meet Mr. Genshiro Kawamoto. probably the most hated japanese man in kahala. yeah, kahala is home for the richest people in the world. Kawamoto-san owns 27 homes just on that beach front street alone. a value at $150 million. the big problem is that he bought all these million dollar houses and just left them to rot. yeah, rot. take a look at these photos.

this is one of his properties. can you believe this is kahala?

nobody has been living here for years so the house has it’s own homeless guests living there once in a while.

where did the pool go?

if i was still in high school, we’d probably be making parties at one of Kawamoto-san’s vacant houses. haha.

the news went to do a story there the other day and found drugs on the property. crazy!

i guess he doesn’t have any security system huh?

imagine paying $10 million for your dream kahala house and this is your neighbors house? shock!

no, it’s not for sale either. Kawamoto-san has no intention to sell. why? yeah why? he’s a billionaire and these properties are like pennies to him.

want to play tennis? haha.
ok, here’s the problem. Kawamoto-san’s properties are driving down the value of kahala. why? because nobody wants to live near his houses. that’s why home owners in kahala don’t like him. this is what i think he’s doing. he’s letting his houses look unattractive for a reason. he’s driving down the value in the other properties in kahala, then eventually will buy them all at a low price. then as soon as he owns the whole kahala, he will fix it all up, sell it for 10x more, and add a billions to his billions. that’s just simple business thinking. or is it just me thinking too much? i’m just glad i’m not his neighbor. haha.

Winter in Hawaii continues. Rain and wind all week!
Good morning 6am.
North small waves. 1-2′ and windy.
South small too. Best is Queen’s or windy Diamond Head.
Winds are 20-30mph.
Weather is clouds, rain, sun, rainbows.
Plan is to surf a secret spot.
Have a wonderful day!

i was at makapuu the other day and was looking at the ocean. it was one of the most challenging conditions i’ve ever seen. don’t let the beautiful sun fool you. super strong 40mph winds onshore with 8-10′ open ocean swell. the time i paddled it, it was probably 7 of 10 for dangerous. this day, it was 10 of 10. as i was watching it, i wish i had my paddle board. these are the kind of days that you might make it to waikiki, or you might die at sea. i was actually getting excited thinking about it.

this is the paddle around 1 of 3 dangerous corners. paddling around there at pitch dark was pretty crazy. i will never forget all the seabirds flying around me. i was at a place i love to be. pure nature! hey mike, i might be calling you up for a ride because i think i’m ready for another challenge.

if i don’t paddle, i’ll probably go diving. but the conditions are very very dangerous for diving. high risk, high return. i’ve dove in these conditions before and it’s pretty crazy. i’m craving for red fish so i might sneak out for an afternoon dive session!

here are a few photos Yuki-san took. this was the awesome day at haleiwa. fun big surf!

of course i’m a happy guy after i come in from getting barreled.

Yuki-san also took this photo when i was towing her in from ala moana. i paddle up front, then use my feet to tow people in. you’re pulling double the weight so this is my natural gym. my paddling right now hasn’t been stronger in my whole life. i feel like i can paddle to japan. haha.
anyway, the windy days continue. surf safe and watch out for the falling trees!