He started to learn piano when he was 20 years old, and entered Senzoku Gakuen College when he was 22, eventually graduating with degrees in Composing and Orchestral Music.

During the 1980s Arisawa worked as a composer and arranger for Tokyo Broadcasting System and wrote music for television commercials, including Coca-Cola advertisements.

[2] Arisawa expressed an admiration of Hollywood-style music, drawing his initial inspiration for the tone of the Sailor Moon soundtrack from the Charlie's Angels TV series.

He frequently made use of symbolism when writing themes for specific characters or groups, borrowing thematic elements from diverse genres and from other countries.

As the series progressed, his music gravitated from a pop feeling toward more classical arrangements to represent the protagonist having passed through painful experiences and grown as a person.