From Ph.D. (Medical Researcher) to Certified Rolfer®

Why did a scientist who had analyzed “life” at the front line of the pharmaceutical industry choose the path of “Rolfing,” which touches the depths of the body?

[Mission] From Analysis to Integration — The Power to Feel with the Body Rather Than Think with the Head

I once obtained a Ph.D. (Medical Science) at the University of Tokyo Graduate School, and afterward, for about 11 years, was engaged in medical marketing at the front line of the pharmaceutical industry. Days of continually seeking the correct answer within logic and data, and chasing the latest scientific knowledge. But no matter how meticulous the logic I built up, there was somewhere an unease I could not wipe away.

It was the sensation that, even when understanding it in the head, the body does not move as intended; and that the more information increased, the more the sense of conviction for myself thinned.

We do not live by thought (the brain) alone. How deeply emotion, and above all the body that is its foundation, are involved in life’s decisions and in daily well-being — noticing that truth became a major turning point for me. To grasp the human being anew as one “integrated whole,” from the viewpoint of scientific analysis (parts). That is the origin of my present work.

[Trajectory] Until Awakening to the Intelligence of the Body

The origin of my inquiry goes back to my late twenties, when I was enrolled in the doctoral program. Through the intense stress of research life I developed atopic dermatitis, and in the course of working on its treatment, I encountered not only medical approaches but diverse methods that organize both mind and body.

Prompted by this actual experience, I began to inquire deeply into the connection between mind and body through diverse viewpoints such as coaching, psychology, yoga, and nutritional biochemistry. Furthermore, I completed the NLP Master Practitioner and the Co-Active Coaching (CTI) applied course, and learned, from both the theoretical and practical sides, how inner transformation influences the body and behavior.

Yoga in particular has continued for nearly twenty years, and has become the ground for a habit of observing myself through the body.

→ Yoga — Nearly Twenty Years of Practice, and a Summary of Forty-Five Days of Training

What turned that inquiry into conviction was the round-the-world journey through 26 countries and 65 cities in 2014. “Rolfing®,” which I encountered while touching the diverse views of the body around the world, was a method that harmonizes with gravity and, by way of the fascia, reorganizes the whole body toward its original balance. It was something that simultaneously and vividly satisfied both my intellectual curiosity as a scientist and my bodily sensation as a single human being.

[The Present] As a Place for Recovering the Self-Axis and Savoring Life

In 2015, I began working as a Certified Rolfer®. Now, based in Shibuya, Tokyo, I have delivered sessions to 380 people (as of August 2026). My sessions do not stop at mere improvement of posture.

A sense of ease based on scientific knowledge: from the viewpoint of medicine and brain science, I explain the body’s reactions logically.

A deep understanding of medicine and business: drawing on my experience in the pharmaceutical industry, I also support how to relate with physicians and how to face realistic challenges.

Multifaceted sessions: fusing the techniques of yoga (Hatha yoga), coaching, and movement, I guide so that clients can escape the labyrinth of overthinking.

When the body becomes organized, a margin is born in the mind, and life’s choices change. The body is an important vessel for connecting with the world. Rather than rushing to produce an answer, to trust the answer that appears naturally within the process of body, emotion, and thought becoming organized.

Life is not a competition, but an accumulation of irreplaceable experiences. With both wheels — the eye of science and the sensation of the body — I hope to walk together on the journey of recovering a self-directed axis.

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Biography

• 1971: Born in Tokyo.
• 2001: Completed the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Medicine, the University of Tokyo (Ph.D. in Medical Science).
• Worked in the pharmaceutical industry for about 11 years: engaged in medical marketing, and became well versed in the realities of the medical field.
• 2014: Set out on a round-the-world journey. During the journey, took part in Rolfing training in Munich, Germany.
• March 2015: Obtained the Certified Rolfer® qualification (Munich).
• July 2015: Opened “Rolfing Session Room ZERO” in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Certifications

• Advanced Rolfer™
• Rolf Movement™ Practitioner
• SourcePoint Therapy Practitioner
• Ph.D. (Medical Science)
• NLP Master Practitioner
• Co-Active Coaching (CTI) applied course completed
• Yoga Alliance certified (RYT200・Hatha yoga) completed

For a detailed record of the 12 years of training → The Path to Becoming a Rolfer — A 12-Year Training Record

For Those Who Want to Change from Thought and Recognition

Handling the same question — “understanding it in the head, and yet unable to move” — from the perspectives of philosophy, brain science, and cognitive bias is the related site Mind and Bodywork Lab. An approach from the body, and an approach from thought. By knowing both, transformation becomes deeper.

→ Mind and Bodywork Lab: How to Navigate This Site (in Japanese)

The 12-Year Training Trajectory to Becoming a Rolfer

→ The Path to Becoming a Rolfer — A 12-Year Training Record