Who is Tobidasu?

Who am I? Well, to start off my name is Katherine. I am in love with my job as a teacher as well as am infatuated with the country I am teaching in: Japan. But that is just scraping the surface.

my fiancée and me (Japanese purikura - gotta love it)

I am originally from California, USA, but I moved to Japan in August of 2008 to persue a career as an English teacher. I graduated with a degree in Japanese Studies and Japanese from Willamette University and hope that one day I may become a translator for a Japanese publishing company or have a school of my own. While the publishing industry is something I am drawn to, I must admit that my ideal job would be a voice actress. Jun, my fiancée, keeps telling me that I should go to various auditions in Tokyo aimed for foreigners because I “have the face and personality that Japanese are attracted to,” but I guess I am not confident enough to actually pursue that route. Who knows, maybe someday I will actually get the courage to go out and try!

Besides writing, translating, and reading, I am also an avid baker. Baking in Japan is a challenge as my apartment is not big enough to have an actual oven, so I am not making as many delicious sweets outside of various types of pudding and chocolates. Also, probably due to my obsession with cooking programs, I enjoy cooking and experimenting with flavors. Sheesh, this makes me sound really domestic…but I would have to say that I am more against traditional gender roles than I am for them.

: Likes ┣my fiancé (Jun) ┣my family ┣my host family ┣my hamsters ┣cooking & baking ┣soccer ┣vegetable juice ┣tea ┣clothes ┣reality TV ┣DISNEY! ┣LOST ┣musicals ┣Takarazuka ┣Harry Potter ┣karaoke ┣cats ┣the smell of rain ┗etc, etc, and so forth!

: Dislikes ┣most bugs ┣dirty rooms ┣riding my bike in the rain ┣rainy season in Japan ┣squid ┣tomato ┣bullying ┣my nose ┣smoking ┣busy work ┗ブリッコ/fake people

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my adorable pet hamster named Hikari

Activities:soccer coaching, cooking, exercising, teaching English, soran-bushi dancing, watching J-Dramas, playing with my hamster, taking monthly trips to Disneyland and Disney Sea

Interests: Teaching, education, soccer, Japanese, graphic design, karaoke, fashion, music, dance, cross-cultural exchange, photography, making teaching supplies

Favorite Music:angela, BOA, Gackt, Koda Kumi, Maroon 5, Nickleback, X Japan, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 絢香, 浜崎あゆみ、ウタダヒカル、いきものがかり, Carrie Underwood, Exile, Orange Range, RYTHEM

Favorite TV Shows:セーラームーン, Full House, 花ざかりの君たちへ、花より男子、ごくせん, チーズスイートホーム, 絶対彼氏, Project Runway, Top Chef, America’s Next Top Model, Lost, Attention Please, 1リットルの涙, Legend, Xena: Warrior Princess

Favorite Movies: Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Bend it Like Beckham, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Nausica: Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, Pirates of the Caribbean (but only the first one), Finding Neverland、The Chronicals of Narnia, 犬と私の10約束, Mamma Mia, Enchanted

Favorite Books:Twilight series, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Secrets of Jin-shei, manga, Ender’s Game, The Hobbit, The Lost Years of Merlin, Memoirs of a Geisha、Marley and Me, The Chronicles of Narnia, 僕の初恋をキミに捧ぐ, Learning to Bow, 満月をさがして

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All of this was probably more information than you really wanted to know, but hey, it’s the internet. Any messages and comments are always welcome.