In the Moment

My view of Japan is cartoonish. It’s built almost entirely from exports and a European vantage point. When I watch how other countries portray France through their own exports, the caricature is cringeworthy, so it stands to reason mine works the same way in reverse. I’ve never had a Japanese friend. Growing up in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, most of my childhood friends were North African, Caribbean, Vietnamese or Cambodian, and rarely Laotian. Later, through work, I met and collaborated with people from several regions of China. Asian cultures have shaped a fair part of my life, just never the Japanese one specifically, and that lack is probably why the caricature exists in my perception. Despite that, one trait from my cartoon version of Japan has always pulled me in: an obsession with detail. Same guy, years apart I don’t mean attention to detail as in double-checking that everything is correct or polished like you would if you delivered a product to a customer. What attracts…