gosh, it’s weird how the weather has been so hot. but come tomorrow, the chilly winds from the north along with the rain will finally make it wintery here in hawaii. i spent almost 3 hours sweating yesterday washing the truck. i even washed under, over, and through every crack. the rims and tires were shining too. then guess what? i drive out to the north shore today and “RAIN!!!” all i can do is laugh. the truck is back to dirty how it was before i washed it. i guess i needed the workout. expect more rain, sun, rainbows, north winds, and waves for the upcoming week.

as usual, i always have fun with Takeda-san and Michiko-san when they come to hawaii. we headed straight to the north shore this morning and pulled up to haleiwa. omg, score!

the waves were perfect all morning long!

some overhead sets and i was happy to see Takeda-san and Michiko-san have the best session we ever had together. we came in, ate a plate lunch, and went back out. not as good as the morning, but Michiko-san’s last wave was a barrel so it was well worth it.

then we went to Izumi Taisha for hatsumoude. it’s awesome to celebrate the new years japanese style right here in hawaii.

we all prayed for a great 2014!

then we took a walk around china town. not a place i like to visit often but when i see things like this, i’m fascinated.
Takeda-san and Michiko-san, thank you for a wonderful day! I can’t believe we met at Narita Aiport 2 years ago and now have such good memories. Keep on surfing, and Keep on Hawaii! See you again in May! Aloha

Fun. Clean. Glassy. Score.

omg, remember i told you that one of my dreams was to become a stock broker on the new york exchange? well, if that dream came true, i would be freaking rich! and if i became a japanese stock broker on in tokyo, i’d be even richer! in 2013, the Dow posted the biggest annual gain since the late 1990’s. it was up 26% in 2013 and at record levels now! and the Nikkei posted gains of 57%, which is the best in over 40 years. i chose to become a surfer so i just have to watch my friends who invested in the stock markets get richer and richer. that’s fine with me because if my friends are happy, so am i.
and speaking of news, Japan’s Emperor Akihito released a statement for his thoughts for 2014.
“A third winter since the Great East Japan Earthquake has come around. At the dawn of the new year, my heart once again goes out to the afflicted people, those who cannot return to the places they used to live because of radioactive contamination and those who have to spend the cold harsh winter in temporary housing.”
i think the Emperor’s statement is so powerful. as many people in the world forget, or forgot, i sure didn’t. my heart is and will always be with the survivors of the earthquake/ tsunami/radiation disaster.
look at all the goodies from japan i got recently!!!

thank you Kurihara-san! those cookies in the blue box from hokkaido are my favorite!

thank you Katsura-san! that chirimenjyako is going to go great over my rice in the morning!

thank you Kaneko-san! whiskey and tsukemono perfect for the start of the new year!

i love this bottle of mt. fuji! i’ll keep on staring at it taking sip by sip. i started drinking whisky recently so i’m looking forward to opening up these wonderful bottles!