My dear friend,
my name is Jack Halpern.

A linguist with a command of 12 languages.
…Well, actually 13 languages.
It depends on how you count. And I’m now studying my 14th.

I have published several dictionaries. For instance, the Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary. The world bestselling Japanese - English dictionary. If you are learning Japanese, I guess you already have it.

I am the CEO of The CJK Dictionary Institute, Inc. We make dictionaries in various languages, including Japanese, English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, etc. We compile dictionaries with our linguistic skills and knowhow using computer technology -- that’s called "computational lexicography." We make both electronic and paper dictionaries. Our dictionary databases are widely used, for example, in electronic dictionaries by CASIO, and in search engines such as Yahoo.

A little writing, too. I published various essays in Japanese. Here’s a list of books I published. I often write about Japanese culture from a foreigner’s point of view in a humorous way -- but serious in essence. And I also appear on TV shows, radio shows, and conferences.

I am the founder of the International Unicycling Federation, Inc. (IUF), founder of the Japan Unicycling Club and a director of the Japan Unicycling Association. For more than 25 years I have promoted the sport of unicycling throughout the world. We held the Unicycle World Championships in Tokyo 2004.We rode hand in hand with more than 300 people in Tiananmen Square!
Here’s a picture of me riding one of the weirdest unicycles invented by man!