The Path That Led Me to Kyoto

Hello, I'm Masa. I currently work as the Student Life Coordinator at CIEE Kyoto. As I've gotten older, I've met many people, had various jobs, and gained a wide range of experiences. I lived in the UK from 2000 to 2018. Those 18 years I spent in the UK have a significant connection to why I'm now with CIEE.

This photo is of the worn-down apartment where I spent my days from university until I moved to the UK. Not long after I took this picture, I left for a new life abroad — and the apartment, too old to stand any longer, was torn down. It’s strange to think that both the place and that chapter of my life are now gone.

The person in the photo with me is John. If I hadn’t met him, I almost certainly wouldn’t have become involved with CIEE. Even after moving to the UK, I continued playing baseball, and John and I played together there. When I was pitching during games, he would shout words of encouragement to me in Japanese from first base.

John spoke fluent Japanese, and not just on the field—he encouraged me in my personal life as well. He’s American and moved to the UK around the same time I did, after having spent several years living in Kyoto.

There are countless memories I could share about John, but I’ll leave it here for now.

One markable thing is that John was actually the university supervisor of Conor, the current Center Director of CIEE Kyoto. It was through Conor that John heard CIEE was looking for staff, and he kindly introduced me.

John and I often talked about Kyoto over the years, and I had always said that if the opportunity ever came, I’d love to live there someday. Thanks to both John and Conor, I’m now fortunate enough to be part of CIEE Kyoto.

And if it weren’t for CIEE Kyoto, I probably never would have had the chance to meet the wonderful students I now share this time with. I treasure this encounter — being here in Kyoto, at the same time, in the same place — with people I might otherwise never have crossed paths with.