John graduated from Princeton University in 1980. He has made Kyoto his home since 1981, pursuing a career in education as well as immersing himself in traditional Japanese culture and the history of Kyoto. He has travelled extensively in Asia, particularly in the Himalayas. For over 35 years, he studied and performed the traditional Japanese theatre art of kyôgen with the Shigeyama Chuzaburo family. He has organized and led several overseas tours with the Shigeyama family in the U.S. and Europe. His translation of "Journey to the Real" by Kyoto poet Takashi Arima was published by Weatherhill. He has a black-belt in aikido, and has attained the rank of hanshi in the discipline of Japanese swordsmanship. As a university professor, he developed and taught content courses on Japanese culture in English for both Japanese students and foreign students studying in Japan. His hobby is playing guitar and singing in an alt-country band.