CURRENT MISSION

International minded guy wants to become global.

ABOUT ME

I'm from Pennsylvania, but I lived in Los Angeles and San Francisco for several years. I worked full-time while I went to grad school at night. The result was an MBA degree that is still useful in my career as I often teach business subjects. I used to also study the wines of the world and a little bit of cheese retailing but cheese is a bit overwhelming. I'll leave cheese to the experts and stick with wine. I like to do sporty things, such as work out, go bowling, go running, go snowboarding, whatever. I used to have a lot of sports equipment (bowling ball, golf clubs, tennis, racquetball, ping pong paddles, skis, snowboard, camping stuff, etc.), but I had to get rid of it all when I moved to Japan. I did bring my 2 snowboards, though.
Also, another important thing about me is that I am married to a Japanese lady and we live Together in Tokyo. She is not interested in staying at strangers' places- a bit more conservative than me, I suppose. We work different schedules, so I would like to try couchsurfing and meeting new people on my time off from work.
I would also like to make friends. Between working, hanging out with my wife, and studying Japanese, I haven't really branched out like I though I would have. I don't have many friends in Japan- only a few that I have met through conversation exchange.
I used to be friends with other foreigners (mostly English teachers) but they come and go. I will be in Japan for the long term and I have seen many of my foreign friends return to their country after a year or two. I have been putting effort into my Japanese studies, so I hope to make some long term Japanese friends- even if they speak no English at all.

I'm a social guy who likes being around people and I treat people with respect- especially my friends. I hold them in the highest regard. Also, I'm a straight guy, but I'm LGBT friendly. I don't particularly like xenophobes.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I signed up on CS a long ago, but never used it. I got sidetracked with the things that were going on in my life. As it stands, I'm looking to meet some new friends, both locally and from around the world. I'm really interested in meeting new people and learning other cultures.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

No experiences yet.

Interests

Snowboarding
Electronic music
Dancing
Wine
Cheese
Bars
Sports
Travel
Food
Entrepreneurship
Japan
Europe
Poutine
Yuengling Lager
Fish & Chips

• fish
• dancing
• dining
• wine
• cheese
• running
• working out
• clubbing
• traveling
• music
• electronic music
• fishing
• camping
• snowboarding
• sports
• tennis
• racquetball
• table tennis
• golf
• bowling
• entrepreneurship

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Sideways, Office Space, Superbad, Zoolander, Goodfellas, etc. Mostly comedy & mob-type.

Music: Most electronic genres. Particularly trance and house

Books: Various books in subjects in business. Moreover, I am starting a book about the Yakuza.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In 2013, I broke my neck in a snowboarding accident. I almost died, but I ended up paralyzed... for a while. A noble surgeon was able to save my life and start my road to recovery. I learned how to use my body again. Specifically, walking and using my arms/hands took a lot of work. It was really an accomplishment when I could take a shower or cook food by myself.

This changed my life. I had a lifelong dream of living in Japan. My near fatal accident almost robbed me of the chance. So, I dropped everything and I moved to Japan. I have been living in Tokyo for nearly 3 years and I love it every day.

Teach, Learn, Share

Do the things that you want to do. Follow your goals and passions.
Do it NOW because you never know what's going to happen in the future. You never know when you are going to die. I almost found out the hard way.

Don't let family, your job, your friends, and especially money hold you back. Go travel the world. There are ways around your barriers. Travel alone if you have to.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, Switzerland, United States