Now

What I’m up to these days in a nutshell.

(This is a now page, and if you have your own site, you should make one, too.)

Updated May 26, 2024.

Work

  • I currently lead the AI / LLM team at Mercari, Japan’s largest C2C marketplace with over 20 million monthly active users. Our team is focused on two core pillars, “building” and “enabling” – creating new features and user experiences for our end-users, as well as improving processes and increasing productivity across the entire company. The team is growing, so if you’re interested in working with us, please reach out.

  • In my free time, I run Yudemon, a company focused on using creative technology to improve people’s wellbeing and performance. Think mindfulness app + high performance training + media arts project + AI. Currently Yudemon’s main offering is an iOS HRV biofeedback app. The most recent addition to the app is the “Heartwork”, a generative piece of art that is entirely unique for every user, and generated based on the biodata collected during their practice sessions with the app.

  • I still occasionally give talks or do consulting work around my book Time Off. If you’re interested in booking me, please reach out!

LIFE

  • Sports: The first few months of 2024 were 100% focused on running, training 7 days a week (with one rest day every 3 weeks) – running up to 14 hours a week. My goal was to finish Tokushima Marathon in under 3 hours, and I reached that goal with a finishing time of 2:56:11. Super happy with the result. After completely pigging out for a few weeks after the marathon, my new focus is now on rebuilding overall strength and fitness, which I had neglected a bit to go all in on the running performance. I signed up for some personal training in the gym which I now do twice a week, and focusing on some light maintenance running the rest of the time. Next goal is maybe to get back into ultrarunning (KAI 70K in 2025 might be tempting), but no concrete plans.

  • New hobby: I recently got into sim racing (iRacing) and built myself a little sim rig to practice my racing skills at home. I love the obsessiveness of the racing community and the constant push towards perfection, as well as the extreme and sustained focus that’s required. I’m currently practicing a lot in Formula 4, hoping to eventually get into the global top 5% (still FAR off from that). I’m also interested in bringing Yudemon to the motorsports community. I know of several professional athletes and their coaches using it as part of their preparation, but no one in motorsport, and I’d love to change that.

  • I’m going through a bit of an identity crisis as a “writer”. Being a writer was so central to my personality and thought process for so many years, but recently I just haven’t found the time or inspiration or whatever to actually write regularly. How long can I keep attaching that label to myself without writing before it expires? I guess the best solution would just be to actually start writing again.

  • Our dog Kantaro is keeping us busy. He’s going through his second puberty at the moment and can be an absolute demon (although a very lovable one). People say it gets better after they reach two years of age. Still got 8 months to go then, but for now trying to keep him as busy and engaged as possible – a tired dog is a happy dog.

  • I’ve been working on a new piece of music for over a year now, never been so stuck with a single track as with this one. But last week – after some great chat with my amazing vocalist Zucca – I finally sat back down and made some major changes to the structure which I think has unblocked me a bit and hopefully I can finally finish it off soon. Stay tuned. It’s going to be another Drum & Bass track with eery vocals inspired by Japanese Kabuki theater.