Masahiro (Masa), Japan

 

Masahiro (his friends call him Masa), was born in Saitama Japan. In his pre-teen he went to live in Sao Paolo Brazil, where he attended public middle school and part of high school. One year later, he went back to Japan for the holidays but stayed, after his father, suddenly, died surfing, doing what he loved doing most. He finished high school and started college in Japan, where he lived with his mom and younger sister.

In 2017 he came to the United Sates to study at Belleview College, for which he was not playing soccer (which he did in Japan). While trying out for the Seattle Sounders U23 soccer team he met Jason Prenovost, who invited him to join Tacoma Community College. In 2017 he moved to Tacoma and started studying at, and playing for, TCC.

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Occupation: Student/athlete

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Family in the US (from Japan): none

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Languages: Japanese, English, and some Portuguese

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Favorite pastimes: hanging out with friends and watching movies

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Favorite music: Lo-fi hip hop

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Language challenges: some c-sh sounds and words like “coke,” for which he is sometime misunderstood

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Could do without: when people say “you don’t look Japanese” (as if Japanese people all looked the same)

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Favorite expressions: English “Take it easy”

                                  Japanese ““Hyakubun Wa Ikken Ni Shikazu”(meaning “you can’t believe something you hear about a place or a person, you have to experience it on your own to know for yourself”)

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Objects:

•        Soccer ball: for the love his has for the sport

•        Craft Ring: Masa likes unique handmade objects and jewelry