15/07/2026
Starting with the damage from the direct hit by Super Typhoon SINLAKU on April 13th, so many things happened one after another. I thought and agonized, thought and agonized, over and over and over again, thinking it through to the absolute limit. But finally, I have decided to close down the place I loved most in the world: 'OLEAI BEACH BAR & GRILL.'
If there is just one thing I can share right now, it’s about the exact moment after the typhoon when I thought, 'Ah, this might really be the end.' It was when I saw the state of my beloved OLEAI BEACH BAR & GRILL.
…The sign. It was gone.
To tell you a little bit about this sign—back in 2012, when Elvert(The most reliable manager in the world) and I were working our heads off to open the restaurant as quickly as possible, I designed it myself. I had it printed as a banner in Japan, rolled it up, and hauled it all the way here on the plane myself, which was incredibly heavy. Then, I had Pablo—the old carpenter who was in charge of all the remodeling back then (he was 75 at the time, so he’d be 90 now if he’s still with us!)—mount it on a board, frame it, and install it right on the front of the building.
Once the installation was finished, Pablo just stood there in silence, staring at the sign for a while. I wondered what the old man was thinking, but then he turned to me with a big smile and said, 'Awesome!!' I still remember how incredibly happy that made me. That sign had been with us since before the day we opened.
And it was gone.
Not 'detached,' not 'fallen down,' but completely 'gone.' It wasn't anywhere around the restaurant. I scanned the ocean right in front of us, but it wasn't there either. There was no doubt it had been blown away.
…Well, during this super typhoon, the wind blew from the east the entire time. So, if it was blown away, it definitely went west—straight out into the ocean. The only comforting thought is that it probably didn't cause trouble for anyone else.
And so, the story of my beloved OLEAI BEACH BAR & GRILL and me is coming to an end very soon.
Even after the typhoon, so many people from Japan reached out of concern, and many Saipan locals told me, 'Hurry up and reopen already!' I am so incredibly sorry, but I just couldn't do it.
To everyone I promised, 'Let's meet again at OLEAI'—I am truly sorry I couldn't keep my promise.
Thank you all so, so much for loving and cherishing OLEAI BEACH BAR & GRILL for such a long time.
Goodbye, the place I loved most in the world."
OLEAI BEACH BAR & GRILL
SEIICHI KAMEGAI