Right from the time we exchanged emails, I felt his meticulousness. He carefully researched the locations where I wanted to take photos, clearly noted the easy spots to take photos, places that require strict permits, places where I had to take photos very quickly, without using a tripod, with the supreme principle: absolute respect for the privacy of natives.
Although the schedule started the next day, right from the afternoon before, Mr. Akira came to my accommodation to finalize the plan and go on a reconnaissance trip together. His schedule is proof of the standard Japanese style: scientific, detailed and thoughtful. He even recalculated the sightseeing route in the Old Quarter because the weather forecast was rainy that day.
His sophistication is evident in every small gesture. Before boarding the train, he reminded me to put my camera in my backpack, turn my backpack forward to avoid colliding with passengers around. Especially, every time I bring my camera up to work, he always quietly stands in the right angle to shield me.
Seeing me bewildered at the train line intersections, he just smiled and encouraged me with a few Vietnamese words: "Difficult, hard, tiring". But the most unexpected gift he gave me was dozens of photos he took with the phone I was busy working on. That silent concern really moved me.
In the afternoon strolling around the Old Quarter, I asked him about the most popular name in Japan. He laughed: "That's my name - Akira, but now few people use it. Because it's too normal, and people always like something special".
Before leaving Tokyo, we sat drinking beer at a Vietnamese-flavored restaurant. In a space reminiscent of home, there are currently about 600,000 Vietnamese people living in Japan - we talked very openly. When I suggested giving him a large art photo as a souvenir, he laughed and shook his head, saying the house is only about 50m2 cramped, with a space full of books.
The day I left Tokyo for Hanoi, it rained heavily. From early morning, the phone vibrated with a message from him: "Wishing you a safe journey" with an icon of a gentle smile like his daily smile.
Mr. Akira considers himself an ordinary Japanese person, but for me, he is a special person in the journey of creativity and connection.
