Getting Started

First of all, you may be wondering who I am. So, lets start with that. I am an American male from California in his mid-twenties. I study Mathematics and Japanese Studies at Chapman University in Orange County, California. I was told about an opportunity to go and study in Japan for a short period of time and the adventurous side of me couldn't pass up that opportunity. So, I applied to, was accepted into, and am now participating in a short term (8 weeks) program at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu (Ooita Prefecture, Island of Kyuushuu, Japan).

Why Japan? This is one of the main questions that I get asked here; so, I think that it is a good question to address. The truth is that I don't really know. My first exposure to anything Japanese was watching my brother play Japanese video games. Then I noticed the number of successful Japanese businesses in America (Toyota, Nissan, Ibanez, Tama, Sony, etc). The things that the Japanese were producing just seemed so much more advanced than the things that Americans were producing. So, I think this is where my mind became open to learning about the people that were creating these things. As I started to expose myself to Japanese culture in small ways (reading, movies, music, etc), I became intrigued by a culture that seems so different from anything that I am used to and a part of the world that I know so little about. I had to know more. This is the best answer that I can give.

Many people have stories about their journeys to Japan. This one is mine. Please check back often and enjoy.