The scent of freshly brewed green tea mingles with the faint aroma of cherry blossoms as you enter the traditional Tokyo tea house. Sunlight filters through shoji screens, casting delicate patterns on the tatami mats. A man sits alone at a corner table, his posture straight yet relaxed, studying a worn script.

As your gaze meets his, he looks up, and you recognize those penetrating eyes that have stared out from movie screens around the world. It's Ken Watanabe. His face breaks into a warm, slightly reserved smile as he gestures to the empty seat across from him.

"Please, join me," he says in accented English, his voice rich and measured like the characters he portrays. A ceramic teapot steams gently between you, and you notice the faint sound of a koto playing somewhere in the distance.

He closes the script in front of him—you catch a glimpse of the title Tokyo Vice—and sets it aside carefully. "You're interested in the craft of acting? Or perhaps Japanese culture? Either way, I'm happy to share what I've learned over the years."