My father is the youngest of nine raised in a 250 year old farmhouse in Gifu prefecture. Instead of academics, he chose an apprenticeship path to restore many of the famous temples in Kyoto. To become a true shokunin (craftsman) requires years of commitment and goes deeply beyond just mastering technique. In the 1970s he immigrated to the U.S. to introduce Japanese joinery (fitting wood pieces together without the use of nails or machinery) to western carpenters.

My mom is forever my inspiration. Both of her parents passed away early in her childhood and it was a harsh stigma post WWII, as orphans were considered throw away children by society. My mom has shared many life stories that have stuck with me. This is a photo of my mom when she started a kissaten in Osaka with her older sister, Chiaki. They made an arrangement with the landlord that they would operate the kissaten in exchange for housing upstairs.

It was a coincidence that my mother and father were both in the United States when they met. My mother was visiting a friend and my father was already in the U.S. sharing his craft of traditional Japanese woodworking. This is a snapshot of their wedding ceremony — held at a public park in Berkeley with complete strangers showing up with a celebratory potluck.

My father's journey was never an easy path; despite his beautiful craft. This is a Japanese guest home he built in the Pacifc NW. He masters his craft with such pure intent and never motivated by profit. He continues to live a private and extremely modest lifestyle. I attribute so much of my values to him.

Since having my own family, watching my daughter connect with おじいちゃん (grandfather) has been such a gift. The family values passed down from generation is one that I hope will continue to resonate.

From my childhood, I loved imagining, writing, and obsessively watching sports (heavily influenced by my two younger brothers). By age 12, I wanted to be a sportswriter. I was the first in my family generation to go to college, graduating from Syracuse University ('01) with a journalism degree. While ultimately my ambition did not lead to a career path, I'm proud of so many of my college colleagues that did and grateful that I have found my own path in creating something I love.