Japan is not the first place you think of when you bring up the sport of surfing. But in the little town of Hyuga, a southern port city in the Kyushu region, that’s exactly what you’ll find. Pristine beaches, popular surfing spots, no frills. It’s also where you would have found Jake Albertson teaching English in 2006.
After graduating with a degree in Sociology from Brown University, Jake took some time before attending law school seeking simplicity in his life. While his surroundings in Hyuga were picture-perfect, Jake’s inability to communicate effectively in Japanese made his day-to-day experience exceedingly complex. Life in Japan forced Jake to change the way he thought about language and communication. He learned how to hone the all-important skill of keeping it simple.
