The postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics have not been without controversy.
After being delayed for a year, a survey commissioned in May by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper revealed that 83 per cent of those polled were not in favour of the event going ahead in 2021, as COVID-19 cases soared and vaccine rates remained low.
One of the few pleasant side-effects of the pandemic in Japan was the lessening of air pollution which means that iconic Mount Fuji (the country’s highest peak) is now visible from the city on the increasingly frequent smog-free days.
As tourist guides note, Tokyo (formerly Edo) is a blend of the old and (mainly) new, home to the futuristic vistas that inspired the likes of Blade Runner, and the serene environs of Imperial Palace, built amongst the picturesque remains of the centuries-old Edo Castle.
British audiences have experienced Japan at a distance through numerous documentary seasons and celebrity-led travelogues over recent years – and in the acclaimed BBC2 drama Giri/Haji (2019) which delved into Tokyo’s Yakuza criminal underworld.
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