I teach Chinese films and language at Rikkyo University and other universities in Tokyo. Over the years, I have also worked at film festivals and art festivals as an interpreter for Chinese guests. I absolutely love the atmosphere of those festivals, where people from all over the world converge on one spot for a week of intense interaction—eating and drinking into the evening while chatting about the art they are encountering during the day. I'm also the mother of two crazy and funny kids.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love traveling, and when I have a chance to interact with local people it's a hundred times more interesting. My understanding and love for that place becomes immeasurably deeper. I'm always appreciative of meeting old friends somewhere, or making new friends somewhere. It's by far the best way to travel. When I think about it, I have many friends around the world that I met by chance many, many years ago. I hope to make more through couch surfing!

I was in China, on my first visit, just weeks before the Tiananmen Square Incident; a bit later, I was in Berlin just weeks before the unification of Germany; I was also standing on the World Trade Center just a month before 911. I've learned from these travel experiences that even the most peaceful and mundane setting may be on the cusp of historical change; no one knows. I have learned much from these experiences, and they have changed how travel to any place on the planet—including my own home in Japan.

Interests

Movies and any kind of art, from the classic to the contemporary. Travel, of course!

• arts
• festivals
• film festivals
• drinking
• movies
• traveling
• surfing
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Some of my favorite movies are Fellini's La Strada, Stanley Kwan's Actress and other films, anything by Hou Hsiao-hsien. And then there are all the independent films by my Chinese friends, especially those that I did the subtitles for or interpreted for; they have made an indelible impression on my life.

I love Hannah Arendt, especially Men in Dark Times.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Fiji, France, Germany, Guam, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, United States