good morning. 15 long days since the earthquake and some people are still in the dark. dark with no electricity, and dark with no information. so many surfers have been asking me when they can surf again. i really can’t answer that because i don’t want to say “GO” and find out there is radiation in the water, or another tsunami comes. i wish there were more information available. but once i find out, i’ll let you know. keep strong and keep going forward….

hey tomita-san from Yojibay in Niijima. i’m glad you got your tshirts! keep strong and keep your beautiful smiles going! namiki-chan, nagi-chan, and mayu-san, WE ARE ONE!!!!
**i’d never think the day would come when my nephews take their surfing to another level. from diapers, to swimming in the pool, to surfing baby queens, to kewalos, and now to the north shore. they all got their taste of barrels and i’m so proud of them. here is josh moniz getting some pretty nice barrels. i still can’t believe he’s still only 14 years old. josh, uncle is proud of you. watching you surf backdoor with so much confidence blows me away. i still remember the day you didn’t want to surf 1′ kewalos with me because you were too scared. keep on charging boy!!!

Happy birthday Noah Jr.
3 years old.

good evening. there was a swap meet in Maui yesterday supporting the victims in japan. i want to thank tomoko-san for dedicating so much time and effort over there in maui. seeing so many people in hawaii that really care makes me want to work harder at raising money and awareness for japan. you hardly see anything on the news anymore but i’m getting so many emails from japan that things are still really bad. experts say that it will take japan 10 years to rebuild. but if anybody in the world can rebuild, it’s japan. and the whole world is supporting you!!!

cool WE ARE ONE tshirts! thank you all in maui!!!
**a few years ago, kinsan and i drove up the coastline road from chiba to sendai. it took us 14 hours and i seen some of the most beautiful little towns one after the other. we’d drive for a few hours, we stop to eat, visit friends, check surf spots, and kept on driving. for a japanese national like kinsan, it was just another drive. but for me, it was an amazing experience seeing old japanese grandma’s and grandpa’s working hard in their rice paddies, seeing kids chasing butterflies, and just the everyday country lifestyle. on the long drive, we must have passed by 50 or so little cities and fishing villages. all amazing, and all unique in its own way…
so after seeing what the tsunami did to some of them, it was painful to watch. and honestly, it still is. this one particular video of the tsunami came up on youtube yesterday and even though i didn’t want to watch it, i did. i was always interested in the ocean, the currents, and the power. and when i watch movies about the end of the world and stuff, i see crazy things. but let me tell you something, i haven’t seen anything more crazy in my life. not even the hollywood can make something like this. i was lost for words when i seen the ocean totally wipe out one of the beautiful fishing villages on the coastline. a coastline i will never forget….