1UP: I understand you have a very long history with music. Can you speak about how you first became involved with music, and how you knew that you wanted to make that your living?
YK: I started playing the piano when I was three. I started playing the violin when I was five. And my mother was a pianist. So that's how I started with music. But I wasn't thinking of finding a career in music at the time. I was more interested in creating games. I wanted to become a programmer. So when I was 18, during summer vacation, I was creating songs on my NEC PC-88. So I had a few songs there. And about that time, when I was looking through a PC magazine, I saw a recruitment ad from Falcom. Falcom happened to be close by. So I thought, since I'd created these songs too, maybe I'd apply to Falcom and see if I could join the company and create games with them. Then Falcom heard my music, and they just loved it. They used those songs for Xanadu Scenario II. That's how my game music career got started. From then until now, I've been making game music.
http://www.1up.com/features/keeping-cla ... -interview
One of my fave composers ever. I still retain his best work is Ys.
Rest of it in the link
