Unlike the other members of the Task Force, Tawara hails from the mining town of [[Kazama]]. However, dissatisfied with the town's relatively quiet life (she described it as "boring"), she left as soon as she reached the age of 18, wandering in the UA of the Northeastern Zone for a while, hunting monsters and offering to protect fellow travelers on her way. With no home to call her own, Tawara adopted a nomadic lifestyle, maintaining it for a few years.
On the day of her 22nd anniversary, in 438, Tawara stopped in [[Yurai]] and met Daiki Haraguchi at the ''Great Tengu Inn''. According to her, she "fell in love" with the town after Haraguchi had recommended she try his favorite dish (yakitori), claiming that the restaurant made them better than anywhere else in the world. The impromptu meeting turned into five hours of discussions (and twenty-seven orders of yakitori), and during which the two became friends. Over the years that followed, although Tawara was still officially a homeless nomad, she multiplied her visits in Yurai, eventually meeting Satoshi Sangi and developing a friendship with him as well.
In 450, just days before the mayoral elections, Sangi reportedly offered Tawara a deal; if she accepted to work for him and support his cause, he pledges to give her a home and a job. Thrilled by the opportunity, Tawara accepted; and when Sangi became mayor of Yurai a few days later, she was almost immediately offered a residence and a new job: serving as Yurai's [[TownSec Chief|Chief of Town Security]].