Yasushi Taka
English teacher, 22 (Japanese)
It has to be comedy. I watch comedy almost every day on TV or on YouTube. I especially like Japanese manzai, but that's only one kind that I'm a fan of. I'm always exhausted when I go home, but comedy always makes me feel better. I think laughter is the most important thing in life.
Lou Schouten
Artist, 27 (New Zealander)
I think music is incredibly powerful. Music can make people think about new ideas. It can connect people. Music can change the world, if we let it! For me, when I listen to good music or sing my favorite song, I feel happy. Music is joy — that's why I couldn't live without it.
Richard Farmer
Freelance Zen scholar, 25 (British)
I might die without wine in my life. A crisp white to accompany a boozy Sunday lunch with a friend, or a full-bodied red while sitting somewhere warm to escape Kanazawa's winters. There are two types of day in my life: days when I have to drink wine, and days when I have to drink a little more.