Brian Hurley’s first exposure to Japanese studies, as a kid in his hometown of Columbia, Missouri, was somewhat serendipitous. When he was in junior high school, a local summer program offered a six-week Japanese language class, taught by a university student. “One thing about growing up in a college town is you’re exposed to folks who are studying all sorts of things,” he says. “I thought, ‘Oh, that sounds interesting.’ So I went.” He continued studying the language in high s...| Life & Letters Magazine