What led young men with their whole future ahead of them to board a plane and crash it into an enemy ship with total certainty of death? In the closing stages of the Second World War, Kamikaze pilots chose suicide in the service of the Japanese emperor. Let’s try to understand why this happened. By…
Shogun has been a hugely popular streamed series on FX and Hulu telling the story of an English navigator stranded in early 17th century Japan – caught up in violent conflicts between rival warlords – but eventually finding a way to become part of that strange society. But is it truth or fiction when it…
It’s easy to imagine that Japan is home to just two religions: Buddhism and Shinto. But for 500 years, there has been a thriving Christian community although for centuries, it had to pray in secret, avoiding the gaze of the authorities. So-called “hidden Christians” worshipped Christ and the saints, blending Roman Catholicism with indigenous rituals….
Frankenstein is one of the greatest horror stories of all time. But the author of the original novel, Mary Shelley, published the book anonymously. Because in the early 19th century, the idea of a woman penning such a monstrous tome was unthinkable. Plus Mary already had reputational issues! In the review below of Frankenstein that…
