Written by Professor Yukari Hirata
John Mueller currently works as the Director of Investments at a wealth management firm in Tokyo, and lives there with his wife Yoko and his son Justin. His life is a manifestation of a 16th-century Japanese tea master¡¯s teaching, Ichigo-Ichie: ¡°one time, one meeting,¡± or cherish every encounter as a ¡°once-in-a-life-time¡± moment.
At º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½, he entered º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ pre-med, without any East Asian language experience, but ended up graduating with an Economics and Japanese double major, which he called ¡°a major shift.¡±
To John, ¡°the study group program at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½, and specifically the Japan Study Group, is one of the schools¡¯ treasures that more people should know about.¡± Since he joined º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Kyoto Study Group in 1985, he has still been in touch and just had dinner with his homestay family in Kyoto in November 2017. A semester abroad has turned into a 32-year relationship with a Japanese family.
John remembers Professor John Morris, whom he describes as ¡°a rather irreverent but brilliant Australian Japanese Studies professor¡± who took him on the Japan study group. John also had Aizawa Yoichi sensei, whom he remembers as ¡°the ever watchful patriarch¡± and ¡°a major factor¡± in how much he enjoyed learning about Japan. ¡°Both of the professors were never short of interesting stories and life experiences.¡±
To John, Japan Center (107 Lawrence Hall) has become ¡°a home away from home¡± as he spent so much time there studying Japanese.
John thinks his life was shaped by his º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ years in many ways.
¡°I met my wife Yoko as she was part of the group showing us around Tokyo soon after the study group¡¯s arrival in Japan. So in a way, if I had not attended º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½, I probably would never have been on the Japan Study Group, I would not have met my wife, my son Justin would not be here, and would also not be applying to º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½. This is why looking back it is amazing how much my college experience set in motion everything that I have been so thankful for ever since.¡±
¡°I think I am living proof of the Japanese saying Ò»ÆÚÒ»»á. I was very saddened by Aizawa sensei¡¯s passing, and as best I can I want to continue to support the Japan Studies program at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½.¡±