What is tonight?

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Taiwan nabe night!
Best in Hawaii!

FINE AND JAIL TIME!!! DON'T DIVE IN JAPAN!

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the last time i was over in okinawa, i went snorkeling at this coolest place. and when i got out of the water, i seen this sign. yes, in english for all us foreigners.
CAUTION: PROHIBITION OF CATCHING FISH. VISITORS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CATCH FISH. YOU CAN RECEIVE A SENTENCE OF UP TO 6 MONTHS OF JAIL TIME OR A MAXIMUM FINE OF 100,000 YEN.
IN ADDITION: FOREIGNERS ARE ALSO PROHIBITED FROM CATCHING FISH. IF YOU VIOLATE THE REGULATION, YOU WILL RECEIVE UP TO 3 YEARS IN JAIL OR A MAXIMIZE FINE OF 4,000,000 YEN OR BOTH.
in other words, if your japanese, you get little jail time and a small fine. but if you’re a foreigner, you get long jail time and a huge fine. discrimination? i think so.
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anyway, after i seen this sign, i had my friend drop off my speargun i was keeping in okinawa to my hotel and i brought it back to hawaii. i don’t want to go to jail and i don’t have 4,000,000 yen or $50,000 USD. so to all of those who ask me about spearfishing in okinawa, this sign says it all. and if you get caught, don’t say i didn’t warn you.
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hey, how’s our endless summer? warm water, beautiful weather, and waves everywhere! i’ve been surfing so much that my eyes are even sunburnt. yikes!
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and last, i want to say hello and thank you to Aunty Jen from the big island for the encouraging emails. thank you for thinking of me. after our palau trip last year, i learned a lot from this amazing woman. she taught me the true meaning of aloha spirit. she comforted me when i was in total distraught on the day of march 11. she followed up to see how i am. and she sends me her aloha all the time from the big island. hey Aunty Jen, Thanks for everything! You are amazing! I can’t wait to visit you someday on the Big Island. Take me to your secret spots. Let’s free dive, let’s get some lobsters, a few kumu’s, and throw it on the fire while catching up on things. Glad to hear you’re doing well. Take care and keep in touch. Keep spreading the Aloha Aunty!

Ripper, Shimanchu, and Smiling Kid!

oh my gosh! the south shore endless summer continues. ever since i got back, the waves have been perfect! if you’re a surfer, you’re happy. i’m happy and i hope this endless summer continues till next year. good to see my friends in the water smiling! put on sunscreen and see you in the water.
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hey Nomura-san, you surfed so good! i was really impressed with you paddling power and surfing speed. keep on surfing and hope to see again in hawaii. have a safe flight back to japan!
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i had a good time with these shimanchu from okinawa. good friends, good waves, good time, and good smiles. enjoy your last day here in hawaii! mensore!
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yesterday afternoon i took this cute kid Kanta surfing. usually when i take kids surfing, i we catch 2 or 3 waves and it’s enough. but for Kanta, we surfed, surfed, and surfed. we ended up catching 20 waves total and 2 waves all the way from the outside to the beach. this kid had so much energy that i had to come home and take a nap. at 8 years old, Kanta has a bright future as a surfer.
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after every wave, i jumped off the surfboard to keep the balance of the board. and every time i came up, Kanta asked me “are you ok?” what a caring little kid. just to see him smiling while riding all those long waves made me so happy. this kid has a big heart and i’m sure he’ll become a part of the ocean. i can’t wait to take him again!