Japan’s third largest city is spirited. Osaka is just the environment where Jamaicans feel at home. This is why Raymond Ferguson, the only Jamaican model, has made this city of contrasts his permanent residence since 2011. Trelawny-born and raised, the computer science graduate spends his time in the colourful Kansai region as a model and actor as well as a part-time English teacher. His first introduction to Japan originated through anime. A career in technology came naturally as did a desire to experience the world differently. The life of glamour and glitz Ferguson lives today is a paradox to the reality of his childhood experiences.

“I remember telling my mum that I was hungry and she’d say ‘me too.’ Then she’d say ‘the angels will feed you,” the 32-year old recalls. Whereas other children relied on their family for provision, he made sure to be the top student in everything he did just to secure scholarships for school fees. Today, the sought-after model rubs shoulders with Japan’s wealthiest and is a regular on Osaka’s television scene.

Kakkoii, a Japanese term used to describe someone as good-looking, is a fitting one. Chiselled. Emotive. Pensive. These qualities were first noticed by his Japanese art teacher colleague who asked him to model at a weekly art club. Opportunities grew from there until his first paid job: a Panasonic commercial. Soon after, Vivienne Westwood, Hugo Boss, Kansai Collections and Michiko London Collections came calling. Eventually, roles in television followed. He admits that his creative genes come from his artist father, Marvin and through his cultural heritage. “The Japanese love reggae. As soon as I say Jamaica, it’s Bob Marley. They say it’s wonderful ‘sugoi’.”

Affection runs both ways with Ferguson adopting local culture and is busy making wedding plans with his Japanese fiancée. Humble beginnings keep him grateful for the abundance he created in Japan.

“I used to have to wake up, move the goats, feed the pigs, chop the wood. There was no inside kitchen or bathroom,” he shares. Yet the memories don’t sting. Instead, they feed the famed celebrity teacher’s drive to help his students. He has also learned from them. “In Japan, people hate being embarrassed. It is a culture of saving face. Whereas in Jamaica, we aren’t afraid to call things out.” Ferguson learned how to balance the two cultures.

Students and adults call him sensei (teacher), a name he does not take lightly. “I was a little poor country boy from Trelawny. But your birthplace does not dictate what you’ll be. I remember seeing people on Jamaican TV modelling and wished I was that person. Today I am.”

It took a leap of faith into Japan to get into his promised land and Brand Jamaica to help Ferguson get there. One man in Osaka shows us that Jamaica’s central role in world culture is a necessity not an accessory.

To contact Raymond Ferguson, please visit his Instagram account: @raymeox