Big In Japan // Elle Belgium Magazine August 2010

Cesar writes his 3rd column for Elle Belgium in the August 2010 issue. I translated a few lines as the column is in Dutch.



"When they offered me to work as a model in Tokyo for 45 days, I was pretty excited."

"Everybody here is extremely friendly. Yesterday I did a shoot for a Japanese magazine and the people on the set treated me like I was some big Popstar. Constantly asking me if I'm okay, protecting me from the bright sun with an umbrella, waving with a hand-held fan to keep me cool and they stayed by my side with a cool glass of water. It was like a tennismatch."

"I walk into a restaurant and seat myself at the table. Before I knew it, a little lady approaches me. She asks me what I would like to eat in Japanese. For two minutes long I was trying to explain with hand gestures that I wanted a mix of sushi and sashimi. The only understandable thing that Japanese people could say to me is: "You model? Picture?", and then: flash! Before I know it, I'm standing there as a tall person next to a little guy on the picture."

"When I arrived here, I wondered: why do I hardly or basically never see any large(fat) Japanese people? Living in NYC made me being used to seeing a street full of large people. But here in Tokyo, I haven't even been able to spot one. Everybody here looks slim and healthy."

"The Japanese people are so into the fashion that it almost looks like some kind of disease. I got the feeling that the Japanese are way ahead of us fashionwise."