Impressions Japonaises

1986

My stay in Tokyo marked the beginning of what would become my way of life for the following decade: travelling and reflecting on the experience encountered through photography, drawing and writing. This is where I produced the first of many later travel sketch books. The idea came about after a month or so in Tokyo, by which time I had began to notice minor everyday life details that contrasted sharply with anything encountered before and stood as even possibly odd when perceived from a different cultural background. I began collecting these observations in the form of simple black and white ink drawings done with a naive touch and commented on the visual with short sentences in French, a few of them in the form of puns referring to French expressions that unfortunately can hardly be translated into English.  I now realise that these observations seemed unusual or even strange at that time due to their being restricted to Japanese society. Number of them, such as the breathing mask, the talking traffic light or the disposable chopsticks have become normal occurrences in many other countries without connecting to anything specifically Japanese any longer. 

The travel sketch book 

In Japan the restaurant is open when the little curtain is hanged outside over the door.
In Japan the restaurant is open when the little curtain is hanged outside over the door.
In Japan, the trees are given mufflers in winter. In Japan, one keeps one's own virus to oneself.
In Japan, the trees are given mufflers in winter. In Japan, one keeps one's own virus to oneself.
In Japan, one plays golf in high rise. In Japan, the reciter bow to his text.
In Japan, one plays golf in high rise. In Japan, the reciter bow to his text.
In Japan, the traditional foot is cleft. The shoe is smaller than the foot. In Japan, sauce is spread with a brush.
In Japan, the traditional foot is cleft. The shoe is smaller than the foot. In Japan, sauce is spread with a brush.
In Japan, TV gets hot after 11pm. In Japan, all is allowed... if nothing is said.
In Japan one breaks the chopsticks before eating. In Japan traffic light makes music.
In Japan, after school, one's undo the stiff collar of a uniform unchanged for a century. In Japan, there are lots of very big and very black crows.
In Japan, opening the tap of a public fountain too fast makes the spray of water go into your eyes. In Japan, cooked food is delivered on shock absorbers.
In Japan, the bouncers of rock concerts are dressed in suit and tie. In Japan, umbrellas are kept into special plastic bags at the entrance of restaurants on rainy days.
In Japan, menus are in the shape of hyper-realistic sculptures. In Japan, one can queue in freezing temperature to eat ice cream.
In Japan, cigarettes are sold in pharmacies. In Japan, menu titles are in English.
In Japan, you can hear voices at bus stops. In Japan, the metro is a sleeping place.
In Japan, there are flabby coffees. In Japan, one can smoke a plastique cigarette.
In Japan, one bless one's self from the inside. In Japan, people's meet with their name cards in hand.
In Japan, the cherry blossom smells of sake. In Japan, the more people, the more laughter/rice.
In Japan, there is really a lot of Japanese people.