i picked up the recent Best Dining in Hawaii magazine. i flipped through a few pages and put it down. if you’re a company with a big advertising budget, you will get nominated for the best restaurant in hawaii. i’m not interested in magazines like that. for me, it’s not advertising budgets, it’s about good food. if you want to make a magazine and claim the best of hawaii, please be honest and put the real best. i call these tourist traps!

genki sushi in hawaii always has a long line out the door. i went there once and will never go back there again. not the best quality and not the best prices. if you want good sushi, go to Imanas, Gaku, or Mitch’s. you will pay more, but you will eat the best sushi in hawaii. and no, these companies don’t spend money advertising because they don’t have to.

i also went to Miyako at the New Otani Restaurant before. not the best quality, and not the best prices. another place i will never go again. want the best shabu shabu, go to Imanas. nothing else even comes close.
here’s my advise for japanese tourists coming to hawaii to experience the great food. don’t look into these tourist trap magazines. the best places in hawaii don’t need to advertise to become successful. this island is very small and word of mouth is pretty fast. if you see big advertisements in big magazines, that’s a sign to stay away.

as for me, i always go exploring and the other day, i found a great plate lunch place. it’s right near my house and i haven’t been there for a long time. walked in and found out they have a new menu of filipino food! i love filipino food!

i ordered the chicharrones, which is roast pork. and i ordered the dinuguan, which is pork in pork blood.

my combo plate at $7.95, this was the best plate lunch i’ve eaten in a long time. it’s a once a week mandatory choice for me.
so once again, if you don’t go, you won’t know. gosh, i’m getting hungry now!

The New Road!
Good morning 5:40am.
Nice South/West swell! Chest/shoulder high at Ala Moana with perfect conditions. Diamond Head bigger and better in the afternoon.
Clear sky, light trade winds.
Going for an early morning surf!
Have a wonderful day!

woke up and had a few meetings before i went to the beach. i was expecting small surf but a south/west swell popped up out of nowhere. the sets were head high and absolutely perfect! we caught so many good waves in the perfect conditions and i knew not too many people knew about it because the ocean was empty! super lucky day!

then i drove by diamond head on the way back home and the waves were super good. some overhead surf with only a few surfers out.

rights and lefts peeling for long rides.

wanted to thank Goki-san for sending me this awesome sunset photo of isanoura beach, wakayama. i miss japan!

it was time to take customize a rock wall in my driveway so my car door doesn’t hit it, or my boat, or myself. this guy came over to do the work and this is half way done. should be completed tomorrow. and when the rock wall guy came over, told me, “hey, your grandpa did an excellent job building these walls. my grandpa chiseled rock by rock by himself to build these walls around our property. it is 75 years young and still super strong. i’m really proud of my grandpa when people praise his work. it makes me smile.

and last, the drive home in the afternoon after a hard day of work greeted by a colorful rainbow. i’m starting to love hawaii more than ever and i’m not too sure if i want to leave here anymore.
surfing more and more tomorrow. hope the south swell hangs around for a few more days because it feels so good taking off on a head high wave, going down the line, and doing a big off the lip! a stress free life!