I was born in Oita City, Japan, in September 2007. Soon after I was born, my grandmother bought me an illustrated encyclopedia of space. One of my earliest memories is reading that book. My parents tell me I memorized almost all of it and could recite passages without looking at the pages.
It was more than the names and features of the planets that drew me in. It was the vastness of the universe, and how small human civilization seemed within it. I loved asking why things were the way they were. I became absorbed in programs and stories about space, and began dreaming of becoming an astronaut.
Living in familiar surroundings while thinking about worlds I had never seen—that feeling is where my curiosity began.
02 / MAKING
Turning an idea into something real.
I loved making things as much as imagining them. I started with LEGO, then moved on to woodworking. I drew my own plans and rode on the back of my grandfather’s motorcycle to the hardware store. I bought a circular saw and an electric drill, and built things including a bunk bed and a small shed.
My parents eventually took them apart because they were too big. But the excitement of seeing something I had imagined become a real object stayed with me.
I began both swimming and tennis as a baby, before I turned one. Around fifth grade, my interest in parkour led me to take gymnastics lessons. I can still do a backflip thanks to that experience. I didn’t stick with everything, but I loved reaching for something unfamiliar and trying it for myself.
That interest in making things gradually extended to robotics and programming.
03 / ROBOTICS
Robots that connected Oita to the world.
In elementary school, I entered FIRST LEGO League (FLL), an international robotics competition. I was part of Team Yuki, the first team from Oita.
FLL involved more than designing and programming a robot. We had to develop strategies, research problems, and explain our work to others. It was a chance to turn my love of building things into something we could achieve as a team.
In the 2018–2019 season, we won the Kyushu tournament and advanced to nationals. We won Kyushu again in 2019–2020 and finished fourth overall at nationals. During that same season, we qualified to represent Japan at two international tournaments, scheduled to take place in Brazil and Nagoya.
Both tournaments were canceled because of COVID-19, so we never got to compete there. Still, I vividly remember realizing that something we had started in Oita could connect us to the world. If we committed ourselves, we could reach places that had once felt far away. It was my first real experience of that possibility.
Finding a place to belong, and something to pursue.
I didn’t always feel that I fit in as a child. There were periods when it was hard to find my place at school, and wanting a different environment led me to prepare for junior high entrance exams. At the same time, working through mathematics at cram school showed me how enjoyable learning itself could be.
In junior high, I became absorbed in Fortnite. I took competition seriously and wanted to become a professional gamer. There were times when going to school was difficult, but in the game I found teammates and a goal I could commit to.
In March 2022, I founded my own clan. Alongside competing, I began securing sponsors and organizing tournaments. Bringing people together around something I loved, and creating an environment where that activity could continue, would later connect to my work.
In April 2023, I entered the Department of Information Engineering at the National Institute of Technology, Oita College. I wanted to study programming and technology in greater depth. Having often been unable to attend junior high, I was concerned about my school record. My understanding that it carried less weight in the admissions process was another reason I chose Kosen.
At Kosen, thinking about what it meant to be born in this time and this world led me to consider a future in space. I seriously explored transferring into the third year of aerospace engineering at the University of Tokyo, and began studying English toward that goal.
It didn’t come easily at first. I scored 480 on my first TOEIC test in March 2024. When the results fell short of what I wanted, I kept adjusting how I studied. Alongside solving questions and analyzing mistakes, I tried making English part of daily life, including watching things that interested me in English. Treating the test as a challenge to work out also suited me.
In January 2026, I scored 945 on TOEIC Listening & Reading: Listening 495 and Reading 450. The result gave me confidence that I could change through finding my own way to learn and putting it into practice.
But English gave me more than a score. The time I spent abroad along the way made me reconsider my path and the kind of life I wanted.
06 / EXPLORATION
A different perspective, in Cebu and Los Angeles.
In spring 2025, I spent about a month studying English in Cebu, in the Philippines. Living abroad and talking with people from different countries and backgrounds made me realize that the way of life I knew was only one of many possibilities.
My family, especially my grandfather, helped make that experience possible. I felt grateful that they had encouraged me to enter a new environment. I also increasingly wanted to be able to create choices for myself.
That summer, with support from Tobitate! Study Abroad JAPAN, I spent about six weeks in Los Angeles. Alongside language school, I explored the future of human activity beyond Earth and visited NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
At first, even ordering something in everyday life made me nervous. But as I talked about space with people I met in shops, and got to know students from different backgrounds and people building their own careers, I began to feel that English let me engage with the world.
At the same time, I began questioning an assumption I had held: that getting into a good university would lead to success. What did I want to study there? What did I want to do afterward? I started thinking from the life I wanted to build, rather than the name of the path I would take.
In summer 2025, I began sharing what I had learned about studying English on social media. That work eventually grew into English Education Services, where, as Founder & CEO, I supported English learners, primarily working professionals.
It wasn’t smooth from the beginning. Posting consistently didn’t immediately bring revenue. After months of trial and error, I made my first two article sales, at ¥500 each, in January of the following year. It was my first income from sharing what I knew about English. More than the amount, I was happy that someone saw value in what I had built and was willing to pay for it.
I went on to offer coaching alongside learning materials, helping people work out how to study and keep going. Beyond improving their scores, I wanted them to feel that they could do it. I wanted to share the kind of change I had experienced through learning English.
08 / A CHOICE
Deciding to take leave from school.
Starting my own work didn’t mean I was immediately ready to step away from school. In January 2026, I was still wondering whether I could manage both at their current scale, and what I would do after taking leave.
I wanted freedom, but I also wanted the ability to support my own choices. I wanted to show my family, through results, that I could do that.
In March, after talking with my family, I began the process of taking leave. I remain enrolled at Oita Kosen and am currently on a leave of absence.
09 / TOKYO
A canceled flight, and a move to Tokyo.
In March 2026, I began working on social media management and digital marketing alongside English education. Sharing my experience, listening to people’s challenges, and turning what they needed into something I could deliver—the scope of my work was growing.
In April, I went to Tokyo for what was supposed to be a few days. My return flight was canceled, so I extended my stay. Meeting and talking with people in that unexpected extra time, I felt that this city offered encounters that could change how I thought and acted.
I brought forward a move I had planned for later and shifted my base to Tokyo between spring and early summer. Conversations with people introduced questions and possibilities I hadn’t found while thinking alone in my room.
My digital marketing work, focused on Instagram, reached ¥3 million in net profit in a single month. The idea that I could support myself through my own work was gradually becoming real.
10 / PURPOSE
The joy of building, and what comes after the numbers.
As the work grew, I began to see the limits of doing all the teaching myself. I started thinking about delegating, turning knowledge into learning materials, and building systems that kept the work running.
I also began using AI to build tools and systems for work and learning. The joy of making something that actually worked felt connected to the robotics and woodworking I had loved as a child.
At the same time, higher revenue didn’t make everything feel complete. Was chasing the numbers taking me away from work I found interesting or could be proud of? What did I want my work to become? I began asking those questions again.
In June 2026, I put my guiding belief into words: “Believe in my own potential, 100%. Help that belief spread.” I hadn’t always been confident. But I wanted to build trust in myself by keeping small daily promises and gaining experience. I hoped that the way I lived and worked could help someone else take a first step too.
11 / JOINING ZERO
Choosing Zero, after thinking it through.
The connection that led me to Zero began in March 2026. I was working in a laundromat when Kai followed me on social media, and I reached out. We spoke on the phone, then I went to meet him in person. At the time, he invited me to join as Co-founder / COO. Talking through the night, I was struck by his perspective and drive.
But I didn’t decide everything then. I wanted to keep developing the work I had started, and I questioned whether it was the right time to join and what I could contribute. We stayed in touch. I considered joining more than once, and at those points decided to hold off.
In July, I finally decided to commit. I wanted to learn among people whose abilities exceeded my own, and to work on a global stage. While feeling the limits of working alone, I was excited by what we could take on as a team.
Entering an unfamiliar environment was frightening too. Even so, I wanted to grow through that challenge rather than keep repeating what I already knew how to do. As I worked through my responsibilities to existing clients and the handover of my work, I committed to Zero.
I joined Zero Industries as its first member after the three co-founders. As a Founding Team Member / Chief of Staff, I take on the work the team needs to keep moving forward.
To me, being Chief of Staff means being the CEO’s right-hand person and strategic advisor. It means seeing the organization as a whole, identifying what is missing, and stepping in to fill those gaps. I put the organization’s growth first and give my best to support it. It is a demanding role, and one I work at every day.
12 / SPACE
From reading about space to working in the space industry.
At Zero, my work increasingly spans hiring, communications, internal coordination, and supporting decisions. I have to move the work in front of me forward while considering what the whole team needs. It brings challenges and rewards that are different from pursuing results on my own.
From August to September 2026, I traveled to the United States with Zero. Visiting space companies and talking with entrepreneurs there, English became both the result of my learning and a way to move our work forward. I felt the satisfaction of putting it to use, along with how much more I could develop through real discussions.
In October, Zero announced a US$3 million pre-seed round, approximately ¥470 million. It was a milestone for the company and the team, and I am part of the group supporting that effort.
As a child, space was something on the pages of an encyclopedia. Since then, I have qualified for international FLL tournaments, learned English, gone abroad, built my own work, and joined a team pursuing space. Looking back, each experience expanded the places I could reach next.
These choices were never part of a single plan from the beginning. There were times when I was absorbed in what I loved, and times when I worked hard because I wanted recognition. Family, friends, people I learned alongside, and people I met through work have supported and influenced me along the way.
Today, I am working on the challenges in front of me as part of Zero. Staying curious, thinking, making things, and taking action—I want to keep expanding the possibilities I can believe in through that process. And I hope my own efforts can help someone else take a first step.