Randy came to Japan in the early 80s to study martial arts. He began his studies in chanoyu (the way of tea) shortly thereafter to balance his martial training, but as time went on tea came to take over as the main focus of his studies. He attended the Urasenke Gakuen Professional College of Chado. Since graduating, he has been involved in thousands of tea gatherings, conferences, demonstrations, lectures, and galleries. He presently teaches the Way of Tea in Kyoto at a shrine on the east side of the Imperial Palace and owns ran Hotei, a small Japanese café/gallery near the Nijo Castle. Besides teaching at Kyoto's Doshisha University, he also lectures at many other Japanese universities and colleges. He has lectured for visiting groups from abroad including those from Yale, Harvard, and, Georgia University to name but a few.