Name: Ben Tarquin

Age: 31

Nationality: French-American

Occupation: Videographer, YouTuber (yakfilms.com)

Likes: South Korean thrillers, motsunabe (hotpot made with beef or pork tripe and offal) and making beats

Dislikes: Rollercoasters, marzipan and people who can't joke around

1. Where are you from and what brought you to Japan? I'm from Oakland (California). Architecture brought me to Japan — a one-year masters program in collaboration with my school in Paris.

2. Do you have a favorite architect? I don't really have a favorite architect, but rather favorite architecture. I've always been a fan of minimalist architecture — simple design inspired by constrained spaces. There's a book called "Pet Architecture" by Atelier Bow-Wow that illustrates many examples of small structures. Usually such spaces tend to be overlooked, but in Japan they are often well-designed, right down to the details. More with less.

3. How did you get into music and video production? A friend in high school showed me some music-making software and I've been playing with it ever since. For video, my best homie started making videos with me before YouTube even existed, and one thing led to another.

4. What is YAK? You Already Know is like a cocktail — a concoction of talented dancers and beautiful visuals, tied together with engaging music. A trifecta. It's dedicated to emerging multimedia production as a voice of resistance and an alternative to the mainstream. At its core, it's a visual wrecking crew that uses multimedia to share the talents of young people around the world to elevate and inspire the masses.

5. YAK is a three-man collaboration. How do you balance all your creative ideas? We are not together all the time, but we stay connected. We let the ideas flow out and check each other's work online. It's like a triangle, and a triangle cannot be deformed. We usually have our eyes on dancers and share music with them before a shoot. They generally listen to it and practice, and it gives us time to get ideas as well.

6. What's your role in the group? Music. We all shoot and edit our own work.

7. What was the first YAK video that really took off ? "Dancing In the Rain aka R.I.P. Rich" (7.6 million views). It was a blessing to see this one shine. It had a message and was dedicated to someone who died in a local accident. It was nice to see such strength come from a tragedy in our hometown.

8. What have you been working on recently? Every summer, Oakland has its "Art and Soul" festival, which takes over the city's downtown streets. For half a day, we get the main stage to throw a dance battle and we use it to feature local talent. We film, host and deejay it. This year is extra special as it's also YAK's 10-year anniversary.

9. Do you ever "just know" when a video you've made will do well? Some of my favorite videos to this day haven't done "well" and vice versa. We are are up against cat videos and other silly stuff, so you can never really know for sure.

10. What do you have too many of? Cameras and travel bags.

11. Best strategy for coping with constant travel? Be open minded about food.

12. Are there any Japanese dancers you would you love to collaborate with?I could name a bunch, but in general I would say the kids — the new generation.

13. What's your favorite dance move? Right now, it's the Smeeze! Check it out... it's from Oakland.

14. In dance, what is the biggest faux-pas a person can make? To cut off the moves, to not respect the flow.

15. Can you tell us about the "HAKATag Claps" project you filmed in Fukuoka? That was a collaboration between Dice Project of Fukuoka and the City of Fukuoka. They wanted an "outsider" resident experience of the city. The goal was to shine light on some local attractions and showcase them as part of a "day in my life." We made a crazy list of my favorite food joints, shops and people, and tied that together with landmarks and different modes of transport. It was an ode to my second home, but it didn't include all of my favorite spots.

16. What is it like adjusting to life in Japan? Japanese includes a lexicon of borrowed words from other languages, including Chinese, English, even French. Many worldwide trends also get imported in Japan, often with a local twist. So while some things seem to be the opposite of what I grew up with, like reading right to left or slurping when eating noodles, other things seem right on par with my upbringing, like manga's similarity to French bande-dessinees. Once you are conscious of those things, it's quite easy to adjust.

17. Name a habit you've picked up since being in Fukuoka? Drinking shōchū.

18. Is there a Japanese expression you think should be exported? I've always liked "kūki yomeru" aka K.Y., which translates roughly to "reading the air." Some people have a talent for it, some just don't.

19. Can you give us a TV 10/10 recommendation? "The World of Golden Eggs."

20. Voguing — overrated or underrated? Underrated! Go to a ball and you'll have a ball!