Last September, we moved to the United States from Hokkaido, Japan. When we first moved to the U.S., we were looking for a rental property with a space which would allow us to make music and have band practices without worrying about loud sound, but we couldn’t find anything. In the midst of the house hunting process, our friend approached us and she graciously offered us a place to stay. I have nothing but gratitude for her. Back then, we had no idea that we would be calling the Bay Area our second home.

After settling into the temporary housing, we spent several months trying to get ourselves set up with the basics. Having neither previous credit history nor guarantor in the U.S. meant huge challenges for us, we faced trouble every time and in every situation. Sometimes we still feel like crying. Nevertheless, the reason why we have been able to keep on going is thanks to the support by friends here. Thank you so much!

I had the opportunity to study at the Oakland School For The Arts, a public arts school with an integrated middle and high school. At middle school I learned to play bass guitar, but when it came to drums, I was able to take courses at the high school level, and also received many opportunities to give special performances. I have nothing but gratitude towards the students, their parents, and all of the teachers and staff at my school. They kindly welcomed us as immigrants from Japan who spoke no English.

As for musical activities, thanks to our steady activities in the community, we have received more and more offers for live performances, event appearances, and TV appearances. I will treasure these experiences which I collaborated with many talented Bay Area artists and musicians. Through the miraculous chains of connections, I have had the pleasure of meeting an unbelievable number of wonderful people. My family and I are so glad that we took a leap of faith and ventured to the United States just with a handful of instruments and a suitcase full of clothes from our home in Hokkaido. It truly makes us feel that music has no boundaries or limitations – race, age, gender, nationality, or ethnicity.

Overtime, I grew very fond of the Bay Area, especially Oakland. However, over the past few months I have become even more passionate and enthusiastic about furthering my career in Los Angeles. Therefore our family to take advantage of the end of the school year and move there to support my strong will. We feel that this will be the beginning of the real challenge we will face since we set out from Hokkaido.

By the end of June we will move out of the current homestay and finally we will be making our way to SoCal. However, we still haven’t found a place there yet. At first, we will be temporarily staying at a house owned by a friend of ours. While we stay there we hope to find permanent housing where we can continue to make music and do band practices. As you can see there are a lot of uncertainties for us, but we are convinced that no matter what the circumstances, a path will open up for us as long as the four of us continue to enjoy what we do and work together as a family.

I have a strong desire to improve my musical skills and fulfill my dream that my music will positively affect people all over the world.

Well, this is turning into a longer message than we planned……

The Bay Area has turned into a second home for us after leaving Hokkaido. We promise to return as often as possible to see you, and do live performances. We were supported by so many people here in the Bay Area. We regret it’s too large to call everyone out here. Please know we will never forget your kindness, dedication and generosity. Our dearest friends in the Bay Area, we thank you so much.

And to all my fans around the world, thank you for supporting me, always!

I hope you will continue to support me in my musical journey.

You can also join my Patreon if you like. https://www.patreon.com/Yoyoka