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!

BILABONG PRO TAHITI FINAL DAY ON!
http://www.aspworldtour.com/events/2014/mct/698/billabong-pro-tahiti?roundId=4281

i use to like to travel alone a lot. but recently, i realized that it’s not the same. traveling with friends is the best. just to share the experience and remember it for a lifetime. this day will be a day to be remembered forever. we went to visit the guinness book of world records “deepest postbox.” it’s been here in wakayama for the past 16 years. people scuba dive it to put a letter in the mailbox as it’s located a deep 35′ or 10 meters under water. we delivered 3 letters free diving and am proud to say that we are the first free divers to do that. want to congratulate Naoka for hitting his deepest dive. he coughed up blood after but so what. as for me, i almost drowned laughing so hard 35′ deep under while watching Naoka put his letter in the post box. a memory for a lifetime.

Eri-chan hopped on the 6 hour train ride from shonan and met us here. she’s like a sister to me and i’m so glad to be hanging out and traveling with her. the laughter doesn’t stop.

we went to check out Taiji and was happy to see all the kids enjoying one of the last days of summer. we also swam with the whales which was pretty cool. a lot of controversy here and will get into that later.

then we went to search for the amasan. and guess what? we found her!

the more i hang out with my friends, the more i get closer to them. we are a very happy traveling group experiencing deep japanese culture.

found a little shave ice shop in a small fishing village.

100 yen or $1 for a shave ice? so cheap!

Isamu-kun is such a cute kid! i met him 5 years ago and am so happy to see him growing up so fast. keep on surfing kid!

Sumi-san is a heavy local surfer. he told me yesterday, “this is my ocean, this is your ocean, We Are Ocean!” it’s something he learned in hawaii and brought it back to japan. i really appreciate his words and kindness.

we went shopping for our night out in Katsuura. we all got a room at an onsen ryokan so decided to have some drinks in the room. shopping for beers and snacks.

our room was ocean view and so beautiful. we put on our yukata’s and enjoyed our beautiful japanese style evening.

sitting on the table talking to my friends about so many different subjects in life. we are all surfers and we all think alike. it’s times like this that make my life so complete. i had a great time!
today we are going to surf in the morning, jump on a ferry, head to shikoku, and continue our search for the amasan. stay tuned!