A month after the devastating tsunami struck the Northern coast of Honshu in Japan, I saw photos of children receiving school supplies from “Save the Children.”

New student Riki Kawamura opens a new school satchel which was given by NGO "Save the Children" after receiving it at Omagari elementary school in Higashi-Matsushima, Miyagi prefecture, after the area was devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, April 15, 2011.

It was heartwarming to see the look on the children’s faces after receiving the school supplies. After everything they went through, I’m glad that they can have something that makes them happy (and be kids again).

It’s not too late to donate, click here for more info.

In the aftermath of the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, I was overwhelmed by the utter devastation of the entire coastline of Northern Honshu. And if that wasn’t enough, they are now facing freezing temperatures and the threat of nuclear contamination.

It’s hard not to feel completely helpless. I want to help, but how?

When I heard that an estimated 100,000 children have been displaced from their homes, I knew that I wanted my contribution to go to them first. I made a donation to Save the Children, and if you haven’t contributed to a charity, I hope you would consider them.

Save the Children was given an A-rating by the American Institute of Philanthropy, and highly rated by other charity watch organizations. Save the Children is highly efficient with only 10% of funds used for administrative expenses, which means 90% of all contributions will go directly to those affected in Japan.

It may not be much, but it’s a start.

There was a rare lightning show over Honolulu tonight. I was able to capture some of it on video…

It’s the first time I’ve experienced the lightning without the thunder.

今晩ホノルルで珍しいライトニング（稲妻）のショーがありました。ビデオに少し撮りました。

私にとって初めての音無の雷の経験でした。

After a one year hiatus, the NFL Pro Bowl is back in Hawaii. And like each of the previous 30 years Hawaii has hosted the NFL All-Star game, the issue of cost, and the question “is it worth it?” has come up again.

It’s like they never left.

The economic impact of hosting the Pro Bowl goes far beyond our $4 Million investment. Hotels here are already reporting the highest ADR (average daily rate) in three years, Hawaii gets featured front-and-center during the entire Pro Bowl week festivities, and even during the game, we get fantastic exposure during each time-out and commercial break.

But Hawaii’s biggest supporters come from the players themselves. “There’s no better place to have it,” Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said in this article on NBC Sports.

一年の中断後、NFL のプロボールがハワイに戻って来ました。３０年ハワイはこのオールスターゲームを主催してきたが、また同じ”本当に（やる）価値があるのか？”と疑問がまた浮上している。

プロバールは一度もハワイから離れてないかのように。

プロボールの経済貢献は４００万ドルの投資以上にインパクトを生んでいる。ホテル産業は過去３年で最高高値のホテルチャージを揚げていると既に報告している。ハワイはプロボールウィークリーのイベントに色々と紹介されているのに加え、ケームの最中にも全国放送のテレビのコマーシャルにハワイが宣伝されている。

しかし、一番のハワイのサポーターはやはりオールスター選手自体である。インデイアナポリス　コルトのクオーターバックのペイトン　マニング選手は　NBC Sportsの記事で　”ほかに（ハワイより）いい場所はない”と述べている。

I just posted a virtual tour of One Archer Lane, Unit: 3403.

The unit has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and comes with two parking stalls. The unit faces South, with spectacular views of the ocean, sunsets, Diamond Head, from both bedrooms and the living room.

Here’s the QR code for the unit if you would like to open and save this profile in your mobile device (you will need to sign up for a free Trulia account to open the profile).

I’m moving to Abe Lee Realty! And as you can see, I’m excited about this change in my career.  I appreciate all the opportunities that I got at my previous brokerage where I received the best training in the islands and met many great people.  I also appreciate the experience from working at a large company and learning to be a professional real estate agent.

It felt like the right time for a change.

After six years at my previous brokerage firm, it felt like the right time for a change. Abe Lee Realty is a small company owned and operated locally with approximately 140 agents.  Abe is not only a successful broker, but he is a well respected instructor for his pre-licensing courses and continuing education classes for sales persons and brokers on the island.  Abe also expanded his expertise into real estate development.  If you’re in this industry, I’m sure you’ve heard of his name. He is very knowledgeable and generous in sharing his knowledge.

What does this change mean to you?

Abe Lee Realty offers educational classes to my clients free of charge (in most situations).  I’m a big believer in educating my clients so they can make the best decision possible. Abe Lee Realty also works with a referral company.  If you are licensed in real estate and refer clients to me, the referral program is an opportunity for you to make some money.  Due to our down economy, many licensed agents were forced to look outside of the real estate industry to make a living. Some have completely moved on to another career. If you know of any former agents, this could be a great opportunity for them. Or if you would like to take advantage of this opportunity but you don’t have a license, Abe Lee Realty offers a pre-licensing class. You may be eligible for a scholarship for his class.  Please talk to me.

I hope you feel my excitement.  Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Let’s use this momentum to make year 2011 another exciting year!

エイブリーリアルティーに籍を移しました！　ご覧のようにこの変化に胸高鳴っています。
前の会社には感謝しています。オアフ島最高の不動産エージェントのトレーニングをやり抜けましたし、沢山のいい人にも会えました。それにハワイで最大の不動産会社で働いていたという経験もできました。そこでは本当のプロの不動産エージェントはどういうふうであるべきかということも学べました。

今が変化の時期と感じた。

約６年間　前の会社に所属しました。そろそろ変わらなきゃと感じる時期が来ました。エイブリーリアルティーは比較的小さい会社で約１４０のエージェントが所属し、大きな会社と違って、経営もオーナーも地元ベースです。エイブは成功しているただの不動産ブローカーだけではなく、じつはオアフ島では名の知れたインストラクターで不動産免許を取るためのクラスや免許を持続させるための数多くのクラスを教えていて、実は私達ブローカーや、セールスエージェントの先生なのです。　加えて、不動産開発の専門もしています。もしこの業界に携わっていたら、必ず彼の名前は聞いた事があるはず。知識が豊富でセールスマンタイプというより先生タイプの人です。

この変化　お客様にとってどういう意味？

エイブリーリアルティーはお客様に無料の（ほとんどの場合）セミナーを催したりします。お客様にできる限りの情報を知ってもらって　お客様がベストな決断をされるサポートを私のポリシーとしています。というので、このセミナー私のお客様の知識招集源にピッタリ。
エイブリーリアルティーはオアフ島の紹介会社と連携活動しています。もし不動産の免許を持っておられる方が私にお客様をご紹介していただいたら、紹介会社から紹介料としてコミッションが出ます。不況のため、沢山の不動産エージェントが不動産以外の職業で生活をしのいだりしています。中にはまったく不動産をやめてしまった人も多いと思います。そんな人にとってこのプログラムはお客様を紹介するだけで収入が入る絶好の機会です。
また、まだ免許をもっていらっしゃらない方でも　紹介できるお客様がいる人は是非私のところにご連絡ください。
エイブリーは免許を取るクラスを教えています。奨学金制度もあるようです。

お客様もこの高鳴る胸のわくわくを一緒に感じていただければと思います。そしてこの２０１１年もわくわくの波に乗ってよい年にできればと思います。

Happy New Year! I hope 2011 will be a great year for you and your family!

I’m going through some changes myself and will be making an announcement soon. Stay tuned!

Have you ever considered renovating your home? There are dozens of home improvement television shows that will inspire you to turn your home into your dream home… yourself.

But in reality, there’s a lot more detail involved than what you see on TV. And it’s not uncommon for the novice do-it-yourselfer to run into problems, go over budget and take much longer finish the project than they initially planned (if they finish at all). Sometimes it may just make sense to find the perfect home, instead of building it (or renovating it) yourself, where someone else already dealt with the headaches of the renovation.

I know of such a home.

There’s great listing with an unobstructed ocean view that has been fully renovated this year. A total of $115,000 was put into renovations to convert this spacious one-bedroom unit into a dream home.  The listing is being offered at $579,000 and is in perfect move-in condition.

You won’t see a deal like this on a TV show.

自分でするリホーム考えた事ありますか？　 たくさんあるリホームのテレビ番組を見てい ると自分でドリームホームを創ってみたくなりますよね。

でも、実際はテレビで見ているよりもっと難しくて、初めての人だと面倒くさい事ばっか  りになったりするなんて結構あるみたいです。予算オーバーしたり、予定より時間がかか  ったり。時には自分でドリームホームを創るよりもう実際にドリームホームに近いものを  買うほうが良かったりします。それだと頭痛のしそうな面倒なことを自分は対処しなくて  いいですよね。

そんな物件知っています。

今年完全リホームされた１寝室タイプのコンドミニアムでそこから見える海の景色は最 高。１１万５千ドルほどリホームに費やされた　 この広い１寝室タイプはまさにドリーム ホーム。

テレビなんかではこんな物件なかなか紹介されないですよね。

Like most people, if I had the choice I would prefer to live in a brand new building.  If not, I found the next best thing….

I came cross an interesting flier from a construction company in Japan.  They have a menu of their services and include the price of each service. It`s similar to an ad from a grocery store.  This totally changed my image of a house renovation.  With this, you can do anything from changing the wall paper (starting at $5.00 per square meter), to a total re-roofing (starting at $780 for 19.8 square meters) . I wish we had a company like this here.

住むとしたらやっぱり新しい建築に住みたい。でもそんな余裕がなければ。。。

日本で面白い広告を見つけた。　リフォームと増改築の内容がメニュー式に紹介され値段が書いてある。　少しスーパーのチラシ広告に似ている。　ややこしそうなリノベーションのイメージとは違う。　たとえば壁紙を換えるのは大体１平方メートル５ドルくらいから、そして屋根のりホームは７８０ドルより。　こんなお店が私の住んでいるところにもあればいいのに。

If you’re looking for a new home, or just curious about the active listings in your neighborhood, you can get the latest MLS information about any active listing right on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.

Just download my free app. and you’re ready to go.

You can use a filter to narrow down your search parameters, or you can use Google maps to see active listings in a particular neighborhood. All you need to do is click on one of them to see the listing detail (including photos of the property).

If you see a property that you really like, I’m just a finger-tap away

Click on the link below to launch iTunes and download the app and enter my realtor code: 3531. Try it out and let me know what you think. I would love to hear your feedback.

3531