I grew up in a mill town in Maine where huge brick factories built along the river dominated the skyline. Most people were generally either French Canadian or Anglo, so being half Japanese was unusual. My biracial and bicultural identity has continued to inform my identity and my work. I received my B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in 1991, my B.F.A. in ceramics from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1996, and my M.F.A. in ceramics from the University of Washington in 2000. I work as a studio potter in the Hudson Valley of New York, about 2 hours north of New York City. I have taught workshops and given lectures at many universities, art centers and residencies in the U.S., including Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, the Archie Bray Foundation, and Greenwich House Pottery. Since 2004, I have been on the board of directors at the Archie Bray Foundation, where I was a resident for two years between 1996 and 1998.