This 2019 summer, TOKIHA is running 3 camps throughout Japan. Our directors put heart, dedication and passion into making sure everything is running and ready for our summer camp experience.

This year we have an amazing duo of directors: Momo and Matthew-who are full of kindness, authenticity and drive.

They are the heart of our camps and guide not only our counselor team, but our campers as well. Matthew Ho is 1/2 of our director duo.

Matt at Kairakuen Garden in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan

My name is Matthew Ho, a counselor from TOKIHA 2018 and now one of the current directors for TOKIHA 2019. Born and raised in San Jose, California, I studied Biomedical Engineering at UC Davis and graduated in March of 2018. I’ve always enjoyed working with people and applying myself to help and assist others, and I hope to do so as an Orthotics and Prosthetics Clinician in the future. When I’m not working, you can usually find me reading shounen-comedy manga or doing something that gets my body moving and blood flowing.

Beyond my STEM background and career plans, I spent much of my time in college thinking about my own identity, life experiences, and relationships with others. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to become more understanding of different kinds of people in order to become a more compassionate person. To do so, I knew that I had to find opportunities that would allow me to meet different kinds of people and gain new insights and perspectives. Being a part of TOKIHA 2018 as a counselor not only gave me opportunities to interact with different kinds of people, but also gave me the space to understand more about myself and to grow as an individual. Through creating a camp centered around the idea of self-liberation, I was able to find my own liberation. The freedom I found through TOKIHA to grow,learn, and make an impact was intoxicating, and I look forward to diving back into that freedom in this summer!

Why is TOKIHA’s mission impactful and important to you? How does it align with your own goals?

TOKIHA’s mission to create spaces for liberation and self-discovery is what pulled me towards it in the first place. While I entered it as a counselor to help create that space for campers, I was able to experience some liberation and self-discovery for myself as well.

One of my own personal goals in life — one that I’m constantly working on — is becoming a more understanding person. In order to do that, I knew that I had to meet different people, experience their uniqueness and individuality and opinions, and accept them. TOKIHA does just that.

It creates an opportunity for people to come and interact, collaborate, debate, live, learn and laugh together. To me, that’s what makes being a part of TOKIHA worthwhile.

Matt preparing for a workshop at Mito Camp 2018

What are you most looking forward to at camp this year? What is your mindset going into camp as a director this year?

What a fantastic question! I’m honestly simply excited to see just what kind of camps we create this year, counselors and campers together. Being part of TOKIHA as a director has definitely granted me the chance to approach the experience with new perspectives and goals that I didn’t have as just a counselor.

While there are a lot of challenging responsibilities, I’ve come to be so much more invested in the success of everybody involved, both as individuals and as a whole. The team that I get to work with this year is comprised of such amazing people, both here in America and over in Japan.

I really want to do my best to fulfill my duties and play my part to contribute to everyone’s success and growth. I hope that in the end, it will all lead to a fiery, beautiful, jam-packed summer full of meaningful memories and lasting connections.