Two inseparable passions, firstly TRAVEL, discovered at a very young age by a father obsessed with the world, dreaming of becoming a war reporter, discovering the world through his lens, which had brought him out of a renowned Parisian photography school.
Childhood memories are filled with photographic images, scenes from faraway countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, - before the war, with cities like Islamabad, Kabul, or Tehran, as beautiful as Paris back then, people in beautiful fashion walking in shopping streets - framed and hung on the walls of the flat. A photo studio in the large office of the medieval house we occupied at the time. A laboratory where my father loved to develop his photos. It was professional, precise, and diligent.
TECHNOLOGY then, which I also discovered at a very young age, when I started taking apart old radios and broken televisions that I'd found here and there. Nobody wanted them anymore, but their innards fascinated me. Another inspiration came from my grandfather, who built me a tiny wooden house with all sorts of salvaged parts and leftover electrical/electronic equipment, it even had light in every single room, ran by an array of batteries in the back and switches to control them independently (he was working at Philips at the time) and also taught me woodworking, sawing, sanding, planing... I loved it.
At the age of 21, I became an acoustic technician, making earmoulds for hearing-impaired people for a big American company, learning poly/monomer, mixing, sculpting, and fitting. And then a few years later, the big turning point that allowed me to combine the TECH & TRAVEL, I was hired by the company that handled repairs and technical support for NOKIA in Switzerland. At the time, the consumer market was still in its infancy, 1997. The years that followed were dominated by learning about all the technologies that now allow us to work anywhere, to travel without a folding road map, to run a business from a corner of a table, in a hotel in Taiwan, on a beach in Thailand or, as now, in a café in Yokohama, sheltered from the typhoon that is approaching our coast.
And long before the COVID pandemic, I started home office, trying all possible ways of working remotely. Searching for all the best combinations in terms of structure, gear, place, spaces… Finding the best tools for the lighter or at least most efficient travel-work balance. Today, I’ve been
in many countries, learning multiple languages and cultures, but most of all, being almost totally independent to work from absolutely anywhere (and if you’re interested to know more, don’t hesitate to comment and ask, I’d love to hear from you).
And in addition to all this, for many years, my nights have been filled with powerful dreams, involving trains, airports, stations and underground stations, and a great solitude, which has now partly become independence. This morning, on the train between Narita and Yokohama, watching all these stations, tunnels and railway lines go by, crossing and merging, separating and disappearing behind blocks of flats, only to reappear on one of the bridges spanning the river we were crossing. My dreams suddenly seem to make sense, to come alive in the real world. Were they premonitory? Were they the path I needed to follow to discover this world I love so much? This Japan built mainly around its trains? I don't have all the answers yet, but it seems more logical than ever.
Do you know the feeling of being addicted to something? For some it's work, others housework, sometimes drink, others will be under the influence of drugs... For me, it's TRAVELING and the techniques that make it possible, but also all these technologies that we can use to create, photograph, paint, write, work, invent, invest or program. Some people travel by visiting temples and taking selfies for their Instagram (which I do to, except the selfie). Personally, I love spending hours in specialist centers, looking for that gadget that no one else has, that accessory that will lighten my suitcase (when in fact it has forced me to add an additional suitcase to my luggage:-D) and of course learning to understand, learning to use, learning to master, to travel more, to generate income and to be independent. That's how I became a nomad. And digital.
So how can I want to settle down after all these discoveries, all these countries, and experiences? How could I not want to carry on, knowing that there is still so much to see... And yet Japan keeps winking at me, making me want to settle down, have a place to rest, recharge, refuel, and set off on new adventures. Why Japan? For its traditions, its culture, its incredible culinary choices, the beauty of its people, and the complexity of communication that puts up so many barriers, while allowing rare but exceptional encounters.
So what are your dreams? What have you achieved since you were a child? What does traveling mean to you? I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say... see you tomorrow, perhaps.