when we first came to ishinomaki last year, everybody here was probably at their lowest point of their lives. the whole city was pretty much demolished. little was spared but as we met the people here, there was still so much hope. some people decided to move foreword and it’s those people that are putting this city back together. this is Hayashi-san who owns a fish factory. when we first met him, his factory was still underwater on the high tide. than every time we’ve went back there, things started to get back to normal. a strong fisherman and a strong person! it was great to see him getting his life back together.

when i first met Abe-san last year, there was something that clicked. even though his whole village was flattened by the 30′ wave, he always welcomed our team when we stopped by. there is some connection i have with this man that i can’t explain. it was great to see you again Abe-san.

when you’re in the country driving along the coastline, you see the coolest things. look at this little fire engine that survived the tsunami. they should put this in a museum.

and yes, everywhere you look, you can still see signs of the damage.

and yes, everywhere you look, you can still see the temporary housings lined up. almost 2 years and thousands of people still living here.

this is M7 team. we’ve all been here before. we’ve all seen the worst. we’ve all seen the recovery. and we’ve all become so much closer. these people are in my top group of the people i respect in this world. they come, they help, and they never give up. up until now, we’ve put together 7 teams together that consist of around 20 people. all coming on their own time, all coming here with their own money, and all in this together for a long time.
Saito-san from Tokyo.
Kanae-san from Tokyo.
Miki-chan from Hong Kong.
Toco-san from Tokyo.
Matsu from Thailand.
Hey, you guys all have big hearts! thank you for coming and see you next year for M8. safe travels home and keep in touch.

Beef tongue to Hakata ramen.

good morning 4am. yes, still jet lag in my body and it’s all my fault for watching 3 movies instead of sleeping on the airplane coming to japan. when i fly home tonight, i’m going to try to sleep as soon as i get on the flight. i have a busy day tomorrow in hawaii so i better be wide awake. have to run around town doing things followed by a big celebration party tomorrow night for my niece. but for now, i’ll just toss and turn in bed waiting for the sun to come up. have breakfast, go shopping, and then catching a flight to fukuoka. it’s been a long 3 days here but i’ve had so many great experiences. in fact, something happened to me in tokyo that i’m still in disbelief. i’m either dreaming or something but once reality sets in when i get back to hawaii, i’ll probably run down kalakaua avenue screaming my head off just like how a guy would do if he just won the lottery. but for now, it’s just too surreal to me.

there is an island off kobuchihama where there are more cats than humans. and since matsu and toco-can love cats, kimura-san had us jump on his boat and we crossed the channel to Neko Island. riding on the boat exploring the deep culture in japan is amazing. to see the seaweed, oysters, and nori growing is amazing. life is back!

there are less than 70 people living on this island with the youngest resident being 55 years old. and the myth is that there are more cats than humans.

when we got off the boat at the harbor, there were no cats around. then once we walked up the mountain, they all came out. cats everywhere! big fat healthy ones!

these cats use to hang out near the harbor eating the left over fish scraps but ever since the tsunami, they never came back. now they hang out up on safer ground. i forgot the island name but if you are a cat lover looking for a cool place to get away from the rest of the world, this island would be perfect.

i just wanted to say Merry Christmas to Kimura-san’s 2 beautiful daughters Shiori-chan and Miho-chan. seeing these 2 girls smiles yesterday brightened up my day.

and if you seen what i’ve been eating in these past 3 days, you wouldn’t like me. in fact, i don’t even like myself. so i’ll just keep it a secret for now.

and the signs of the tsunami are still everywhere. i remember pulling up to this parking lot in kobuchihama in april 2012 and seeing this HELP painted huge in the parking lot. it’s still there today and it reminds me that there is a long road ahead for some people in japan. a road that we will follow forever. We Are One!