Who Am I?

Hi, I’m Daichi. I’m from Japan, and I used to be a high school PE teacher.

I know that’s probably not what you expected.

But yeah, that was my life for five years. I loved working with students and being around sports every day. It was a good job. A meaningful one. The kind of career you can build a whole life around, and many great people do.

But somewhere along the way, a different kind of curiosity started growing in me. And now I’m here, writing this, building something completely new.

Let me explain.

How I Got Here

I grew up in a sports family. My dad and older brother were both track athletes, and both of them were really, really good. Like, national champion level good.

So naturally, I started running too. I wasn’t anywhere near their level, but I stuck with it all the way through university.

In my third year of college, I got a serious back injury that kept me off the track for a long time. That was rough. Sports was basically my whole identity, so without it, I felt kind of lost.

That’s when I started reading.

Not because I loved books. I’d barely read anything up to that point. I just thought, maybe if I read, I’ll figure something out.

It worked. Maybe a little too well.

I got completely hooked. I went from never reading to reading every single day on my two-hour commute. Novels, history, philosophy, business, economics… I mean anything.

The more I read, the more I realized how little I knew about the world. It was humbling, but it was also the most exciting feeling I’d ever had.

One thing led to another. Reading got me interested in investing. Investing got me reading English-language news. And before I knew it, I wanted to actually use English, not just study it in a textbook.

The world kept getting bigger. And I wanted to see more of it.

Why I Left

This is the part that was really hard.

I enjoyed being a teacher. I didn’t leave because I was unhappy. I left because something new was pulling me forward, and I knew I’d always wonder “what if” unless I followed it.

That said, it wasn’t an easy decision.

Teaching is a respected career in Japan. My family has a lot of educators. Nobody around me had ever quit a stable job to go abroad with no real plan.

It took me about two years to finally decide.

I quit my job and went to Ireland, and then to the United States.

I struggled with my English. I got lost more times than I’d like to admit. But I also met incredible people from all over the world, tried things I never imagined, and learned more about myself in a few months than I had in years.

One thing that really surprised me was how interested people were in Japan. Every time I mentioned where I was from, people would light up and start asking questions. About the food, the culture, how things work here.

Someone even told me their dream was to own a Japanese toilet. I’m serious.

I grew up in Japan, so a lot of things about this country feel completely normal to me. But seeing it through other people’s eyes made me realize how special it actually is.

And I wanted to share that perspective somehow.

What FDTW Is

FDTW stands for “From Daichi To World.”

This is the space to share what I find interesting, what I’m thinking about, and what I’m experiencing.

Japanese culture is a big part of that, but it’s not the only thing. I write about travel, lifestyle, fitness, personal growth, things I’m learning, challenges I’m working through, and whatever else is on my mind.

Basically, this is everything I want to say that doesn’t fit into short reels.

I’m not a Japan expert. I’m not a business guru. I’m just a curious guy from Japan who decided to stop wondering and start doing.

This site is what came out of that.

What’s Next

I have a lot of stories I haven’t told yet.

So I’ll be sharing all of them here, one story at a time.

Thanks for being here. Seriously, that means a lot to me.

Looking forward to sharing more with you.