I was born south of Bordeaux, on Arcachon Bay. I never thought of leaving my little village and going to live abroad.

But after high school in Bordeaux, engineering school in Paris and a year at university in China, I didn’t want the adventure to stop. Looking for work in Asia, I was offered a contract in Japan. So I packed my bags and never looked back.

Working in Tokyo has been a very positive experience for me. The rather generous arrangements meant that I could discover the city’s typical streets and restaurants, and see the rest of Japan by travelling around most weekends. But after 8 years in Tokyo I felt the need for even more self-sufficiency, so abandoned it all to go and live in the small town of Nara.

For one year, living in peace and quiet alongside Nara’s famous shika (deer), I was looking for the best way to satisfy this longing for freedom. Setting up as a freelance was the immediate answer. So I needed to launch and optimize my own software business. It’s been a success. I bought my first car and lost myself round the local by-ways. Then, after a year’s sabbatical, I went back to Tokyo. More independent and determined than ever.

Just now I’m working on a number of technical and photographic projects. It’s very important to me to breathe new life into remote Japanese villages. I’m hoping that some of my countless ideas on the subject will be put into practice soon.