John left for Japan in 1990 after finishing at Cal St. Fullerton and started teaching English in Nagoya. He began an English newspaper with another American in 1995 writing about the Chunichi Dragons in 1995. John was asked to join the The Daily Yomiuri staff in 2005, accepting the position and subsequently moving to the Tokyo area.

No children. Second marriage, to Chisako "Swee-Chi" Fujiwara was performed on 11/11/11.