One might call saxophonist and flutist Masaru Koga a product of the internationalization of corporate Japan in the 70's. He was born in Chiba, Japan, but spent most of his childhood moving with his family from and to different parts of the world. By the time he was in high school, he had already lived in three different countries; namely Japan, the U.S. and what was West Germany at the time. His latest and also the longest relocation has been in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he has been a member of its musical community for the past eleven years.

As he grew up in a music loving family, Masaru was exposed to music of all types. Masaru's first musical endeavor was on the trumpet at the age of 11, and later switched to the saxophone.

Masaru received a BA degree in Improvised Music Studies from San Jose State University in 1995, where he intensively studied and explored music traditions of different cultures around the world.