Why?

For several years I have felt compelled to research my family history on my dad's side. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and genealogy is an important aspect of our faith. My dad was born and raised in Japan, and passed away in 2001. Since then I have studied Japanese in college, spent three summers in Japan with my grandparents, and done some basic research, but seem to have hit a wall for lots of reasons that I'm sure I'll discuss in future posts. Recently I have felt like I need to get moving to investigate and record as much information as I can about my family, and to do something to help other people in my same seemingly helpless situation. At some point I may write a book, but to do that, I'll need to record my progress along the way. That's where this blog will come in handy. I hope to collect and provide resources for others and maybe make some connections and get ideas to forward my own search. Since my search is closely related to my religious beliefs, I hope you don't mind if I share some spiritual insights as well.