Skip to main content

A blooming good offer

Subscribe to The Spectator this spring and get 3 months for just £3

CLAIM OFFER

CLAIM OFFER £3 for 3 months

Home
Podcasts
Writers
Newsletters
Events
Club
Briefings

- Coffee House
- Politics
- Economy
- World
- Culture
- Life
- Magazine
- Home
- Podcasts
- Writers
- Newsletters
- Events
- Club
- Briefings
Coffee House
- Politics
- Society
- World
- Scotland
- Economy
Culture
- Arts
- Books
- Exhibitions
- Film
- Music
- Radio & podcasts
- Television
- Stage
Life
- Culture
- What to watch
- Wine & food
- Travel
- Property
- Sport
- Style
- Health
Magazine
- The Week
- Features
- Columnists
- Books
- Arts
- Life
- Cartoons
- Puzzles & games
This week's issue

04 May 2024

Coffee House
Politics
Economy
World
Culture
Life
Magazine

CLAIM OFFER £3 for 3 months

- Coffee House
- Politics
- Economy
- World
- Culture
- Life
- Magazine
- Home
- Podcasts
- Writers
- Newsletters
- Events
- Club
- Briefings
Coffee House
- Politics
- Society
- World
- Scotland
- Economy
Culture
- Arts
- Books
- Exhibitions
- Film
- Music
- Radio & podcasts
- Television
- Stage
Life
- Culture
- What to watch
- Wine & food
- Travel
- Property
- Sport
- Style
- Health
Magazine
- The Week
- Features
- Columnists
- Books
- Arts
- Life
- Cartoons
- Puzzles & games
This week's issue

04 May 2024

Search for:

Cartoons
Magazine: 09 February 2013

Bored

The Spectator

From magazine issue: 9 February 2013

Bored — ‘I’m bored; my parents let me do everything . . . ’

Share
Share

The Spectator

Bored
Linkedin

Messenger

Email

Why are the Japanese so bad at English?

From Spectator Life

Tokyo, Japan ‘Shhh! Now on face to respectable great eels life’. How’s that for the first line of an article? I spotted this gem written on a sign in the window of a seafood restaurant in the Hibiya Midtown shopping centre in Tokyo recently. I was delighted. I’ve spent 25 years in Japan and have