The Chronicle

Let's recap the year and talk about what's to come in 2022

Zane is a fashion designer, calligraphist, and all around artist. Currently working out of Osaka Kansai region, he sees the relationship between function and meaning as mutually contributing elements to a distinct style. We discuss his journey, his process, and a bit of what has formed his approach to life.

In this video we go into discuss in full detail the upcoming project for Garden Lab working in collaboration with Kobe University along side an organic farm and business to create a sustainable business of bamboo field reclamation.

We are back at it. The Podcast is once again live and will be 4 times monthly posted. In the first half I discuss the iconic book I've been reading, 'The Hero Of A Thousand Faces'. In the second half we talk about where I am now employed and the expat community in Kyoto.

Jay has spent a significant amount of his life here in Japan. In doing so he has climbed the IT ladder and finds himself now married and doing well. Through his experiences we come to understand better what that life's evolution looks like. He is a man. He is not a cat.

Josh is one of those heroes of the interwebs, holding all us would be creators up with his incredible tutorials. If you've ever tried to learn anything on the adobe creative suite it's likely that you've come across Josh. His kind and straightforward demeanor sets the stage for a presence which treats others well while never hesitating to get down to business. Carving out a creative career with in...

You get a person like Andrew when positivity collides with work ethic. Of the many things you could call this man: engineer, videographer, skateboarder, woodworker—lazy does not rank among them. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new skill, interest or craft. It is something wholly different to continue applying yourself past the initial spark which catches your interest. It takes r...

Robin answers questions with the careful confidence of someone who considers well what's in their head before speaking. When you ask her about what led her to Japan, you notice something curious: while she describes her series of choices plainly, and as though any other might have made them, they are exceptional. Not many have travelled in her family. Where others might then see that as evidence a...

Viktor and I have collaborated over the years on various projects. Although he is taking a break from it now, he is an excellent photographer and his travels around Japan have taken him to many beautiful places. Viktor prefers to emphasize the art in his work, and is incredibly weary of becoming overly concerned with reach. A noble consideration given the mental disorders arising these days which...

Oh to speak Japanese at an N1 level, something Tina has been doing for years. She's attended some of the most famous universities in Japan and found herself a quite fascinating job to do while she pursues her creative passions.

Tyler has a herculean work-ethic. That has led him to become one of the fastest evolving and in-demand film makers now working in Japan. He runs a studio out of Tokyo with an impressive range of international talent that are pushing the limits of what is possible in Indy Film production. We get into it all: influences, work flow, what keeps creating fresh. Don't miss this one.

As an event producer, in these difficult times, Matt has had to adapt. Obviously live events are something we look back on fondly for the time being and if we do gather it is constrained to an online experience. Few would handle that pivot so well. Matt is an example of perseverance in the face of difficult circumstances. We did both agree though, there will be much room for celebration when the w...

Originally from New-York, Alessandro is an Italian film-maker who has made his home in Kyoto for the last decade. Where his roots may lie in the classic cinematography style, in more recent years, he has left his mark in the burgeoning field of VR 360 film-making. Alessandro describes his work as a double act of translation: that of the medium in which he creates and connectively the Japanese cont...

Can you imagine long-boarding across a Japanese prefecture? Nicolas doesn't need to because he has done that kind of craziness. From near Olympic level swimming to travelling all over Japan, Nicolas' life may be one thing, but boring is certainly not it.

Willem's career as a game designer could serve as a lesson to anyone seeking employment in an industry with a high barrier to entry. A man who simply would not take no for an answer and managed to carve out a career for himself in this highly competitive industry, he has now built a resume which would be the envy of anyone involved with the field.

Johannes has an incredible story. From being one of the very first people to work on android, to designing his own game, he's had a storied career both in and out of Japan. For anyone interested in the IT landscape in Japan, Johannes' is an example of what is possible if you apply yourself.

The guest today is Drew Wallin, a bilingual entrepreneur who's life is a case study in how truth trumps fiction when it comes to experiences beyond belief. We discuss materialistic habits and how they are often maligned as horrible. But is this necessarily true? Could elements of materialism actually ground us in reality and grant some insight into a life well lived?

Today's guest is Terrance Reynolds. A man who in a few short years went from working an entry level teaching position to becoming a local celebrity DJ and then a software developer following that. There's no point in small dreams and Terrance is a study in that ideology. His instagram: terrancee95

I'd say it's a healthy bet that most people are ready to move on to the new year. Mine wasn't exactly easy if I'm honest. That said, a lot has come out of it and I actually appreciate the events I was witness to in the course of reaching the proverbial finish line of December. No email responses in today's podcast. You and I, we haven't spoken in some time so I wanted to lean hard into pure conver...

Living with out autism is one thing, abuse, something entirely different. Joseph joins me on the podcast for ep.29 to share his experience of having to grow up dealing with both. I think him a good example of what it is like to be repeatedly given a situation in which no one would fault you for giving up or becoming bitter but defying that choice and instead choosing to be a positive force.

I finally finished Caesar's biography and naturally there were some life lessons to take from it. Much having to do with how deflated we feel once we catch that mouse we've been chasing. So here is to useful enemies and never ever reaching our goals, no matter how at first, that defeat depresses us.

Who is your team and where are they? I was watching The Last Dance on Netflix recently and for a guy, me, who hasn't played team sports for the last decade, I definitely came away with a feeling like I still was. The realization being that we are always in a team. The game has changed but the goal remains the same, to win, to win life. Additionally I watched The Social Dilemma, and what a great ca...

We are only young enough for so long, to take the ship we have built, out on a great adventure. Drew Walling, the founder of Garden Lab, made time in his busy schedule to sit down with me and discuss the how and why of his starting a business in Kyoto Japan.

We get the core of what makes for the best ramen. We venture into a semantics war on whether or not a husk is a real thing in regards to sake processing. This time on the interstice podcast we spare no time turning over ever proverbial rock in search of interesting topics. Oh, and we discuss where Japan's most and least beautiful women come from.

In this moment, what are you doing? Why are you doing it? Do you know? Have you really examined your behavior? When is the last time you did? I find these questions worth asking. It is all too easy to get lost in either, work, stress, or pure laziness, and accept for ourselves a vaguely satisfying life. A life that at a glance seems fulfilling, but like an iceberg revealing only a fractionally sma...