Kenji Chida

@kenji.chida

I was born and raised in Baltimore City, Maryland in the USA after which I moved to New York City at the age of 21. I lived, studied and worked in New York for five years then moved to Okayama in 1998 at the age of 26. After living in Japan for 5 years I decided to try to naturalize. I was granted Japanese citizenship at the age of 33. I am interested in education, political philosophy, and Japanese society. I enjoy playing softball with my kids, driving and motorcycles. I can't say I enjoy running but I often join local 5k races. I want more people from abroad to come to Japan for a visit and I hope that some portion of that group decides to stay. Japan is for everyone!

Contact for Okayama, Shimane or Tottori

e-mail: okayama@japantourist.jp

mob: 090-4109-2690

facebook:http://www.facebook.com/okayama.japantourist

Following Follow

Reports

Popular
Latest

Transportation

Seto Ohashi Bridge

The Seto Ohashi was completed in 1988 and is still the world’s longest two-tiered bridge, accommodating both cars and trains. The first time I saw it with my own eyes it felt like that scene in the movie Gladiator when the fighters came to Rome..

Okayama 10

Culture

Bizen Osafune Sword Museum

I studied ancient Greek when I was in college and although fascinating, it was hard to use phrases like, "the donkey pulls my cart" in everyday conversation. Sword making is an ancient tradition in Japan and as with ancient Greek, I was curious as ..

Okayama 19

Yonago

When you arrive in Yonago as I did for the first time your first thought may be, “this shouldn’t be here”. It’s not the capital of the least populated prefecture of Japan but it is bustling. Arriving at night by bus, I really ..

Tottori

Culture

Sogenji Temple

Sogenji Temple is not only a school but a working monastery that welcomes men and women from all over the world who are interested in the Zen sect of Japanese Buddhism. I used to ride the Saidaiji bus past the temple every day for years but one day ..

Okayama 14

Farewell to Tokoen

The beautiful 400 year old garden Tokoen, about which I wrote an article several years ago has been demolished along with the traditional Japanese samurai residence that stood the tests of time and the destruction that came during WWII. The 700 ..

2

Shopping

Aeon Mall Okayama

AEON Okayama is here and has turned the center of the city into a magnet for both local shoppers and those from the surrounding prefectures. The largest AEON Mall in West Japan, it hosts an impressive 356 shops. Getting to AEON is easy and as it is ..

Okayama

Culture

Zazenkai at Sogenji Temple

Zazenkai is a weekly prayer and sutra recitation meeting that is held at Okayama City’s Sogenji Temple and Monastery on Sunday’s at 8:00 am. It opens to the general public, allowing for beginners and skilled practitioners alike to experie..

Okayama

Shopping

Umeki Motorcycle Shop

If you find yourself in Okayama for long enough to think about buying a motorcycle, then you might want to take a look at Umeki Motorcycle Shop. It's a family business that has been around for years and has earned an excellent reputation among mo..

Okayama

View All Articles

Gallery

Kenji's Japan

Start writing for Japan Travel and become an influencer!

Share your experience and passions with Japan’s biggest community and increase your point mileage for every article that you write! Read More

Start Writing Now!