ECONOMICALLY A GIANT, politically a dwarf, culturally a treasure house, Japan today continues to be a world-class enigma. It seldom makes the headlines, but it is — or at least should be — far from irrelevant.

With the arguable exception of Germany, Japan is lhe only major power that has managed to avoid entanglement in dangerous international disputes — let alone armed conflict — since the end of World War II. While tenaciously building their economy and supplying global markets with ever more advanced products, the Japanese have deftly steered clear of confrontation and even escaped a bad press, all the while keeping the home front secure, loyal and increasingly affluent.

It has been my good fortune to observe Japan's rebirth and rapid development at close quarters — indeed, to be entwined with the country in one way or another for much of my life. This book is the fruit of that mostly fortuitous, sometimes troubled but always inspinng relationship — a chronological memoir of my twenty-four years’ residence in Japan as a rather ‘reluctant’ banker. It is a motley collection of personal expenences, travelogues, reflections on art and religion, and reports on the social, political and economic realities of the day. Predictably replete with anecdotes, it also delves below the narrative: readers interested in historical contexts or sociological analysis will hopefully not be disappointed.

One of the book's recurring themes is that a deeply conservative ethos lies at the root of both Japan's distinctive and ancient culture and the evident rigidity of its political and social structure. It is this aspect of Japan, this tension between its legacy of the past and the pressing requirements of global engagement that continues to fascinate me, as it does indeed many commentators writing on Japan today.

But above all, writing this memoir has been a labour of love. Time has not weakened my interest and affection for a country that became my second home when I was still a vulnerable eighteen-year old. Nor have my recollections of that period paled significantly over time; indeed, many have remained as clear and vivid as insects trapped in amber.