As an 8-year-old in Indiana, William first became curious about Japan when he made friends with a Japanese guy called Hideki who introduced him to Super Mario and the magical world of Japanese video games.
As he grew older, his interest in Japan broadened and he took papers in Japanese language, history and politics at university to supplement his studies in computer science.
After working as a programmer for a few years, he finally decided, at 26, to move to Japan and live in the society he had always been fascinated by.