" A La Rue De Paris, Sada Yacco, L'Etoile Japonaise "

At 27 the Japanese performer Saddayakko -or Sada as she was known- was in the midst of a world tour when she visited Paris in 1900 for the Exposition. At the time, Parisians were smitten with all things Japanese and the critic journalist Louis Fournier got the quote of the day when he asked the young performer, ""What is love in Japan? " To which she replied: "In this country men and women love each other freely; it is the custom. Japanese girls do not declare their love so frankly. Often they will die rather than confess it... Ah! to me, my friend, love in Japan is very noble, sublime, and sacred!"