Tokyo Is a Place Where You Can Find Your Voice

Moving Between Multiple Worlds

Born in Vancouver, Canada, to a Japanese mother and a French-Canadian father, West grew up surrounded by a symphony of words. As well as English, he is fluent in French and Japanese. He credits this blessing to his parents' foresight, who enrolled him in French immersion and Japanese classes from an early age.

This access to different languages allowed West to recognize the existence of different cultural perspectives. "Dragons were one of the first things I noticed," he explains. "In Western literature, they are mostly large, frightening, fire-breathing monsters. In Japanese mythology, they are benevolent and wise, and more often associated with water. I found it so interesting that two different cultures could have such different takes on a similar idea."

It was in Vancouver at the age of 12 that West discovered the world of acting. "My older sister was involved with theater and encouraged me to try out for a local production of The King and I. Somehow, I managed to land the part of the prince. After that, I was cast in the educational TV show KidZone, which lasted for seven years and really helped me develop a presence in front of the camera."

West also appeared in 21 Jump Street, Highlander, and a Canadian fantasy series called The Odyssey, where he shared the screen with Ryan Reynolds, a fellow Vancouverite. "It's interesting to have worked with Ryan back then," says West. "You could already see how talented he was—especially when it came to improvisation." West's own appearance in the series impressed the director so much that he was brought back in Season 3 after his first character was killed off in Season 1.

Did growing up with multiple languages and shifting between cultures influence his choice of profession? "I guess it had to," he nods. "As an actor, you carry something of yourself into every part you play. But you also need the ability to adapt if you want to become someone else convincingly. It helps to have different ways to view the world."

New Opportunities in Japan

In 1998, West heard that MTV Asia was seeking VJ (video jockey) presenters who were fluent in English as well as local languages. He sent out a demo reel and soon found himself on a plane to Tokyo. "I was so excited," he smiles. "It was more than just a job opportunity. It was a chance to explore a whole other side of me, to discover who I was—in Japan."

On a professional level, Tokyo brought him considerable success. As well as roles in film and television, West has enjoyed acting in Japanese commercials, including one very humorous take on Ludwig van Beethoven for Tokyo Gas. More recently, he played the bartender and narrated Sapporo Beer Canada's 2024 campaign, The Katana, another example of how a career built in Tokyo continues to connect Japan with audiences overseas. While learning on the job in Japan inevitably involved a learning curve, West feels that his international background has benefited his work. "Anywhere in the world, the job of an actor isn't that different," he says. "Ultimately, we're storytellers. I think the more you're able to bring to a role, the better."

Living in Tokyo also motivated West to reflect more deeply on language itself, in terms of sound as well as meaning. He began writing poetry soon after arriving in Japan. "I was kind of unsure about sharing it," he says. "But one of the directors who I worked with here in Tokyo encouraged me to do so. That was what really got me going with spoken word poetry."

His initial forays took place in 2000 in the form of a collaboration with J-pop singer Olivia Lufkin, lending his voice to two tracks on her debut solo studio album synchronicity. Since then, his spoken word poetry has continued to evolve, weaving in and out of Japanese and English, and incorporating different musical genres as accompaniment. In recent years, he has taken his talents to YouTube with the multimedia performance Dragon of Possibility and penned the memoir Dragon Man - an Actor's Transformation, an exploration of the deep connections between belief, acting, and self-discovery.

"In the end," he says. "It all comes back to my fascination with the human voice."

Tokyo Is a Mirror 

West is a major proponent of Tokyo, both as a place to live and an endless source of artistic inspiration. "Tokyo is just so stimulating," he says. "I get most of my ideas just walking around the city. You see so many things—the visuals would be enough in themselves—but then there are the sounds, the textures, and of course the incredible flavors."

The flavors of Japanese cuisine were what took West back to Canada temporarily in 2018 and 2019 to play the Chairman in the reality TV cooking show Iron Chef: Canada. Channeling the legendary Kaga Takeshi, who played Chairman Kaga on the original Iron Chef series in the 1990s, West threw himself into the role.

The experience reinforced for him how much closer Japan and the rest of the world have become. "Here I was back in Canada, with Canadian chefs, and they're so incredibly knowledgeable about Japanese food. There were in-depth discussions about the best types of dashi and other things like that."

When the immensity of Tokyo becomes too much, West is grateful for the city's many green spaces. "As an artist—and as a person—you need inspiration, but you also need time to reflect. I like to go to places like Shinjuku Gyoen, where nature steps forward and the city fades into the background for a while."

This space for personal introspection is what West prizes about Tokyo most of all. "This city is a mirror. You see reflections everywhere here of what you are, what you are not, and what you might be. Tokyo is the best place to find yourself—and your voice."

Jai Tatsuto West

Jai Tatsuto West is an actor, poet, and filmmaker who has lived in Tokyo for over 25 years. Born to a Japanese mother and French-Canadian father in Vancouver, Canada, he was raised speaking French, English, and Japanese. West has appeared in numerous film and television productions in North America and Japan, including 21 Jump Street, Survive Style 5+, and The Private Detective Mike, as well as the popular cooking show Iron Chef: Canada. His philosophical memoir Dragon Man: An Actor's Transformation was published in 2026.