Saitama has nice little mountains and pretty rivers, but not having beachfront property seriously diminishes the prefecture’s status on the recreational scale. Kanagawa is famous for its beaches and rolling hills. But fame has a hefty price in terms of fighting the weekend crowds. For down-to-earth fun, Chiba is the place to go. CHIBA IN…

Not him again! Domination – whether it’s Lance, Roger or Tiger – in sport, it’s a problem. The average fan detests seeing the same winner wheeled out for champagne, kisses and a big novelty cheque time and time again. It makes people switch off, or worse, switch over to a new sport. So what can…

There can be little doubt that Japan’s greatest contribution to Formula One over the years has been in engineering. Honda-engined cars have won 75 Grands Prix in almost three decades of involvement, and Bridgestone are presently the sole tyre supplier in F1. Japanese drivers have never enjoyed much success, and have generally been ‘pay drivers’…

Beware the Green Eyed Monster It’s easy to dislike Ryo Ishikawa. The nineteen year old Japanese golfer ticks most of the boxes with his youthful good looks, astronomical bank balance and undeniable talent. Added to that, there is the fact that his pimply face occupies about half of every commercial break on TV, plugging everything…

More than just a guy’s guy My 8-year-old daughter adores Nobuhiko Takada. To her, he is a giant teddy bear. In a tag game of kids versus adult, because of his lumbering 185cm, 95 kg, size he is the most obvious target and inevitably the first one tagged out. Indeed, when Reina and her friend…