good morning. 7am on this windy last day of january. rainy, cloudy, and windy again. town is flat. north shore is 2-3′ and bumpy. nobody out at pipe yet but they are going to run the monsters pipe pro anyway. nothing on the way so they have to take what they can get. and small waves is what they will get. the japanese pros did really good yesterday with most advancing. shinpei and ushikoshi both winning their heats. good luck again guys… i’m deciding if i should go out there and watch the contest in the rain, or stay home and watch on my computer in my warm house. i guess that’s a simple choice. haha. have a nice day….
**going on boat trips to places you don’t know what to expect is the best. it was back in 2004 when we boarded a boat in the philippines with hayato, and a bunch of international pro surfers. couple from south africa, italy, and england. we all went out on a voyage looking for new surf spots that have never been discovered. it’s kind of a gamble spending thousands of dollars knowing you can come back with nothing. a gamble a lot of people are not willing to take. but what the heck, if you know how to make the best of it, and if you enjoy the ocean as much as we do, it’s all good….

and if you happen to score!!! it’s just a bonus.. we pulled up to this spot off an island in the middle of nowhere. there was this 4′ left just peeling to perfection. i grabbed my board out of my bag, jumped in even before we anchored, and paddled into an unknown lineup. paddled for the first wave over shallow razor sharp reef, pulled in, and got barreled…. the rest of the guys paddled out and we had such an awesome session. went to the island later that day and a man who was a caretaker of the island was living there. he’s been living there for 30+ years and said it was the first time he seen surfers there. we named it “The Black Hole”….. why, don’t ask…. that was 4 years ago and i bet nobody ever went there after. only a few people in this world knows where that spot it and we swore to keep it secret…. scouts honor….

and world famous photographer john callahan was there to document it…. now people can’t say i was lying…. actually, i don’t care if they believe me or not….

if you eat it, your done. the nearest hospital is 10 hours away by boat. just ask the south africans how shallow it was.. ouch….

and nothing like a cold san miguel with a glass of rum and coke after a good session. a lot of happy faces that night….

and you will never know what you will run into… check out this beautiful island. this is paradise…. gosh, i need to go on another trip really soon….

went to the airport this morning to pick up the kimura family. gosh, seen so many japanese down there. i guess everybody is coming now…. good timing. here is pro bodyboarder chigusa, pro surfer sumie, chigusa’s sister, pro surfer tomo, and up and coming bodyboarder moe-chan…. i feel like bodyboarding now. haha… see you all on the north shore….

the kimura-san family brought me some fresh yamari shirasu. i rushed home, cooked some rice, and ate almost all of it for lunch…. it was so good….. thanks so much…

this is the colosseum in italy. one place i would love to visit. watching the movie “the gladiator” made me wonder how it was back in the days when gladiators fought to the death. that must have been the real thing…. i get chicken skin just thinking about it…

and last, this is miki harada. miki is a probably the most busiest women in japan. besides being an awesome MC, she writes and has her own business. super nice girl. ganbatte miki-san….
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MIKI’S BLOG….

good morning. 7am and the monster billabong pro is on!! 8am start. CLICK HERE FOR LIVE COVERAGE…. the waves are in the 3-5′ range and not that good but they have to run it. a lot of japanese pros are competing today. good luck guys…. town is small with nobody out. still chilly here. keep warm and have a nice day….

gosh, i’ve been on so many different airlines and aircrafts around this world. every time i fly, i try to get a seat on the wing. why? because studies show that the wind is the safest place to be. and the front being the most dangerous. just look at this photo. the first class passengers took it head on. garuda indonesia airlines is like the hawaiian airlines of hawaii, and the japan airlines of japan. i’ve rode on those planes so many times that i can’t count. so seeing this photo puts chills in my body. this could happen to any aircraft at any given time. i guess that’s the price of traveling…. so next time you check in, please don’t take my seat on the wing….

i love sukiyaki…. not just the dish, but the song too….
***when ever i eat sukiyaki, i always have that song in my head… remember the 80’s? “it’s all because of you, i’m feeling sad and blue…..”[:????$B”L(B?:][:????$B”L(B?:][:????$B”L(B?:] oh, the memories….