On Monday, April 25th, I returned to my college alma mater, Earlham College, to give a talk sponsored by the Japanese Studies department and the Institute for Education on Japan. The talk focused on my novel Kanazawa, but I also spoke about how I became a Japanese Studies major at Earlham; the life paths I took after graduating from the college; how I became a writer; and how at the age of 41 I returned to Japan to live and work. The event was held in the Lincoln Room of the Landrum Bolling Center.