for the past 30 years of my life, my grandma and grandpa fukunaga have told me about mt. fuji over and over. they both climbed to the top back in 1979 and have the stick with all the stamps to prove it. so every sunday night when i use to go over for dinner, i use to look at the sticks and photos of mt. fuji that’s hanging on the wall above their tv. and i would ask a lot of questions about it. then it was 16 years ago when i first seen mt. fuji with my own eyes. i was leaving my house in fujisawa to go for a surf, as soon as i took the turn heading west, it was there right in front of me. this huge mountain just staring at me. it was half covered with snow and the first thing that came to my mind was the picture on my grandma’s wall. it was the exact same. then i looked at the top of mt. fuji and couldn’t believe my grandparents climbed to the top of it. since then, every time i see mt. fuji, it reminds me of my grandparents. i’ve must have told a thousand people that my grandparents climbed it. i was and still am pretty proud of them for accomplishing something that only 0.5% of the japanese population have ever accomplished. well, my grandma recently passed away and when i went to see my grandpa, there it was again, the pictures and sticks hanging on the wall above their tv. right there, something just clicked. i felt like i had to go to the top. after all these years of the stories, i feel like i have to live out for myself. so i made that my mission, my mission to climb to the top of mt. fuji, watch the sunrise, and talk to my grandma. my grandma taught me something important in life, something that wasn’t taught by words, something that was taught by example. and that is “unconditional love,” to love somebody no matter what. my grandma loved everybody and it showed. so on the way up to mt. fuji, the only thing that will be on my mind will be my grandma. how she loved me, and how she was there for me my whole life….

i went to japan in 1992 to persue a career as a salary man. i had my college degree, resume, and drive to make it. till this day, some people think i was joking but i wasn’t. i went to liberty house(now macy’s) and spent a thousand dollars on 2 suits a week before i left to japan. i sold everything i owned in hawaii including my car, tv, and even gave my prized pet fish to my friend. as for those suits, i tried it on once at my house before i left and that was the last time i ever took it off the hanger. now that i think back, what would have ever happened if i took the road of a salaryman in japan? i know i wouldn’t be as happy as i am now but i’m a little curious. would i be all white? would i be an alcoholic? would i be successful? would i be just a weekend surfer? or would i have quit my job and went back to surfing? yeah, probably that. but at least i tried. now that i think about it, i took the chance and found the right road. through surfing, i got to see the world that i would have never been able to see. it made me a lot smarter, and much more appreciative of what i have. i don’t need a rolex watch, i don’t need a mercedes, and i don’t need a million dollar house. i’m happy with what i have, and the friends i made around this world. i wouldn’t trade it for anything. but from time to time, i always sit down and wonder, “what if”….

good afternoon, just got back from a surf at bowls. the waves were fun and not too many people were out. the weather is nice now as it cleared up. i got to get packing before i miss my flight… see ya..

i went to tahiti about 15 years ago with shuji kasuya and mar ono for a surfing world article. ever since then, i always wanted to go back. well, now i got the chance to go again and i’m so excited that i’m going to piss in my pants. the golden opportunity came up and i’m taking it. for the next 7 days, i’m going back in time to visit what hawaii must have looked like 80 years ago. we’re island hopping and this time, i got my camera….

in a week from today, i should have taken about 5000 photos. well, got to get to the airport before i miss my flight. have a nice day….
**and last, i’ve been throwing away such good photos trying to clean up my computer library. look at these photos of huge pipe last winter i shot from the water. i remember swimming out from the beach that day thinking to myself “what the hell i’m a doing?” yeah, it was 15′ and freaking crazy. surfing it is pretty hard. swimming out there with no board is completely nuts…. check out this gallery before it’s all gone.. deleted forever….