“It is a moment when I can become myself,” says fashion’s enduring radicalist Yohji Yamomoto of his daily ritual: driving his 1980s Nissan Cedric to Tokyo’s Aoyama Cemetery, where he enjoys a private stroll with his dog Rin. It’s early spring and although the sakura cherry blossoms are at least a month away, the ornamental plum trees are already in full pink bloom.

Mr Yamamoto got both Rin, a popular Japanese hunting breed, and the Cedric a year ago, and the close bond between the three is crystallized in Matthew Donaldson’s short film that showcases an original score and vocal performance from the designer. “I started driving cars when I was 18, maybe half a century ago,” he says, having owned classics including a Rolls-Royce and Jaguar after first acquiring an antique Austin. “I like glamour, but I also want to have a low profile. I find modern car design so ugly, so I found this car on the internet.” 

The vast cemetery is right in the middle of the city, only a short drive from his flagship shop and storeroom that is home to his deconstructed, asymmetrical designs that have influenced Western perceptions of style for over 30 years. Mr. Yamamoto smokes a lot, and at the emergence of the first cigarette, his personal assistant reaches into her tote to produce a metal ashtray as she walks alongside him. “I don’t walk the main street of fashion,” he maintains. “I walk the sidewalk, the dark side of the street.” After he drives off, the boot of his sedan becomes visible, with a plastic strip with its model name on it that reads ‘Excellence’.

The second episode of Getting There with artist Ed Ruscha premieres next Monday October 13.