Interview with Richard Collasse
President and Representative Director, Chanel KK

When Richard Collasse visited Japan for the first time back in the early 1970s, he remembers feeling right at home. "I fell in love with the country right away," he claims. The attraction was so powerful that he has spent almost all the years since then living in Tokyo. After working at the French embassy, he moved to Givenchy Japon before coming to Chanel.

For the first few years in the city, he chose to live in shitamachi, the traditional - and often more boisterous - districts on the east side of town, rather than the posh, well-mannered neighborhoods on the west. He says he was intrigued by the lack of uniformity in the height and look of the buildings - unlike major cities like Paris and New York - and the vitality in people's movements. "It was quite fascinating. There was a general sense of disorderliness, which heightened expectations that something very exciting was about to happen."

Constant Change
For Collasse, one of the most attractive things about Tokyo is that the city is alive and changing constantly. Since buildings are generally rebuilt in cycles of 20 to 30 years, there is an ongoing transformation in its appearance - something one does not find in large Western cities. He decries the passing of old traditions, though. "I wept," he claims, when he learned that the communal bath he used to frequent - decorated with a tile mural of Mount Fuji and where old men often passed the time engaging in political debate - had closed down.

He is also drawn by the fact that Tokyo is an amalgamation of small "villages." "I'm charmed by the fact that you can wind up in a completely different world simply by walking a few blocks."

Tokyo is truly a city of many faces. "It has everything you could imagine from all corners of the world," Collasse asserts. It has the best food and some of the finest art. And there are regular performances of world-class artists in classical music and opera. "This is probably because the Japanese are so adept at absorbing things from others." This aptitude has been the driving force in dramatically transforming the city in the span of a few decades. When Collasse first arrived in Japan, he recalls having a hard time finding stores selling cheese and wondering how it could be imported into Japan.

He disagrees with the view, though, that while the Japanese are quick to absorb new things, they are just as prompt in losing interest in them. "You lose interest in something because you realize that it isn't worthy of your attention. The Japanese are capable of perceiving the spirit of things, and they will not tire of products that have such spirit. Just look at the items that have endured the test of time to maintain their popular appeal, like Chanel and Mercedes-Benz. The Japanese recognize the value of innovation that is built on a solid tradition."

For Collasse, another big attraction of Tokyo is that it is safe and clean. "It's a very busy city," he comments, "but I also find it very relaxing. In Paris, by contrast, you always have to be on your guard about your wallet getting stolen. There is a gentleness to all this hustle and bustle," he notes, as reflected in the traffic manners of taxi drivers.

World's Second Largest Market
European brands have been establishing a bigger presence in Tokyo in recent years, setting up boutiques in upscale shopping distrits like Ginza , Omote-Sando, and Aoyama.

"I think this is a matter of course. Japan, after all, is the world's second-largest market, and its savings rate is second to none." Collasse, who is also chairman of the European Business Community, offers this analysis: "It's a democracy with good prospects for long-term stability. The bubble may have collapsed, but the outlook remains very bright, and it is a very good market in which to invest. It's very surprising that the Japanese themselves are so pessimistic about their own future."

He has a high regard for Japanese creativity, pointing to products like the Walkman and LCD panels that were pioneered by Japanese engineers. "Japanese cars, moreover, are superior to those by built by Americans. The Japanese have a knack of blending the traditional with the modern."

At the same time, Tokyo has potential that Collasse feels is not being fully expressed. "It can become much more of a global trendsetter," he laments. He feels that rather than dwell on the limitations - many of them imposed by a rigid bureaucracy - people should turn their attention to possibilities.

He is somewhat concerned, though, about recent trends in urban development. "The horizontal orientation has become more vertical with the construction of high-rises," he says. These buildings are more-or-less permanent structures, so rather than changing every few decades, the cityscape will likely remain the same for 100 to 150 years. "The small 'villages' may disappear from the city, and diversity might be lost. Tokyo is still an exciting place to live, and I hope that it stays that way for our grandchildren as well."