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The first Western teacher of English in Japan was a Native American.

I know just enough Japanese to get by if I get lost and greet an audience properly, just from having a lot of Japanese friends and being there over the years.

The Japanese keenly learned from Western civilisation in a bid to modernize and preserve the nation.

Japan is quite weird because they wait for you to say something before they respond. You can literally hear a pin drop, they don't make a sound until you say something to the crowd.

The Japanese seem to be a loyal audience.

My life was very Japanese.

I have a lot of Japanese friends: I grew up in Vancouver, and there's this huge Japanese population over there.

Perhaps there is an idea among Japanese students that one general difference between Japanese and Western poetry is that the former cultivates short forms and the latter longer ones, gut this is only in part true.

I grew up in Japan. It's my first memories of life are Japan.

Growing up in California, I obviously knew about our deep connections with the Japanese.