I am an Italian-American from the East Coast of the USA who has spent 16 years living in Asia (mostly China and Thailand). I have traveled around much of Asia and a bit of Europe, including Italy, where I have a large family.

Previously a working musician (drummer) in China, I transitioned to office work and entrepreneurship some time ago to find stability, but have been mostly disappointed in the results. So in this season of my life, I'm looking to do some travel, volunteer work, and eventually start working for aid and development organizations where I can hopefully be of service to others.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am finally committing myself to traveling in Japan, a country I have wanted to live in my entire life. However, I unfortunately do not have much money for travel these days, having spent most of my money trying to start several (failed) businesses, lol. I am hoping that Couchsurfing (and WWOOF) will allow me to see parts of Japan that I would not be able to afford otherwise, all while making some lasting friendships with residents and of course, giving me opportunities to practice speaking Japanese.

Interests

1) Literally anything Japanese: Anime, Classic Film (Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, Ozu, Suzuki, Teshigahara, Oshima, Imamura, etc...), Music (Perfume, Yaosobi, Kanno Yoko, L-Arc En Ciel, Asian Kung Fu Generation, BabyMetal, etc...), Japanese History (Particularly Heian, Azuchi-Momoyama, and Edo periods), Martial Arts (Judo, Jiujitsu), Japanese Food, Japanese literature (Yoshikawa Eiji, Murakami Haruki, Shikibu Murasaki, Abe Kobo), Tea Ceremony, Kintsugi, Japanese Philosophy/Zen, Japanese Whisky, Onsen, Japanese architecture, Japanese subcultures, etc...

I also love to go hiking/camping, go on long motorcycle ride, in new cities I try to find jam sessions (playing the drums) to meet local musicians, and occasionally I will go out to dance salsa and bachata.

• horses
• arts
• culture
• literature
• dancing
• cooking
• meditation
• music
• drums
• martial arts
• economics
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

Music - Radiohead, TOOL, Sigur Ros, Rage Against the Machine, J.S. Bach, Arvo Part, PERFUME, Yaosobi, Asian Kung Fu Generation

Books - Musashi (Toshikawa), Lord of the Rings (Tolkien), Dune series (Herbert), Foundation series (Asimov), The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky)

Movies - Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Sugata Sanshiro (Kurosawa), 13 Assassins (Miike), Andrei Rubelev (Tarkovsky), John Wick, Top Gun

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I am both claustrophobic and have an intense fear of drowning and in 2021 I did a 10-day certification course to become a fully-certified cave diver (down to verticle depth of 40 meters) and I passed.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how to play drums :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

English/Chinese practice, drum set lessons, culture lessons (about the USA, Italy, China, Thailand)

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Canada, China, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Italy, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam

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