My given name is Jake Gakuji Tobiyama. I go by Jake for the convenience of native anglophones. My Japanese surname translates to Flying-Mountain, and that has been shortened to FM for a few reasons to be explained in a future story.

I have lived and worked in Japan, Canada, Australia, China, and Taiwan in that chronological order. I am back in Japan but only until I find my next life destination overseas -- which is likely to be sooner than later.

I joined Medium in early 2022 with a single story about becoming an ESL teacher but stayed silent, lurking in the shadows, until September. I returned with "I'm Ready To Die -- But Wait!", which became a short series of unrelated stories touching on the topic of living life while being mindful of death. (It is not about committing suicide.)

Since then, I have ventured into poetry, horror stories, societal commentaries, humour, writing (on Medium), and positive reflections on life in general. I expect to write more on each of these genres and maybe try different ones. My main purpose is to keep writing and make connections with like-minded writers.

As of 26 January 2023, I have made a significant number of friends here who are also kindred souls, and I'm looking forward to making more awesome connections on my journey as a budding writer.