Have you ever visited a country and felt so foreign, yet at the same time so at home? My research on Japan, which began in 2002, is a long-term, ongoing exploration of this conundrum. Japan has always felt so different to me, yet also so right. I love the way Japanese society functions so efficiently, so peacefully, and so beautifully. In particular, I have been interested in Japanese culture, education, and sports, in part because my first experiences in Japan came as an Assistant Language Teacher on the JET Programme and I found it easier to teach my students through sports than through textbooks. As a member of the Hakubi Project, I am trying to understand the historical roots and educational perceptions that lay underneath sports both in Japan, and in my home country of the United States. Many sports were initially invented in the United Kingdom and in the United States, yet they have taken on new cultural meanings in Japan, which fascinates me. Kyoto University and the Hakubi Center for Advanced Research are the preeminent place to undertake such research. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity.