JAPAN WITH SUE PERKINS
BBC1, 9pm “I feel like an ornate sausage roll,” says Sue. She has dressed up in a kimono and full make-up as a geisha in a traditional tea house.
It’s a compelling insight into a world we have many prejudices about, and Sue is not afraid to ask some challenging questions.
Are the geisha rich men’s playthings? Or is this just a culture for entertainment?
Sue gets involved with some drinking games, and discussion of British pies, and is surprised to find a gentle, respectful world.
elsewhere, she spends the day diving for shellfish in an area famous for its seafood.
Next stop is Hiroshima, where she meets Mr Tetushi, an 84-year-old survivor of the atomic blast of World War II.
And back in Tokyo, she visits an agency where lonely people can hire actors to play loved ones for special occasions. She also finds out about “marriage hunting”, which is hoped to end Japan’s celibacy crisis.