When she was little, Léna Mauger thought she would be an adventuress in the South Seas or an explorer on the Siberian plains. She’d developed a taste for travel at her mother’s side as they journeyed far and wide. In between travels, she grew up in Normandy and then studied at the school of political science in Paris. She went to Latin America as part of her studies. On her return, it was time to choose a profession. She didn’t consider journalism, but opted for a research masters in history – research, now there’s a real job – but when it came time to take the recruitment examination, she realized that this was not the future for her. “What I liked best about writing my thesis was the encounters,” she says, explaining what triggered her realization. She went on a work placement at Nouvel Observateur magazine and set a limit of one year for carving out a place for herself. If she failed, she could try the traditional route of going to journalism school – but she didn’t fail. She was soon working on features for the print press (Le Nouvel Observateur, Elle, XXI) and television (Canal +, France 2...). She proved that she knew what she was doing, creating a system for self-producing her subjects by working with photographer Stéphane Remael. Léna loves those opportune encounters that determine what sort of life you choose. One example is the work of Nicolas Bouvier, which put her on the path to Japan. She has become passionate about the country, writing successive pieces on the Land of the Rising Sun. Her next project, funded by this grant, will take her to Toyota City.

Do you have a project you would secretly love to do?
“A book – Maybe an essay on Japan .”