Taken too far, Japanese food culture can seem precious, pretentious and sterile
By Philip Patrick
He has somehow managed to keep his ego — if he has one — in check
By Philip Patrick
If Fumio Kishida is going to change anything radically though, it will be his own party
By Philip Patrick
At its peak in the 1960s, the yakuza could boast 180,000 members spread across more than 20 ‘families’
By Philip Patrick
Most of Europe’s star players avoid Olympic soccer like the plague
By Philip Patrick
Though she was welcomed warmly enough, she was not greeted as a prodigal daughter
By Philip Patrick
The antipathy does seem to be weakening
By Philip Patrick
So blighted have the Olympics been that some believe the games are not just figuratively but literally, cursed
By Philip Patrick
Excessive office hours are often cited as a contributor to Japan’s alarming population decline
By Philip Patrick
The eccentricity of Japan is all-enveloping and inescapable, from bizarre language to dangerous food
By Philip Patrick
It was perhaps Osaka’s very openness and naturalness that was her problem
By Philip Patrick
It is not entirely clear that Shinjiro Koizumi truly understands the environmental brief he is now tasked with
By Philip Patrick
Suga is a prickly character, with limited people skills and little experience in foreign affairs
By Philip Patrick
Japan’s Olympic ‘scandals’ mark the arrival of cancel culture
By Philip Patrick
