Biography

I was born in northern Japan to typical Japanese parents, and grew up on a promontory overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I started to read Japanese at age 3 and, at age 10, I declared I was going to be a novelist when I grew up. I started to learn English in Grade 7---the normal age for Japanese children back then. I was so fascinated by my discovery that there were more ways than one in which I could express myself, that by the end of the year I had finished reading the Grade 8 textbook as well. This dubious achievement led my Grade 8 English teacher to give me an extra assignment for the summer break-to translate a small story book. I did not imagine at the time that this laid the very first brick in my Yellow Brick Road. Before I was transplanted to Canada, I worked for a shipping agency, and then for a Swedish company as a manager of its small local sales office selling steel products. English has been my primary language for the last 20-plus years in Canada. During this time I worked at several jobs, all of which required the ability to speak and write Japanese. I took several part-time college courses on and off in search of a career path-criminology, business management, computer, and interpreting. Finally I was drafted into what turned out to be my calling-translation-by my teacher in a court interpreting program. I love to read encyclopedias and dictionaries, or perhaps anything printed and bound. I am interested in science in general, as well as in Greek, Celtic and Japanese mythology. I am an avid fan of New York Times Sunday crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, and classical music. I have re-kindled my childhood passion for storytelling, and enjoy writing short stories.