Kyle Sexton's obsession with Japan springs from his first visit to a sushi restaurant in New York one evening in 1978. The aspiring fashion photographer and full-time photo finisher (who played the ponies on the side) woke up the next morning determined to learn about Japanese culture.

He began teaching himself Japanese and proceeded to build a circle of Japanese friends. Every day he'd have lunch in a restaurant called Shogun (where he was regularly served by Spike Lee's sister, he recalls) and every weekend he'd go to a little cafe in the Village in Manhattan where they'd show Japanese TV shows with English subtitles. He surrounded himself with all things Japanese — including a number of Japanese girlfriends — and set his sights on making his way to the country.

His first trip to Japan was his first time on an airplane. He packed everything he owned for the trip — which wasn't much more than some books and the clothes on his back — and arrived here with $300 in his pocket and a determination to stay here permanently.