While studying sculpture at Pratt Institute, Funakoshi was instead inspired by cooking and transferred to a culinary school in New York City. Funakoshi continued to learn cooking at one of New York City’s most esteemed kitchens, Blue Hill, and traveled to Europe and regions of Asia to further explore food culture. Her travels have taken her across the Pacific Ocean as chef for an Australian cruise ship, as well as chef for a long-established hotel in Bali. In May 2018, Masayo opened her own studio, tea salon, and private restaurant, Farmoon, in Kyoto.