Shigeru Iwata

## Dr. Shigeru Iwata

**Dr. Shigeru Iwata** (岩田 茂) is me, the one exploring Kentotra and trying to piece together its history. I currently work alone, though I have had some assistance from some folks who seem oddly familiar with this place...

## History

I was born on September 23, 1950 in Kyoto, Japan. I lived with my parents as the second of three brothers. I developed a love for archaeology in my childhood, growing fascinated by the stories of ancient civilizations and mythologies my grandmother would tell me. As I grew older and attained a university degree in archaeology, I dedicated much of my research to her even long after her death. I even took extra time to learn English; wouldn't want to leave the rest of the world out of my discoveries, after all!

Along the way, I made friends with a senior co-worker, Aki Watanabe (渡辺 秋). She seemed to have kept to herself most of the time before meeting me, but watching me struggle with the coffee machine at work so often must've pushed her to approach me. Though she's a bit younger than me, I've watched her surpass me at more tasks than I can count. As such, I ended up answering to her for many of my assignments.

I came to Kentotra after it appeared in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Satellite imagery revealed an abundance of ruined cities, leaving me and my colleagues intrigued as to what kind of civilization could exist on this impossible landmass. I sprang for the security clearance to fly to this strange place, reassuring my concerned loved ones that I would come to no harm. With a new opportunity for study, I set up communications with Aki, packed up my equipment and set up shop in a brand new country!

## Family

**Shiori (詩織)-** My father. Seventy-eight years old. A retired lawyer, he refused to leave his firm until about three years ago. He's a disciplined yet flexible man with an enviable attention to detail, so it was very difficult to get away with trouble at home. His selfless support kept the family going, even with two sons going to university back-to-back. This is not to say he doesn't know how to have fun, though: he taught us every kite trick he knows, and he's working on teaching his grandchildren, as well.

**Makoto (誠)-** My mother. Seventy-six years old. A retired high school math teacher, she handles most of the finances at home. Pragmatic and sincere, she runs a tight ship at home and holds no opinions back. This is not to say she was an overly strict mother; rather, she provided my brothers and me with much needed structure and taught us to be honest, both with our families and ourselves. She grows a sizeable vegetable garden in her backyard, and we like to exchange gardening tips.

**Taiki (大輝)-** My older brother. Fifty-three years old. An athletic director at the high school where our mother used to teach, he's very jovial and kind-hearted, but isn't the most academically inclined. He works very well with children and teens, which makes relating to his son now a bit difficult, but he always acts out of love. The only thing he's ever strict about is maintaining a healthy diet and exercise regimen, which we suspect may have resulted in his son's lack of discipline.

**Junpei (純平)-** My younger brother. Forty-four years old. A former classics major, he helps preserve and interpret ancient texts. He used to fly out to Europe a lot for this purpose, but since his wife died of a heart attack three years ago, he's had to work remotely more often to raise his daughters.

**Koichi (孝一)-** Taiki's son. Twenty-two years old and fresh out of university with a philosophy degree, he's taking a break before going into the workforce. He's laidback most of the time, leading to careless oversights when he gets too relaxed, but staying calm during a crisis is child's play for him. He occasionally babysits his cousins but has a tendency to leave them to their own devices too much, so he's only called upon for one-to-two hour stretches. Despite this, he displays the insight and rhetorical skills of a scholar twice his age.

**Sachiko (幸子)-** Junpei's eldest daughter. Fourteen years old. A bright, energetic, and passionate girl.

**Mizuki (美月)-** Junpei's youngest daughter. Eleven years old. Quiet and reserved, she doesn't need many friends to find validation. She spends her time in her room practicing her dancing-- that is, when Sachiko isn't dragging her on another one of her exploits.

## Trivia

* I'm never fazed by the absence of important source material or context when piecing together mythological stories or other cultural discoveries. I don't have the energy to get frustrated; it all gets spend eagerly speculating anyway!
* I lived in America, specifically Utah, for two years to work on my master's program and improve my English. My favorite part? Not being underweight for the first time in my life. My least favorite part? The ER bill after I broke my wrist tripping on an uneven sidewalk.
	+ And because I get asked about this a lot: the Mormons were not as big an issue as many people claim. Many of them were quite friendly, as a matter of fact. Unfortunately for them, I'm not that easy to convert, but I appreciated all the soda shop coupons I was offered in exchange for religion discussions.
* My favorite time period would probably be when Mesopotamia was active and thriving. The beginnings of society are fun to dig into.
* In my free time, I maintain a garden in my home back in Kyoto with a variety of plants. I lend herbs to my neighbors on occasion since I'm not much of a chef myself.
	+ My favorite plant is the wisteria tree. I planted a sapling in my backyard some time before I flew out to Kentotra. I hope it's doing well...
* I receive many comments about my name being similar to two important figures at Nintendo. That's entirely coincidental. They're both younger than me, so how could I possibly be named after them? And no, I'm not related to Mr. Iwata as far as I know.
	+ My nieces and nephew have tried to teach me how to play Pokemon, though, and I still can't wrap my head around it. I do like that little Helix Fossil fellow though... what was his English name? Omunaito? Omnite? ...Omanyte, that's it.
* Though my entire family supports what I do, Junpei is the most willing to listen to me ramble about my findings. He studied Classics in university, so our interests line up well enough for us to understand each other. Taiki tries his best to understand us, but he struggles to keep up with our discussions.
* I only watch anime when I'm too tired to process anything else, but I sometimes watch an episode of Sailor Moon or two. Sailor Jupiter is probably my favorite character.
* Ever since I came to Kentotra, my colleagues back home tease me for what they believe is a vested interest in Mazakyel. I don't intend to worship her like they claim. I'm... just a sucker for nature, is all. Yes, that's it.