“I’ve been volunteering here for six years. From setting up, yesterday, to the show that’s today. I did [work] in a ticket booth. Collecting the ticket and the money. Yeah, all that. I know one guy, his name is Koji, who’s run this show – Koji and Terry. So he asked me to come over to help him. I know a little bit better. I’m experienced. They ask me, so I do it.
Well, I like cars. Not as much as all people here, but I like cars. I like small cars. Like Honda, N600. I had a Mini Cooper. It’s nice to see old Japanese cars.
I work in a construction company. I’m a project manager, but I’m still assistant. Warehouse, offices. Those kind of stuff. It’s not much of me actually doing it but have sub-contractors over there. I watch. More like supervisor. Well, I had this job right after my school finished, and I was doing this job – it-s a sign company – for making of the signs. It’s kind of part of construction, part of design. I was major in design. Industrial design. You know, making like computers, cell phones. It’s very big field, so you can do so many stuff.
I like furnitures. It’s kind of nice. [I’ve made] Simple ones. Bookshelf, tables, the chair. My style? I think it’s contemporary. Very simple, straight lines. It doesn’t have really detail. Very simple materials, simple structure, form. I think I just – for the design, for the furniture or any construction – well, making stuff. That’s what I like.
I was born in Japan. 11 years ago [came to the US]. I was student at the beginning. I went to Fullerton, Orange County, moved here in Gardena. Long Beach, Cal State. [There are] so many like nisei, second generation Japanese.
Where I grow up is like kind of countryside. Really nice, you know. Had forests and rivers. And then well, it was only my childhood memory. I grow up and then I want to be in the city. So I moved to Tokyo, the big city. I’m like keep moving, living in different places, to find where’s the best place to live. Maybe here? I don’t know. I kind of like it here. It’s kind of very interesting to see many different people. So many weird people. It’s not weird – Maybe I’m weird. I kind of like observing people. I like that.”
Excerpt may be edited for clarity.