Meet Mr David Dobryden, our school’s new ICT staff member! 12 April 2018


‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.”

– Lewis Carroll


What would your autobiography be called?
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Where are you from and how long have you been living in Tokyo?
I’m originally from Metro Detroit, Michigan. I lived there for about twenty years then had my first experience living in Japan for three years. I spent seven years in Los Angeles after that and now I’m back in Chiba for good.

Have you lived or worked in other countries?
I’ve traveled to a few: China, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand but never lived or worked there.

What did you study, why, and what did you like the most?
For undergraduate school, I studied the social sciences (anthropology, sociology, history) as they relate to East Asian countries, like Japan, Korea, and China. Between high school and university, I also have nearly a decade of formal Japanese study. For my graduate studies, I focused on Special Education with an emphasis on technology in the classroom. I think my graduate studies were the most rewarding as they directly relate to being an educator and my current work at Aoba.

What are your roles here at A-JIS?
I do ICT support, helping faculty and staff with any technical problems they may encounter during the work day. I handle email systems and technology-related maintenance. I’m in the process of getting more involved in the classrooms as a technology facilitator, in order to ensure teachers have the right technological tools to meet the educational demands of their classrooms.

How would you explain your job to a child?
I make sure all the computers work at Aoba and I help teachers to use their computers in the best way possible in class.

What do you like most about your profession?
It affords me the opportunity to interact with nearly everyone at Aoba and it’s very gratifying to be able to provide appropriate technology solutions to teachers.

What do you enjoy the most about life?
My family and food.

What do you do for fun?
I ride my motorcycle, I play board games and video games, I try new restaurants, and I exercise.

What’s the most unusual place you have visited?
I don’t know if it would qualify as unusual but certainly unique: riding old trains in Myanmar that were donated by the Japanese government.

Is there something interesting about yourself you would like to share?
I have been around and interested in Japanese culture since I was a kid because my hometown in Michigan has a sizeable Japanese population!

We are accepting applications