JAPANESE TRADER & MENTOR
About Kei
A trader’s journey.
A teacher’s perspective.
Shared in English.
INTRODUCTION
Meet Kei
Hello, I’m Kei. My name is pronounced like the letter K. I am a Japanese forex trader and mentor, and I have been trading since 2013.
My work brings together Japanese chart analysis, trading psychology and practical risk management. Through Ichimoku Master, I share what I have learned from the original Japanese Ichimoku texts and from my own experience in the markets.
Before trading, my path took me through psychology, education, financial services and career support. Those experiences shaped the way I teach today: with patience, clear explanations and an understanding that progress takes more than technical knowledge.
THE MARKET JOURNEY
Learning to trade began with learning about myself
A colleague introduced me to forex in 2013. I was fascinated by the charts and by the possibility of building a life with more freedom to travel. After using a demo account, I began trading with $10,000.
The first two years were difficult. In my first six months, I lost my initial trading funds. Oversized positions, excessive leverage and emotional decisions made the experience much harder than it needed to be. I sometimes tried to recover a loss with another trade before I had regained my composure.
My turning point came when I began treating trading as a process I could study. I used Forex Tester to practice, kept a trading journal and reviewed both my decisions and my emotions. Instead of looking for a perfect entry, I worked on position sizing, patience and following a repeatable plan.
Better trading came from better preparation, honest review and the willingness to change my habits.
As my approach developed, I began sharing my strategies in English through YouTube and mentorship. The same lessons still guide my teaching: understand the chart, manage the risk and learn how you respond under pressure.
Trading archive
These are the annual figures previously shared on this profile. They describe my own trading history, including the losses that came before my progress.
| Year | Result | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Loss | $12,531 |
| 2014 | Loss | $1,723 |
| 2015 | Profit | $4,159 |
| 2016 | Profit | $20,965 |
| 2017 | Profit | $89,184 |
| 2018 | Profit | $194,682 |
| 2019 | Profit | $221,597 |
I focus on position sizing, risk per trade, drawdown and return relative to risk, rather than winning rate alone. Past results do not guarantee future results.
View the original 2020 monthly reports
A FOUNDATION IN PEOPLE
Education and professional background
Psychology and student support
I studied in California at Irvine Valley College and Santa Monica College, and continued my education through California State University, Long Beach, before graduating from UCLA with a BA in Psychology in 2006.
During my studies, I taught Japanese, supported students as a college counselor and gained experience through school counseling and career assistance.
Financial services and business
After graduation, I worked for a company involved in mortgages, life insurance and real estate. I became a financial advisor and managed a team of six.
I also helped develop a website for the Japanese community and took part in a student organization. Working with people from different backgrounds taught me to listen before offering an answer.
Mentoring and human resources
In Sedona, I worked with an inn, retreats, vacation rentals and tours, supporting international visitors and business owners. Over time, my interest shifted toward mentorship and lasting personal growth.
After returning to Japan in 2010, I worked in human resources at a large IT company, supporting training, team development, employee relations and career counseling.
THE EXPERIENCES THAT SHAPED ME
Four chapters of my life
Learning resilience as a student
Studying abroad was a dream, but it required persistence. When I ran out of money after about a year and a half in the United States, I returned to Japan and worked several jobs. I saved $20,000 and earned a teaching certificate before returning to California.
That period taught me to build a foundation step by step. A setback did not have to end the journey. It could show me what needed to change.
Discovering the value of teaching
Teaching Japanese while studying at Santa Monica College helped me discover how much I enjoyed supporting others. My class grew to more than 20 students, and my work as a college counselor gave me another way to help people move forward.
I learned that a good explanation begins with the learner’s perspective. The same principle guides my trading lessons today.
Becoming a mentor
My experiences in counseling, business and Sedona showed me the value of ongoing support. I became increasingly interested in helping people understand their patterns and develop the confidence to make their own decisions.
I want to be a trusted supporter: someone who offers useful experience, honest feedback and room for the other person to grow.
Building a trading practice
Trading brought many of those earlier lessons together. Research, emotional awareness and disciplined review became part of one daily practice.
I use a simple cycle of planning, acting, reviewing and improving. A journal makes that cycle concrete. It helps separate what I intended to do from what I actually did, so the next decision can be better informed.
MY APPROACH
Clear teaching. Strong foundations.
I teach Ichimoku in English while studying its original Japanese texts, with an emphasis on understanding the reasoning behind the chart.
Understand the method
Learn how the parts of Ichimoku work together. Build your understanding through clear examples, observation and practice.
Understand your decisions
Notice how fear, frustration and excitement affect your actions. Review your process with the same care you give to the chart.
Respect the risk
Think about position size, potential loss and your plan before entering a trade. Consistency starts with decisions you can repeat.
My aim is to share useful knowledge grounded in experience, while encouraging independent thinking. Integrity, mental wellbeing and steady development matter to me as much as technical skill.
LIFE BEYOND THE MARKET
Music, curiosity and a simpler life
I have played the violin since I was three. Music gives me a different kind of focus, with its own lessons in patience, practice and expression.
I enjoy researching a subject thoroughly, communicating ideas clearly and finding simpler ways to work. I also value the freedom to travel, discover new places and learn from people with different perspectives.
I moved to Dubai in July 2021. Wherever my journey takes me, I want to keep learning and help other traders build a strong foundation of their own.
Listen to my violin performance from before my move to Dubai →
FROM OSAKA TO THE WORLD
My life in photographs
A few moments from the journey. These are the original photographs from my profile.
I was born in Osaka, Japan. In this photograph, I am on the left and my brother is on the right.
I began playing the violin at three years old. Music has remained part of my life ever since.
My family moved from Osaka to Tokyo while my father pursued his MA. The photograph shows us together in Los Angeles in 2002.
I spent two weeks studying English in Toronto during high school. It gave me an early taste of life abroad.
I entered Irvine Valley College in California, beginning my studies in the United States.
When my savings ran out, I returned to Japan for a year. I worked several jobs to fund the next stage of my education.
I enrolled at Santa Monica College. Alongside my studies, I supported students as a college counselor and taught Japanese to a class of more than 20 students.
I graduated from UCLA with a BA in Psychology. I later joined a financial services company working with mortgages, life insurance and real estate, and managed a team of six.
I returned to Japan and joined a large Japanese IT company, working in human resources, training and career support.
A colleague introduced me to forex. After practicing on a demo account, I began trading with $10,000.
I began teaching trading techniques and the mental skills that help traders make more consistent decisions.
I relocated to Dubai, opening a new chapter in my life and work.
KEEP LEARNING
Explore the ideas behind my trading
Start with the Knowledge guides, or join my free KTS course for an introduction to my approach.
Stay Gold!
Kei