Profile

The only Japanese person to continuously participate in the World Cup for 8 years, he is a world-renowned professional windsurfer. Based in Maui and Guam, he travels around the world to compete in approximately 20 races per year. He has won numerous awards in world competitions and has also won many domestic competitions. In addition to starting a marine sports company in Guam, he serialized essays in windsurfing magazines, and his straightforward writing style, which honestly described his dynamic personality, gained popularity, expanding the scope of his activities.

In May 2002, he was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma. In May 2004, after receiving a terminal diagnosis, he felt
“that he was being kept alive,” found purpose in writing, and completed his debut novel, “If I Could See You in Heaven” (Shinchosha), which was published in July and became a bestseller.

In August of the same year, he moved to Hawaii with his family, a place he was familiar with. He continued to write energetically in his online series “I’m Still Alive Today,” with the desire to “continue writing until his last moment,” but passed away on February 28, 2005, at the age of 38.

“Kept Alive by Cancer” (Shinchosha), which was released after his death, also caused a great response (as of June 2005, with a cumulative total of 130,000 copies). On July 29, 2005, his second novel, “Tears Given by God,” a sequel to “If I Could See You in Heaven,” was published.