the weather is getting weird recently? no, it’s normal for october as it’s transition month from summer to winter. we always get these calm wind days and sometimes the south/west winds like today. hazy, hot, humid, and volcanic vog from the big island. you can just feel the season changing and i love it. big waves on the way and shifting winds making for good surfing and diving days. and also makes for the most colorful sunsets!

i woke up this morning and was happy to see this photo of my personal translator Miwa-san over there in ishigaki island. and to see Kara-san and everybody looking so happy, i wanted to jump into the photo. i love the island life and these guys have all big hearts. and what made me happier was for Miwa-san to enter the awesome surfing world i’ve been living my whole life. surf and friends. there is nothing else we need.

i took this kid surfing for the first time. Arata-kun is 13 years old and one of the brightest kids i’ve ever met. fluent in japanese/chinese/english, advanced diving license, and dreams ahead. he made surfing for the first time look to easy. smiling, surfing, and a bright future ahead. Hey Arata-kun, had fun surfing with you today. Good job on the long wave almost into the rocks. haha. and good job eating the huge kua’aina bacon burger. good luck on your master diving license, and hope to surf with you again. have a safe flight back to shanghai!

i’m starting to feel the urge to go deep again. been to so many countries off the beaten path and love the people, food, and culture. i got off the boat up on some island in the nusa teragana, indonesia region and walked into the village with my camera. i got some amazing photos and amazing memories. watching the simple life with all the kids happy with what they have made me realize that all we need is love. no iphones, no computers, and no toys. it’s just everyday survival life. traveling in areas like this makes me want to go deeper and deeper. i want to feel the culture before it’s all gone. and the sad thing is that one day, it will be gone. i’ve seen it happen too often. so i’m checking my global map and dreaming of my next deep trip. can’t wait till my next vacation!

Diamond Head this afternoon.

3660 is a 5 star restaurant in kaimuki. it’s been there for 20 years and the last time i went there was about 15 years ago. the other night, we went to try it out again and OMG! good! excellent! we started off with this seafood platter. big entries, tasty food, and super fresh. i totally recommend this place.

and the desert was the best. my favorite was the homemade vanilla macadamia nut chocolate chip ice cream. amazing!

and hey, the surfs been good every single day. good waves, good friends, good riding, and good smiling. life is good!

my favorite snack is haagen-dazs mint chip ice cream. after a long day of surfing, this cools me down. try it and i’ll bet you’ll like it. the bummer thing is that i’ve never seen this flavor in japan. only in hawaii?

wanted to say hello to Kat McDowell! thanks for the email and i hope to make it to one of your events soon. your music makes me happy! especially “Thank you for thinking of me.” i love it! can’t wait to go surfing with you again! take care and see you soon.
and to all of you who have the lucky chance to be around in okinawa, tokyo, or yokohama, drop by and listen to this wonderful Kat sing. and tell her i said hello.
☆2012/10/11 (THUR) Okinawa @ Oceans Sea Side Bar and Grill
☆2012/10/12 (FRI) Okinawa @ Cafe and Bar Associa
☆2012/10/13 (SAT) Okinawa @ Bar Ole
☆2012/10/23 (TUE) Tokyo @ Shimokitazawa, Fu-chi-ku-chi.
☆2012/10/30 (TUE) @ Yokohama Thumbs Up, Spirit Rock Vol. 6 “Freedom”
w/　Special band!
Bass: 河原真(ROCK’A’TRENCH)
Guitar: 中嶋康孝(スピカ)
Drums: 伊地知潔 (ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION)
Guest Artists:
Arisa Safu and Taku (Freeasy Beats)!
LIVE PAINTING: TOMIKICHI
This is a video from a beach show we played this year!