A conservative and highly repressive country where, paradoxically, fantasies know no bounds and the imaginary world is free. Subcultures there are genuine cultures. All forms of art are considered equal; artists and artisans are valued equally. What matters is skill, mastery of one’s subject, and the beauty of execution. It’s a country where people become passionate about the rare and the hard to find. A place where language isn’t written but drawn. Street culture is revered there, unlike in the West, where artistic institutions often dismiss it. Young people have an encyclopaedic knowledge of music from the most remote parts of Jamaica and Africa — spanning rocksteady, ska, and early hip-hop in the Bronx. In Tokyo, one of the largest cities in the world, you’ll find passionate experts in every corner. The best pizza, made by a Japanese chef who trained for years in Naples. Exquisite French, Italian, Spanish, and…