As a lad in Liverpool, comedian Simon Bligh knew it was just a matter of time before he'd end up in Japan. Even the most English of culinary treats was being subjected to Orientation, drawing him Eastward.
"I ate my chips with chopsticks. It was a strong fascination, I don't know where it came from. Maybe I was a wandering Ronin in a previous life or a tram driver in Hakodate. I just loved Japan," Bligh says.
So in 1980 he made the trip, taught English in Urayasu, earned 3rd dan status (3rd degree black belt) in karate and after a two-year stint left Japan to pursue a career that would ultimately deliver him full-circle, back to Tokyo, albeit 20 years later.