'Anyone can model'

Even sporting baggy jeans and freshly tousled short brown hair, David Schumann doesn't look like model material. With his arms covered in tattoos, he actually looks like he's suffered from a few too many late nights.

But ever since landing in Japan, he's been a hot commodity.

The 33-year-old musician, translator and author is friendly and talks openly about the unusual turn his life has taken. He's been writing about music since he was 17, starting on his mother's old typewriter. Punk is Schumann's genre of choice - hence the scraggly look - and, at home in Cologne, he had found likeminded friends in the punk and hardcore scene who were looking for a life that was anything but traditional.

After studying German and English for a while, Schumann finally switched to Japanese in 2003. He'd always been fascinated by Japanese culture, but was 27 by the time he decided to tackle the language with seemingly countless characters and two alphabets.

Knowing there no better way to learn a language than by being immersed in the country itself, Schumann headed to Tokyo for a semester abroad.

Effortless discovery

When a local woman approached him on the street and asked to take some pictures of him, he thought she was just interested in improving her own reputation by associating with a foreigner.

But then the photos landed in a glossy magazine and one of Tokyo's largest modeling agencies offered Schumann a contract. A left-leaning anti-globalization punk promoting the decadent world of fashion? Schumann said he doesn't lose sleep over the irony of it all.

"I don't say I'm a model, and I can't understand how people can be so superficial and dumb to just define themselves by their appearance," said Schumann, adding that the career that thousands dream of is just a job that pays the bills and supports his lifestyle.

The author-musician goes to photo shootings in and around Tokyo two or three days a week - and usually he doesn't have to transform his style. It's precisely the wasted rocker look that the modern fashion designers are interested in.

"Show me your teeth"

The rest of the week is booked up with other things. In addition to his Japanese studies and a few translation jobs, the Cologne native spends his time consuming large quantities of alcohol, partying in Tokyo's karaoke joints, and figuring out how to fit as many concerts as possible into one night.

And he is constantly on the lookout for likeminded cosmopolitans and "beautiful Japanese women."

Schumann's adventures are summed up in the book he published this spring called "Tokyo diaries." But it's not just about sex, booze and punk rock - the unlikely model also touches on more personal issues like culture shock and loneliness.

"There's hardly any kind of debate culture like there is in Germany," he said. Nationalism, ignorance and outdated gender roles are some of the more unappealing things he's encountered, but for Schumann, the positives in Tokyo outweigh the negatives.

Despite his success, he isn't boastful. Anyone can model, said Schumann, even a chimpanzee.

"You don't really need any talent," he added. "'Look bored, show me your teeth' - that's what I'm supposed to do."

And out of 100 photographs, usually at least one turns out well.

Author: Emily Thorney (kjb)

Editor: Sean Sinico