"Tokyo, my brother, my protector" was the tweet posted by Belgian-born Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui — often dubbed "the busiest choreographer in the world" — straight after he arrived here two months ago.
Explaining in a recent interview with this writer what had prompted so fulsome a gush, the globe-trotting 38-year-old set off at a gallop, explaining, "I find Tokyo a very reassuring place. I also grew up with a lot of anime and manga, which, in terms of cultural influences,such as cartoons, is the same as many people here.
"So I think it's not to be underestimated that a part of my education was Japanese culture — and in the last 15 years I've also been coming regularly and building up a personal relationship with this country.