Kyoko Aoki Zip
in the beginning aoki worked at an ice cream shop in japan before starting a college degree in psychology and taking the job at the supermarket to pay for it. he got a sports talk radio job in the u.s. and quickly started gigging as a commercial announcer.
Kyoko Aoki Zip
aoki speaks little english and said that many people helped him get to the u.s. and learn how to drive to bassmaster open tournaments here. he travels alone and stays in motels, which is no small feat given the language barrier. that aoki and other japanese anglers who struggle with english are able to stay motivated and focused on fishing in america is remarkable.
the first and only time i heard about takashi aoki was in 2012, when bassmaster magazine asked me to find an asian angler to feature in an article that would help introduce the sport to the newly arrived japanese anglers. while i was looking for that person, i found aoki's email in bassmaster's database. i wrote him back and offered a free trip to the bassmaster tournament of champions if he qualified and wanted to come play for me.
i was planning on being there for my two granddaughters, harper and savannah, who were just a little over 4 and 8 years old at the time. when i found out about aoki's plans, i was thrilled to be able to offer some measure of assistance to this kindly older man who was spending his retirement taking a couple of months off to travel the country as a commercial fisherman and raise his young sons alone.
i planned to make a small home renovation for the two young aoki kids who were always excited to see my renovations at my place. my wood garage had been converted into a workshop. my modest apartment was being renovated into a small guest room and out-of-town toilet and shower facilities.