Masa is an international student from Japan who came to the U.S. for language school and to attend university. Since he felt that Japan heavily lacked diversity, Masa wanted to go to the U.S. He wanted a change in his life and to learn to accept and appreciate other cultures. Masa used to have many Japanese friends in the U.S. However, since most of them moved back to Japan and therefore cannot hang out with them as much, he made a lot of friends who are from Europe. Sometimes, Masa wants to talk to people from countries other than Japan, but he does not mind it because he feels that he can learn more from people other than those that are Japanese. When Masa talks about Japan to his friends, he always tries to talk about the concept and culture of Japan through an American’s perspective in order to make it easier for them to understand. Now, when Masa goes back to Japan during school breaks, he realizes that his perspective of Japan is also changing. He can now see Japan from an American’s point of view.

Masa Maruhira