Kona winds. North swell. On our way to Country.

Post by: L.S
042608

Post by: L.S
042508

Killing time before some meetings, we stopped off at the Hawaii State Art Museum for lunch. Rest & relax-
ation came to a screeching hault when the fire alarm went off and we were evacuated from the building.
We decided to raise our karma points and stick around to pay the tab, unlike a few others who we seen
strolling off down the street. I really don't know what happened but everything was back to normal
within 15 minutes. I got a good chance to stand outside of the building and admire its architechture.
There's just something about this old design that intrigues me. I can completely appreciate how much detail
went into the process and creation. Little details often go unnoticed...

Post by: L.S
042408

Lead Anchor herself, Nicole Shun. Recording for the BAYVI radio spot. Stay tuned for top headlines from
a radio station near you...

Post by: L.S
0423208

Jared Clapper stopped by today to show us a few of his new
board models, all equipt with collaboration art by Ukarest. These
boards look like they'd be so fun to ride, but putting a ding in
this sick piece would be a total bummer. Ahh thee irony!

Post by: R.P
042308

Turtle Bay, wishing I had a Pina Colada.

Post by: L.S
042108

This was taken over two years ago while trying to get a shot for an
album that has YET to come out, heh. I can still (clearly) remember the
holes in the sand, the concrete island cubes, the pastel skies, and
telling myself that I needed to get back there someday. I'm definitely
overdue for a visit.

Post by: L.S
042008

Waikiki 2008. Can you believe they're not making Polaroid film anymore? What a sad thought.

Post by: L.S
041908

Met up to talk some business tonight. Found this great little place that looked like a cross between a
karaoke bar & a strip club from the outside. Decided to give it a try anyway  and to our surprise,
it was really good and affordable. Tofu nabe, chicken & tofu spring rolls with cheese, chicken karaage,
japanese style french fries w/ a mayo+wasabi sauce, tofu/chicken katsu, sake and biru. Finding a
new spot to eat at is like finding money in your jeans after you wash them. Elation! ha.

Post by: L.S
041808

Bare skeletal trees against a low smothering sky.

Post by: L.S

041708

"There's a feeling I get when I look to the west"-Led Zepplin

Shot from Griffith Observatory at sunset. Los Angeles, California. Fade to blue.

Post by: L.S

041608

Good day all.  The latest from the BAYVI newsdesk.



Kays before his Cali-bound Trip.  Those hitch-hiking skills came in quite handy.

So Chris Kays has been representing out in the Golden State this past week, and has been having quite an adventure:  a near cancelled flight, the airlines lost his board bag holding his surfboard, snowboard, and a week's worth of clothes, the hotel had reservation mixups, and don't forget you're stranded in Squaw Valley and need to find a way to bum a ride for the 9 hour drive down to LA from someone, anyone, and fast.

But that's how things roll sometimes, and the man's got to do what he's got to do.   Kays was one of only 2 invited participants from Hawaii for the Annual Ultimate Boarder Competition, the trifecta of boardsports:  Skating, Surfing, and Snowboarding, all in two weeks.  Total winner takes all, $30 **kin G's!  Imagine that.  And some great rewards for top 10 spots as well.  There's some stiff competition out there from the likes of Nathan Fletcher to Omar Hassan, so good luck to our man, the lone soldier of Aloha.


Ultimate Boarder Setup Day 2


Right point break in Ventura.  After the end of the days of Snowboarding and Surfing, Kays is holding strong in pack of Top25, a good position for him to make his charge now with the remaining day left being his speciality.


Many thanks to RP for taking care of Kays, providing the man with some lodging, and hookin him up with a few practice sessions.

Getting ready to roll...Skate Comp. ready to go on Friday.


Post by R.P
041608

North Shore, 2008.
Unknown, watching the sunset.

Post by: L.S
041508

Found this photo casually laying around my parents house the other day. It was shot in 1974 (I know
this because it says the date on the back of the photograph) at an unknown beach in Hawaii, I wish I knew the
name of. What I would give to see any beach this empty nowadays!

Anyway, it got me thinking of random unkown facts of 1974. What went on in 74? Here's a list below:

-March 1. Watergate scandal: Seven former White House officials are indicted for their role in Watergate.
-March 8. Charles De Gaulle Airport opens in Paris, France
-April 8. Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves breaks Babe Ruth's  home run record by hitting his 715th home run.
-April 24. Stephen King publishes his first novel "Carrie" under his own name.
-May 18th. Nuclear test. Under project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon,
becoming the 6th nation to do so.
-June 26. The Universal Product Code (UPC) is scanned for the first time, to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing
gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
-August 8. Watergate scandal. U.S President Richard Nixon announces his resignation. First U.S President to
resign from office.
-October 20. Ending nine years of nearly constant touring, the Grateful Dead begin an extended hiatus after
finishing their fall U.S tour at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California.
-November 16. The Arecibo radio telescope sends an interstellar radio message towards the M13 Great Globular
Cluster. The message will reach its destination around the year 27000.
-November 24. A skeleton from the hominid species Austrapithecus afarensis is discovered and named Lucy.
-The birth of the following people: J-Dilla, Seth Green, D'Angelo, Eva Mendes, Jenna Jameson, Da Brat, Victo-
ria Beckham, Penelope Cruz, Havoc (mobb deep), Steve-O, Rob Dyrdek, Lil' Kim, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace,
Xzibit, Nelly, Kate Moss and more.

1974, I would've never known.

Post by: L.S
041408

Stories of accidental discovery in exploration and expectation. Issac Newton's falling apple led to his
musings on the nature of gravitation, Christopher Columbus accidentally re-discovering America while
in search for a new way to India. One seems to discover something fortunate, while looking for something
else entirely. Music, photos, people, places, moments, you find it, it happens, and it works.

-Shot this today at a beach in Kahala. I was trying to get the trees and sky in one frame and leaves
floating in the river in the next, but the frames overlapped and gave me this. A little chaotic but i'm happy
with the mistake.

Post by: L.S
041308 

Transparency\Trans*par"en*cy\, noun; pl. {Transparencies}. [CF. F. Transparence.]

Transparency, implies openness, communication, and accountability.  A metaphorical extention

of an object one can see through.

Post by: L.S

041208 

It's time to spread the word.  We're now reaching select shops in London, Los Angeles, and our latest growth in select shops in:  Tokyo.  The VI fever is building stronger than ever.  Check out our latest journey to the land of the rising sun.

Japan.  This place has brought the world many great things.  It's the land of beer-vending machines.  The land that brought us Sushi, Street Fighter, and the Nintendo Power Pad.  And now it's the metropolis known as a top fashion capitol of the world.

We were invited over and had a chance to spend some quality time with our good friends.  Enjoy our photo-tour.  Aloha.


Flight attendants, please be seated for take-off.  Waikiki/Diamond Head , ever-so-distinct.


Ascent.  Look close and you can see a chest-high pulse visible along our Southern Shorelines.


Welcome to Japan...Youkouso.  First sight of land after 7.5 hours.  Looks like got some waves?  Head-high windswell along the Chiba-shorelines.


Rivers and fields of rice.  A country side to Japan you don't often see.  Narita Airport, Chiba, Japan.  Ladies and Gents, Prepare for landing.


Double-decker chunk of steel.


Former Surfing Grand Champion Minetou Ushikoshi picking us up at the airport and showing his aloha in Japan.  Taking us around and giving us a tour of his hometown, Chiba-Japan.


Chiba-Ken.  Japan's equivalent of Hawaii's North Shore?  Miles and miles away from Hawaii, yet still a bit reminiscent of the pineapple-field drive down to Haleiwa.
I was waiting for him, Occy, and Turtle to throw me in the rice fields for initiation.


Autograph signing ....  Ushikoshi getting stopped to stoke out a fan.  I had like 10 autograph signings before, but I guess none of them were caught on film.


Ma-ku-do-na-ru-do.  Say it 10 times fast and we'll buy you a big mac.


When in Japan, do as the Japanese do.  Drink Aquarius and take Japanese baths.  Long day of travel, good night.

Day 2.  Jet-Lag.  You wake up at odd hours of the night and you can't decide if you're hungry or tired or if you have to go to the bathroom.  But who are we to complain, we're in Japan and it's been a blast.  We got a good day head of us.  Yesterday we spent a good day in the country-side and Chiba Coastline, home to many of Japan's most famous surf spots.  Today, we're heading in to the city to visit shops and catch up with some of our good friends.  Many thanks to our host and good friend Minetou Ushikoshi.


New digital payphones meets old analog.


After spending a day in the country, we've got our sights on the city.  Rice fields and rain on our drive from the Chiba coastline to the heart of Tokyo.


Japan has more rivers and bridges than you would believe.  In Hawaii, we have the Ala-Wai canal if that counts.


Japan's famous Rainbow Bridge, our entrance to Tokyo.  What you can't see is that we're about 500 ft in the air right hoping the big earthquake doesn't strike.  Tokyo city skyline and the famous Tokyo Tower in Red to the right.


These taxi guys are everywhere.  They drive fast, a little scary, but are damn-good drivers.


Famous theatre in Japan where you can go get your KABUKI on.  Photo-drive by.


Welcome to GINZA.  2 Japanese bullet-trains (SHINKANSEN) running on the tracks above welcoming you to one of Japan's most famous areas of shopping.


This had to be some of the best sushi I ate in my life.  Too bad I didn't have a shot before, but damn we were hungry.


Wayfarers, hand-crafted in Italy.  These glasses were the **** but after looking at the price tag, we decided to take a photo instead.


Ushikoshi in style with a shaka.


These Japanese guys are brilliant, no wonder they thought of Super Mario Bros.  Blue labels are cold drinks.  Hot labels come out in a heated can, perfect for those cold days.


Had a chance to meet up with our other friend Iwasaki.  Never seen an Alfa Romeo before...this car was freakin sick.

Elevator parking in Japan.  One garage can hold 50+ cars.


Alfa Romeo inside.  Meiji Dori Road Outside.  Gran Turismo represent.


Harajuku Umbrellas.


There are some really sick shops in Tokyo.


Dinner Time.  Attention to detail is the Japanese way, and food is no exception.


Had a chance to catch up with friends and drink up.  Put all these guys together in the same room and it's some good times.  From left to right, celebrity actor Kenji Sakaguchi, BAYVI marketing Ron Peterson, JPSA Grand Champ Ushikoshi, business powerhouse Iwasaki, SSJ GM and golf star Furuoya, celebrity dentist Irimajiri, and Industry Legend and SSJ head Soeda.


Celebrity Sakaguchi Kenji restaurant autograph.  I asked them if they wanted mine, but they said they already had.


Good night.

So it's our third and final day in the land of the rising sun.  It's been a fast but fun time.  So much to see, so much to experience.  Last night, pro-surfing Grand Champ Minetou Ushikoshi and myself had a good dinner with our good friends, and today our schedule is to make the 3 hour drive down to one of the most famous coasts in Japan, the Shonan shoreline.  There, we'll have a chance to stop by the SSJ Surfboard factory, visit a few speciality shops and boutiques along the Shonan Coast, and make it back in time to Narita Airport.

So let's get going.



6:30 AM and we're off to an early start after spending the night at our friend's house in the residential area outside Shinjuku, Tokyo.


First stop.  Ushikoshi's own surf shop, "U4 SURF", located near Shinjuku.


Irasshaimase!  Manning the wheel of U4 Surf Shop.


Rocking the VI out in the Land of the Rising Sun.


G-Shock Poster of Pro-Surfing Legend Ushikoshi.  Backdoor/Pipeline, Hawaii.  This photo is sick and so well framed had to take a photo of the photo.


Rivers.  Bridges.  Houses.  And we're off.  Driving down to the famous Shonan coastline.  Next stop, SSJ Factory.


Soeda Surfboard Japan Factory welcomes us with open arms.  Had a chance to catch up with the guys down there, and was also cool to see up-and-coming 19-year-old Shouta Nakamura there signing his contract as the newest addition to their RockDance Surfboards Team.  Congrats Shota!



Coffee break.  Ushikoshi.  SSJ Offices.  Japan.


And we're off to the Shonan Coastline.  Old-school classic train ENODEN.  Serving the local beach and Shonan community for years.


Shonan Coastline.  Enoshima Island.  Give this place 3 months to be a bit warmer with a bit more waves, and it'll be more crowded than Ala Moana Bowls, Pipeline, and Ala Moana Shopping Mall put together.


A couple more feet and this little spot looks pretty promising.


A touch of Hawaii many miles away.


Off to the airport.  We got a flight to catch.


Yokohama Bay Bridge.


We got to make our flight.  We're taking the new shortcut...the Tokyo Aqua-Line.


The Aqua Line is an underground tunnel that runs 450 ft. UNDERNEATH THE OCEAN FLOOR.  It goes across Tokyo Bay and how is this entrance?  I feel like I'm heading into the tombs of Laura Croft.


Take a look at the GPS Navigator Screen and you can see we're officially under the ocean.  Started to have flashbacks of that one Sylvester Stallone movie, 'Daybreak'.  Ears popping.  Heart throbbing.


It was the trippiest feeling and the biggest optical illusion.  You couldn't tell if you were travelling further down or heading back up to the surface.  But your ears are popping so you know your altitude is changing.  You look at the photo and tell me.  Are we going down, or are we going back up?  Was driving us crazy.


So if these Aqua-Line Engineers weren't crazy enough, they said, "Let's build a rest-stop from the tunnel in the middle of the Bay."  Taking a moment to emerge from the tunnel.


Minetou Ushikoshi, now starring in the movie, "Titanic".


Snacks anyone?


Finished product and so good.


Fresh off the grill.  Enough eating, we got a flight to catch.


Japan has to have some of the cleanest and coolest airports in the world.


Pre-flight brewsky.  The end of a great and eventful trip.


Warm air, deep blue water, and blue skies.  Welcome back to the tropics.


Westside Oahu at 1000 feet.  Clean, smooth water in a trade-wind weather pattern.  Coming in for landing.


Touchdown.  Welcome Home.

Many thanks to our friends in Japan, making this whole trip possible.  Thanks again to those who've been supporting BAYVI as we continue to spread the BAYVI support network from Hawaii to the World.  BAYVI til we die.

Ushikoshi, thank you for your hospitality.

To the BAYVI and the BAYVI 6A Crew, buckle up because here we go!

Many thanks to the crew over at Hawaii's Midweek Magazine for their BAYVI feature in their latest Style Guide, distributed to households throughout Hawaii.  Thanks again to Kainoa, Jared, Leila, Chris, Yushing, and Natalie for helping putting this all together!

Aloha