Fun Facts

I am a big proponent of good public transit and urbanism. I get around Vancouver by e-bike and transit, and I spend some of my free time advocating for better land use and public transit. I volunteer for Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders. I am also a member of the Rethinking the Right-of-Way (ReROW) research cluster at UBC and the University Neighbourhoods Association's Land Use Advisory Committee.

Pictured: rallying for the SkyTrain to be extended to UBC with my colleague Dave Hardisty!

I love trains and always make a point of trainspotting and riding public transit in every city I visit. This video explaining the Tokyo area rail network heavily features footage shot by me!

Pictured: My progress on riding all train lines in Japan (so far, 22.5% complete)

I've recently discovered a newfound passion in picking up heavy things and putting them down again. My current top weights:

squat: 325 lbs
deadlift: 335 lbs
bench press: 150 lbs

Pictured: My first time squatting 315 lbs!

My style is loosely based on Japanese genderless and goth punk styles. People sometimes say I look like an anime villain. I sporadically post my outfits on my Instagram.

Pictured: Me at Stanley Park in Vancouver.

I enjoy playing rhythm games, especially Maimai. On weekends and vacations you can sometimes find me at the arcade.

Pictured: Setting a new personal best score!

My name is written as 森 in Japanese, meaning "forest."

Pictured: A poster titled forest (森) made by Japanese graphic designer Yamashiro Ryuichi (山城隆一) in 1955. Image upscaled by my friend Andrea, since high-res images of the poster are hard to come by.

Sometimes I like to make satirical redesigns of school logos, such as my proposed rebranding for UBC pictured here (somehow the university hasn't decided to adopt it yet).

PS: if you meet me in person, you can ask me for a sticker of this logo :)

Banner photo descriptions:

All photos on this site are taken by or of me unless otherwise specified.

Homepage banner: An aerial view of UBC campus with the Burrard Inlet in the background, as seen on the final approach to YVR airport.
Research tab banner: The downtown Vancouver skyline, as seen from Jericho Beach.
Teaching tab banner: Teaching my MS in Marketing Science course, "Statistical Modeling and Decision Making," at CBS in 2022.
Credential tab banner: The rose garden at UBC.
Fun facts tab banner: The view from Obasute Station (姨捨駅) in Nagano prefecture during sunset; said to be one of the 3 great views from a train in Japan (日本三大車窓), and the only one still accessible today.

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