I have been living in Japan for 1 year now, but I cannot find French bread - baguette - in Tokyo like the one we have in France. Their bread is not crunchy nor crispy at all, and it's chewy, I kind of feel like I am eating a sponge... like old bread. What is the difference between the bread made in Japan and the one we have in France? Do they use different flour, different way of baking? Do they wait for the bread to become chewy before selling it? 
I'm a professional bread baker from 2018. I started learning by my self until I open my shop in China. I was living in Japan and Brazil also and I had the same experience when I moved to Japan. Now I know why the Asian bread is different from European bread. The major basic components are totally different. The basic flour is also different. In France, they are classified like T55, T65, T45, etc... These numbers mean the percentage of ash contents in the bread and the percentage of proteins inside the flour. Asian bread is almost like T45 and T55 flour. Some flours are special for soft bread or toast loaf bread. The french Baguette use T55 as traditional French Baguette and T65 for more hard French Baguette use, and also are added semolina to show that yellow golden color and help also to be more crispy like pizza dough. Almost of Japanese bread useT45 or special flour T55 to make soft bread but also adding milk, sugar, butter , cream to be more soft and sweet. almost of Asia peoples don't no how to eat French baguette, as after turn cold will be super hard even to eat it. Its come from culture as they no have oven in their home and also normally just buy and eat without adding jam, or ham, or butter etc. Cause this is not their culture to do. Soft bread even cold can eat easy and inside is stuffed with several tastes to be not necessary spent time to cut, add other ingredients. When I start make bread in 10 peoples only one buy French baguette and whole-wheat bread. They prefer soft bread and stuffed sweet bread or salty with cheese , salsage etc... As I love French baguette, I refuse make soft bread for two reasons, one simple french salt bread is more healthy and second as we start plant base style bread, avoid use milk, butter, white sugar etc... I choose smaller market and healthy than choose best seller soft bread. Actually we have a lot of fans enjoying my bread. 