My first two years in Japan, I felt like a caged animal, not like the ones I have photographed at wildlife refuges in South Africa, but like a caged animal in a testing facility or zoo. I felt like everyone was breathing down my neck, watching my every move, and pointing at me, yes, I studied Japanese. But then one day I picked up a few books, went camping at Mt. Fuji and my life in Japan changed forever. I have too many books in my private library to give you all the titles, but I will give you a few authors, philosophers, and adventurers names who first inspired me to be able to grasp Japanese society from the inside out. Firstly, Yamamoto Tsunatomo, samurai. Secondly, D.T. Suzuki, philosopher and Zen Master. Thirdly, William Adams, explorer, sailor, and samurai. Fourthly, Miyamoto Musashi, ronin and samurai. Last but not least, Eiji Yoshikawa, novelist. Personally, I could never imagine visiting or wanting to move to a foreign land with preconceived expectations. In short, I am a highly experienced explorer, adventurer, photographer who seeks originality. And what keeps me in check, is I am hard-wired with “the teaching of the beginner mindset,” interestingly I learned the Zen teachings from my birth mother and Mother Earth, before entering Japan. “We teach ourselves; Zen merely points the way.” “I like Zen because everything is Zen, In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few. “Zen has nothing to do with letters, words, or sutras.” D.T Suzuki.