What does the word ‘Tokyo’ evoke for you?

Peace and magic.

Your first memory of Tokyo?

The scents of the city. They were very different from New York or Mexico City. Tokyo was extremely clean, but there were particular smells that caught my attention. I still remember those scents. They have changed over time, but they remain very different from the other cities where I live.

Where in Tokyo do you feel most at home?

My neighborhood, Hiroo.

What makes a true Tokyoite?

Having a routine. You gradually make an enormous city smaller through repetition.

Where do you shop for something you can only find in Tokyo?

Hands. [A home improvement and lifestyle department store that carries products unique to Japan]

Your favorite breakfast place?

At home, with bread from the bakery Burdigala Tokyo.

And your favorite dinner spot?

Sushi Uechan in Hiroo.

Which art spot in Tokyo do you return to again and again?

Uematsu art supplies in Shibuya.

Where do you go when you want to wander without a destination?

The Nippori fabric district. I also really enjoy driving around Tokyo and beyond the city.

Where do you go in Tokyo to look at art?

Nezu Museum in Minami-Aoyama.

Which artwork best represents Tokyo to you?

I’m still drawn to Hiroshige’s One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. There are moments when those views seem to reappear even in the twenty-first century. One can still catch glimpses that feel very close to that series.

What would you recommend a visitor see or do during Art Week Tokyo?

To see and buy a lot of art.

What is the craziest thing you have heard or seen in the streets of Tokyo?

Hearing the silence. For such a huge city, Tokyo is incredibly quiet, orderly and safe. The traffic is there, but somehow tame. Even very young children go to school on their own. And yet, the closest I’ve come to feeling in danger here has been on the sidewalk, when mothers on electric bicycles, usually with children in the basket, appear out of nowhere. You don’t hear them coming.

What do you miss most about Tokyo when you are away?

The food, the chefs, and the waiters.

What is your advice for someone visiting the city?

One of the reasons I moved to Tokyo with my family is that every neighborhood has these small streets tucked between the larger avenues. Walking through them is one of the best ways to experience the city. There is always some kind of surprise, whether the neighborhood is modest or chic. I would recommend getting off the main roads, wandering through those smaller streets.