The campagne bread from Levain in Tomigaya

is my absolute favorite right now.

I'd long wondered about the secret behind the radiant smiles of the women who work there.

But the answer was surprisingly simple.

It's because they are filled with the pure joy of their work.



We'll introduce their captivating aura in the next issue of Dictionary.

This is because, in the post-3/11 era,

we need to re-examine the meaning of life,
or so we believe.

The pure joy derived from work.

This was a sensibility that anyone in Japan would have shared not long ago.

But somewhere along the line, the pursuit of pure joy in work shifted to working for money.

A succession of individuals, loyal to their desires, were produced—myself included, of course.

It's not impossible that a grand propaganda or ideological manipulation took place.

This might be connected to our defeat in the war.

The issue begins here: Post-3/11 = Living by self-responsibility.

We've become like small animals released into the wild.

So let's return to the fundamentals of living.

"We seek the pure joy that comes from working" = The truly dedicated worker.

For this theme, Dictionary's next issue commissioned photographer Kozue Maeda.

Kozue Maeda
http://www.kozuemaeda.com/



After a fun, slightly embarrassing shoot, as we took a breather, who should appear but...

DJ DARUMA, whom I'd always wanted to meet, and his colleague Shubei Kanaga, representative of Orbit,

happened to drop by the Levain cafe. Apparently, they were there for a sugar boost.

I struck up a conversation with the two, who had ordered French toast.

And the conversation, as expected, offered an Asian perspective. Those with drive have a sharp eye.

Needless to say, the aura of capable individuals transcends genre and borders.

It was a good day.

To be continued.

← Diary-T 128-133