A Japanese artist in London

A Japanese artist arrives in England with artistic ambition, little money, and an uncertain future. Moving through Greenwich, New Cross, Kensal Rise, Brixton, and other parts of London, he records the rooms, streets, jobs, and encounters that shape his new life. His account is intimate, observant, and often unexpectedly funny.

Poverty repeatedly forces him away from painting and into whatever work he can find, including labor in a tombstone-maker’s shop and other unfamiliar trades. Hunger, cold, cultural misunderstandings, and the struggle to make himself understood are described with remarkable candor, yet the narrative never loses its warmth or curiosity.

Alongside personal hardship, listeners will discover lively impressions of London life, Japanese reflections on English customs, artistic friendships, hospitals, theaters, and the changing city itself. The distinctive, unconventional prose gives every episode a personal voice, while the accompanying visual sensibility makes streets and ordinary scenes feel newly vivid.