good evening. wow, it was a pretty chilly day here. i’m not use to wearing so much clothes. took it easy today and was surfing the web. what was i looking for? i’m looking for a new place to go surf. somewhere different, and somewhere good. so sent out a few emails to friends around the world and will wait for their reply. in the meantime, i’m enjoying eating some tasty food here in japan. the yen to dollar is even at 100 yen per 1USD so it’s not as expensive as a few years ago. in fact, it’s a great time to be a tourist in japan. going to wake up early, jump in a taxi, then on a train, then in a car, then drive about 14 hours to shikoku. a long journey surfer style. can’t wait.

i was a the boat ramp in hawaii talking to an old timer fisherman. he’s been doing it since 1960 and still goes out by himself fishing for tako. and being so curious as i am, i asked what he caught.

he opened his cooler and showed me 2 huge tako. i asked him how he caught it.

this is it? he fished for tako? cool! maybe i’ll try it next time. oh, and when we were about to launch my boat, he told me, “hey, there are a lot of whales out there.” and this is the day we seen so many and this is the day a huge whale swam under us. when i get as old as this guy, i hope to still be fishing and teaching the youth how it’s done just like how he was teaching me. thanks old timer! keep on fishing!

i was on the airplane looking through the surfing magazine, it was pretty interesting because there was a feature on one place i’ve always wanted to surf in indonesia. it was a secret spot but not anymore. but yeah, i still want to go there someday soon. it’s barrels like this that make me want to search for the perfect wave!

then flipped the page and was surprised to see my nephew Josh Moniz in there for Surfer of the Month. they had a good write up on him and i was super happy to see this shy boy shine in the spotlight.

16 year old Josh Moniz is now known worldwide. great for this kid, and great for his sponsors. i’m sure they are as proud as i am. Go-Josh!

ok, as you all know, i love japan, and i love sushi. so when you put the both together, it’s love love! i was in love love last night eating the best sushi tokyo has to offer. i got up at 5am this morning so no jetlag yet. hope you all have a great day!

oh, and the news here in tokyo is about north korea firing a missile here. the japan army is ready, the US army is ready, but i’m not ready. it’s a scary thought to be here right now. why can’t we all live in peace?

Happy Birthday Hikaru!!!  Enjoy the best year ahead!