I was born and raised in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. After attending Hokkaido University for a little more than a year, I transferred to Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana (USA), where I majored in English literature. After graduating from college, I worked for a Japanese company in Indiana before enrolling in the American Studies Program at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where I finished my M.A. (1990) and Ph.D. (1999). I returned to Hokkaido to teach at Hokkaido University in 1995. In 1998 I moved to Tokyo to teach at the University of Tokyo. I now teach English language courses as well as American studies and cultural studies to both undergraduate and graduate students. I also serve as the director of the Globalization Office and as deputy director of International Admissions. My research is focused on U.S.-Japan cultural relations, with a particular interest in cultural representation and memory. Over the years, I have focused mostly on Hawai‘i. I have authored four books and edited four books in Japanese and English.