After graduating from Bunka Fashion College in March 1969, I decided to go to Paris, the center of mode, to study for about a year. Having received a round-trip ticket after winning the Soen Award and the Endo Award, it seemed like a good chance.
I found a cheap apartment near the Odeon Theatre in the Rive Gauche and took up lodging there on my own. It was a shabby room, equipped only with a bed and a water tap. At the time, it cost 360 yen to buy a dollar. The yen was weak, and I could afford almost nothing. I would eat sausage sandwiched in a baguette day after day to cut down on my food expenses.
