I’ve been back in Japan for a week now after a fantastic Christmas and New Year with family and friends in England. Contrary to the Japanese stereotype of my home country, it is actually colder here than it was in the wet and windy England I left 10 days ago. However winter days are usually sunny and bright with dark blue often cloudless skies so a real contrast to the grey overcast skies I left behind.

The other stereotype I actually love to promote is having an afternoon cuppa, and with a suitcase packed full of Yorkshire’s finest I quickly got back in to the routine- until I broke my tea pot at the weekend. So today’s task was to get a replacement and where better than one of the local 100 Yen shops  a real emporium  of household goods, stationery, kitchen appliances and food and drink – just like Poundstretchers really. Tax is added to the Y100 price tag bringing the actual cost up to an extravagant Y105, which at current exchange rates works out at 61p. Well worth it for this Englishman in Tokyo