Hello (*^-^)

Hi everyone. My name is Kelsey but you may call me Kerushii or Keru. I'm a 20 year old female in the US; never been to Japan but it's my goal to eventually live there. I've only really been studying Japan independently for a few months, though I've always been interested in the country. I've just begun learning the language at home with my boyfriend, Kurisu. For our text book we're using a smartphone app called Human Japanese.

I want to learn everything I can about the culture and history. The things that really pique my interest are the traditional bodysuit tattoos (and the tebori method in general), the language, literature, festivals, ceremonies, all kinds of arts and crafts (music, anime, amigurumi, origami, woodblocks, textiles, fashion, etc.), keirin racing, shinto and buddhist teachings, and martial arts (primarily Aikido). I'm not going to school right now because I'm not sure what to study; right now I'm considering all careers/trades that would allow me to live and work in Japan. My real dream would be to tattoo people somewhere in Japan, preferably in a small city or large town - definitely not Tokyo.

I just started a blog where I plan to write about the things I'm learning, sort of like an informative journal, with links to interesting articles and web sites. I haven't posted yet but if you're interested the URL is kerutofu.wordpress.com. I'm hoping to network with other gaijin and anyone interested in sharing information. I'm excited to be a member of this site!

Hi Kelsey, welcome aboard! If you have any questions or need info, don't hesitate to post them.

A Happy New Year!