1. 52 years old

2. Male

3. Japanese

4. Bisexual (newly exploring his sexuality)

5. Upper class

6. Moved to Chicago from Tokyo

7. His company recently offered him an opportunity to transfer to one of their Chicago offices---but his new role has not felt fulfilling. He previously worked as a software engineer and has now been promoted into a managerial position. His new role pays more and offers more flexibility, but he finds himself disappointed by the reduction in hands-on work, and feels disinterested in managing office politics.

8. Shinto Buddhist

• Respect for generational hierarchies, politeness, and a strong work ethic are characteristics heavily valued by Riku's family members. Because his parents have retired, Riku feels responsible to financially provide for both them and his younger brother, Hinata, who physically cares for them at their home in Tokyo.

• His mother used to be a university professor and his father used to have a career as a manager at one of his uncle's restaurants, but they are now both retired. They were born and raised in rural Japan and currently live on the outskirts of Tokyo.

Is there intergenerational trauma?

• Riku's parents, having grown up during WWII, have a level of anti-American sentiment which has complicated Riku's decision to move to Chicago. Riku has unconsciously internalized some of these sentiments, but is also curious to explore his identity in a new context---he feels conflicted.

What are coping mechanisms of previous generation?

• Previous generations largely internalized their struggles due to the stigma around mental illness/health in Japanese culture. They frequently threw themselves into their work to distract from distressing feelings and emotions.

• Manages emotions privately to avoid burdening others.

• Heavily relies and leans on family, religion and community for support.

• Gaman- Gaman is a Japanese value that emphasizes facing difficult situations with patience and self-control. This is a concept that highlights someone's resilience and protects their identity.

• I admire Takuya Matsuyama, a famous software developer. He created his own app and has had great success.

• I also admire my uncle, who started a business the year after he graduated from college, sold the business several years later, and now owns several restaurants in Tokyo. He is very dedicated to his work and also to his family.

Who would you pattern your life after?

• I would love to have a path like my uncle's. I attended the same university that he did in the hopes of achieving some similar success. Although I could have used his connections to work in his former company, I wanted to achieve something on my own. I admire that he achieved success and then moved to a completely different sector to follow a passion.

Who did you admire growing up? How are you like/different from this person?

• I loved Ichiro Suzuki, the famous MLB player, as a child. I grew up watching him play and after watching his success in the US after playing in Japan, I always wanted the opportunity to live in the United States myself. I am similar to Ichiro because I have also now moved to the US. Like him, I am hard working (although he is an athlete and I am a software developer) and I strive to be the best at what I do. We are different because Ichiro is more a people-person than I am. I enjoy working on my own more frequently while he is famously a team player.

Do you read magazines regularly? Which ones?

• I don't read magazines regularly, but I do keep up with international news with publications like The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and the Yomiuri Shumbun. I find it important to stay politically informed, although I myself am not very active in politics.

What do you like to do in your free time?

• When I lived in Japan, I often spent time with my temple community. I worked as a mentor for a boys' youth group tutoring young men who were preparing to take the college entrance exam. I was a part of this group when I was young and made many of my close friends in my temple.

• I enjoy watching NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball). My favorite team is the Yomiuri Giants. It is difficult to follow them from Chicago, but I enjoy watching recaps of the games.

• I also enjoy spending time outdoors and swimming.

Do you have a favorite motto or saying?

• 猿も木から落ちる (saru mo ki kara ochiru) English Translation: “Even monkeys fall from trees.”

• I remember my grandmother saying this to me when I was little. At the time she was probably saying it when I literally fell out of a tree but I remembered it throughout my education and early career whenever I made a mistake.

What were your least/most favorite subjects in school?

• My favorite subjects in school were math and computer science, which I also studied at university. My least favorite subject while I was in school was history because I did not enjoy memorizing the names and dates.

What is your earliest recollection?

• I remember playing with my cousin in the dining room of one of my uncle's restaurant while my father and my uncle had a meeting. We were sitting underneath the table and I remember thinking how big their shoes looked.

With this, Riku has been facing racism in his workplace, where coworkers often comment on his English proficiency with remarks like, "Wow! I didn’t expect your English to be so good!" and frequently make subtle comments about his identity.

Riku has not come out to anyone as bisexual, even though living more openly and authentically was a goal of his move. He has not made a strong enough connection with anyone to feel comfortable enough coming out.

Questions we would ask Riku to help develop preferred narrative about introversion:

• When in your life have you successfully used extroversion?

• When in your life do you tend do use introversion?

• When does extroversion feel easy? When does it feel hard? What about introversion?