Japan isn’t special.

But you knew this.

Yet, many people treat Japan as this mysterious place beyond the grasp of anyone that’s not Japanese.

Yes, just like every other country, there are certain customs you should follow.

And yes…walking through Japan or using any type of Japanese product or service, you might wonder…what inspired this?

Along the way, you might get frustrated.

…you might become filled with a grand sense of awe.

…you’ll probably fall in love.

But, while the gooey-eyed “unique” talk is well and good, Japan is still just a place full of people.

And people get weird sometimes.

My books dig into the underlying forces that shape Japanese culture.

Then I break these behaviors down into biscuits for people of all cultures to eat and know ourselves better.

After you chew on my books, you will realize,

“oh. Japan is just another country. and they have problems just like us. let’s connect.”

I’ve been a bridge all my life.

As a Jamaican-Chinese growing up in the white suburbia of Florida, USA, I questioned my identity early on.

Was I black? Jamaican? African-American? Chinese? American? Asian-American? Blasian?

I was swimming in this cauldron of colors asking myself what flavor tasted best.

Then my parents signed me up for karate.

I studied karate for 8 years under a traditional Japanese sensei in my hometown, Jacksonville, FL and my brain melted.

Under his tutelage, I developed discipline, perseverance, and most importantly, a desire for mastery.

Once I got to university, I was itching to go to Japan.

Taking advantage of a slump in my dentistry studies, I took the plunge.

After living in Japan for four years, I had found a new home.

From working alongside entrepreneurs on farms and in hotels to living with families in their homes and working in corporations,

I saw a spectrum of the different lives one could live in Japan.

I went through the stages of pure awe and romantic adoration…

to

heavy realization and depression…

to

acceptance.

I came out understanding that Japan was like any other country.

It had its fair share of contradictions, darkened past and social problems.

The difference in communication and culture just made it difficult to see at first.

But, I kept my ears opened and my mind ready to adapt.

Thirsty to learn more, I kept going.

Just as when I was a child,  I felt myself doing my best to bridge the identity gap.

Balancing a sense of the intuitive collective and the rational individual.

Most authors writing about Japan have trouble bridging this gap.

Their words turn to pure Japan adoration or hatred and disillusionment.

My work helps you see the reality as it is.

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