Since marrying in December 2022, Kanye West and Bianca Censori have been inseparable. So, it has come as a surprise for many to see West hanging out in Tokyo without her by his side in the past two weeks. The couple were last seen together going shopping in Japan’s capital on September 20. Since then, West, who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021, has been pictured in Tokyo without his wife at a Pro Wrestling Noah event in Shinjuku and in the Jamaican restaurant Good Wood Terrace in Shibuya. According to sources at TMZ, the pair told people around them that they have already split up. Censori has reportedly flown back to her home city of Melbourne to spend time with her family, while Ye has allegedly told friends that he intends to live in Tokyo.
Kanye West performing at the Samsung Galaxy Note II Launch Event | Image by Kenny Sun
Kanye West’s ‘Personal Exile’ in Japan
The famous rapper has often spoken about his love of Japanese culture, particularly anime. He has cited Katsuhiro Otomo’s classic film Akira as one of his biggest creative inspirations. This influence could be seen in the video for his 2007 multiple award-winning track “Stronger,” which was filmed in Tokyo. The song featured on the album Graduation, for which revered Japanese contemporary artist, Takashi Murakami, designed the cover. After interrupting Taylor Swift’s speech at the 2009 VMAs, Kanye West, as he was then known, went into “personal exile” in Japan because “all of America hated” him. During his time here, he wrote “Never See Me Again,” while he was in a very dark place. He was said to be fascinated by the tragic suicide of Yukiko Okada and sampled her song “Futari Dake no Ceremony” for the unreleased track.
Since then, the 24-time Grammy Award-winner has been a regular visitor to Japan. And, if TMZ’s sources are correct, it looks like we’ll be seeing much more of him here in the future.
