventured off the main road that took us down the windiest roads ever. 5 hours after we left wakayama, we arrived at our destination. it was a great ride deep into the wild.

if i weren’t with Toda-san and Takami-san, i’d be lost. but i actually wouldn’t mind being lost here because it’s such a cool place filled with so much culture.

Matchi is a longtime friend, and a longtime local. he’s the one that set up this whole shikoku trip. thank you Matchi for driving into the wild to meet us today. as you know me very well, you must know i love this place so much. welcome to Abu!

we are staying at an Amasan’s house right up the street from the beach. a very shy amasan as she didn’t want me to take her photo.

luckily she gave in. and luckily she’s taking us with her diving partner on the boat tomorrow for an experience of a lifetime. i can’t wait!

our Amasan cooked us what she caught in the ocean. abalone, abalone, and abalone. i’ve never eaten so much fresh abalone in my lifetime!

unbelievable! a dinner for kings and samurai’s. haha.

Toda-san set up his camera, and we are going to get some awesome footage on this trip. stay tuned.

our Amasan’s partner is her husband. both of them make a great team that has been diving for decades. this abalone diver is 70 years old. yeah, 70 years old!!!!
well, tomorrow morning another dream will come true. we are in the heart of amasan land and i’m looking forward to following these divers tomorrow into their world. this is deep japan, this is simple life, and this is what i always wanted to experience.

OMG! It’s so beautiful here!
Simple life.
Simple everything.
Diving with the Amasan tomorrow morning.
So happy!

got up early on day 3 to check out the ahi fever auction in katsuura, japan. pretty cool checking out this kind of fishing culture.

back the mini truck back in, throw the big ahi in the back, and back to the sushi bar. back to back to back.

this trip was planned only a couple days in advance. Kyle and I were going to travel around searching for deep diving/fishing culture. it started off with the 2 of us, then our group of friends grew and grew. Kimura-san, Naoka, Eri-chan, Toda-san, and Takami-san are all like family to me. they came to join our trip to help and support our mission. true friends.

then we go back to our hotel and eat breakfast. i take a piece of saba, put it on my plate, go back to the table, and take a bite. something tasted weird???? come to find out, i was supposed to cook it. what? yeah, look at the sign that reads “don’t eat raw! please cook it!” OMG! where’s the english translation??

i go back and see the grill on the side. i’ve been here 24 years and i’m still learning the hard way. i still have that stinky taste in my mouth.

then we speed over to the port and watch the amasan’s going to work. this amasan is 77 years old and still going strong.

then we meet one of the few free divers here in japan. he invites us on his boat and we head out to his secret spot.

Akito-san is a surfer/diver, just like us. when the waves are good, he surfs. when the waves are small, he goes diving. i was really impressed on his free diving skills. diving into the murky water 60′ deep was pretty freaky for me. Akito-san goes alone and you could see how much he loves to spear fish.

got a few fish, and headed in.

want to thank Akito-san and his lovely family for their kindness.

then we went to Taiji to get an ariel view of the setup. Toda-san and his new toy. awesome footage!!!

we were here a day before and it was peak summer fun. yesterday was monday so was a lot different. come next week when the dolphin season starts, it’s going to get interesting.

here is my group. i’d never dreamt that they would all join me in this awesome trip. we are having so much fun!

then it was lunch time in the country. i’d have to rate this 5 stars of excellence.

Kimura-san really impressed me this time. he turned out to be the best Wakayama Guide you can ask for. born and raised here, he knows pretty much everything and anything. it made our trip much smoother as we accomplished so many things. yes, it was really busy, but it was very satisfying!
we head to Shikoku. hopefully can get a surf session in if we have time. then back to wakayama, then back to hawaii. it’s day 4 and it feels like month 4. so many good memories and experiences. i’m very happy desu!