Hinako Hishinuma was born in Japan and spent her college years volunteering to help underprivileged children in the Philippines and working to improve farming with nonchemical fertilizers in Indonesia. She studied Kendo for sixteen years and participated in national tournaments where she became the number-two champion for all of Japan. A licensed teacher for middle and high school students, she loves reading, origami, and calligraphy. She currently lives in the US with her husband and two sons, and a hound dog that doubles as her sons' pony.