There is a quote by Oscar Wilde that goes like this: »From the late nineteenth century to the present day, this desire to define a Japanese essence has been a near constant concern, at times an obsession, of Japanese cultural and intellectual life.« This desire to define a Japanese essence and to set it apart from other cultures is creating a »mythical Japan« that becomes a place of yearning for many – it definitely became one for me. Living in Tokyo for three years however, did two things: it destroyed the myth and it brought me back to making art.
