Sound House has Roots in Tennis!?

Naomi Osaka is now more famous thanks to her victory at the US Open Tennis Championships. I rarely watch TV but I subscribed to cable TV and had to get up before 5:00 in the morning just so I could watch her US Open final. What Naomi showed us was worth my paying for cable TV and waking up this early: She played a phenomenal match. Speaking of tennis, it can be said that tennis had some influence in the founding of Sound House. Back in 1973, I was so obsessed with tennis that as soon as I graduated from junior high school, I went to the States alone to train in tennis. I transferred to a public school that boasted to have one of the best tennis teams in the country, but I found myself unable to keep up with the team because my skills were far behind my teammates. After a year and a half, I decided to give up my dream of becoming a professional tennis player. Instead, I devoted more of my time to music and I played guitar in a band.

My band activities in high school led me to minor in music at the University of Southern California (USC), where I was able to take guitar lessons from Lee Ritenour’s teacher, Duke Miller. After graduating from university, I spent a year attending the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT), which had just opened in the middle of Hollywood with a teaching faculty consisting of many prominent guitarists, as well as practicing with my band. During that time, I would frequent various music stores in the Los Angeles area and I was also lucky enough to attend many concerts. The most memorable gig was Van Halen’s at the Starwoods in Hollywood right before their debut. After attending their now legendary Pasadena concert, I was instantly addicted and would run to every concert where Eddie Van Halen was playing guitar. I fully immersed myself into his performances. Eddie rapidly earned a great number of fans and became a big star...

Giving up tennis eventually led me to focus on guitar, which also gave me a chance to learn about musical instruments and equipment. I was lucky enough to naturally have good people skills and made many friends in the musical instrument industry through encounters with many musicians and people working in music shops. This experience is the reason why I could start Sound House without hesitation because I also had many old friends from my days in the States, and I knew they were always willing to help me.

As I think back to how I got started with my business, this verse from the Bible suddenly resonates in my mind.
“We know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

I was depressed when I quit tennis since I always wanted to play, but before I knew it, I found myself starting to focus on music. In other words, this failure turned out to be the best opportunity for me because it meant that I could devote myself to playing guitar while maintaining physical strength. Moreover, I became a frequent customer at music stores in the States, and I believe that all of my experiences and knowledge that I accumulated over the years all turned out to be advantageous for the creation of Sound House 15 or 16 years later. These days, I think about the mysterious fate where all the puzzle pieces finally fit together over a long period of time.

I wish Naomi Osaka all the best in her future career and I am cheering for her! It’s no longer a dream for her. Now she really is at the top of the world!