everybody has a story

I grew up in a rice farming village in Japan called Takashima, in Shiga Prefecture. It’s right next to Lake Biwa, which is the largest lake in Japan. I spent time working in the rice fields on the weekends with my family. We swam in the mountain rivers in summer, catching tadpoles and chasing dragonflies. My family wasn't overly traditional, but they were on the more traditional side. I never saw any tattoos until I was about 20 years old, when I saw some young people working in hospitality and clothing shops who had a few.