The second reason is really because of my dad.

My father was never really stuck out the crowd for the most part, never was the loudest, or the strongest, but still his influences on my life still remain to this day. My father had his own interests of coming to Japan before we did as a family, leading him to learn the language & to learn Japanese jujutsu as a young man.

He was quiet about his accomplishments, but I remember him having his office and seeing the many all of his Japanese artwork he would hang, his certificates in Japanese from his training days, and the many practice weapons he kept in his garage. For years, I was not allowed to really touch them, which grabbed my curiosity. I wanted to learn about these weird images and weird weapons he had. Which began my interest in the martial arts. 

To be fair, my interests really began with all the media in Japan I was seeing, and also having been a TMNT for years before, the hooks were already in me. But the disconnect for years from what I saw and what my father showed me in play thoughts or mischievous applications of technique throughout my youth. Keep me searching, a search that would ultimately have me learn the style he was taught, weapon arts, and finally coming to Japan to learn as much as I can.

These two things are really the basis of why I’m here, but to be honest, I just feel more comfortable here. 

I’ve grown up on military bases most of my life, and most in other countries. By the time I was 12, I had moved 4 times with 3 them being outside of the USA. I didn’t have the typical American childhood, I didn’t have the best friend from kindergarten that I still know, I didn’t root for the home team, none of that. In fact when I came back to the states as a young teenager, I found most of American life to be more or less boring. It didn’t have all the things that “I” grew up with and nor was American life really interested in finding out more than what was already there. 

So in 2014 I left the states, first for China and then Japan, and here I’ve remained. I do miss family and some food, but ultimately I’m happy here.

And that’s it! Hopefully this isn’t too long winded, but this is just a little peek into the reasons I’m here. In the future, I’ll share specific posts about my process, projects, and anything I find interesting.