Fukuoka (pronounced Fookoka) is renowned for the quality of its food, which is saying something in Japan.  Particularly its Ramen.  Ramen is a broth, made from pork bones, to which noodles are added together with vegetables and meat or seafood. It is a dish whish has been popularised in England by  the Wagamama chain, whose product, unfortunately, is nothing like the real thing.
Tonight I’m treated to the Fukuoka ramen speciality.  Its a shared dish which is served in a cauldron which is placed on a burner in the centre of the table.  There is some debate as to the nature of the meat in the dish, which is described variously as “hormones” “intestines” and “stomach lining”.  The meat is white and looks suspiciously like tripe.  The vegetables are cabbage and spring onion (the green part, which we would throw away).  The dish is eaten in two stages- at first with just the vegetables and meat, plus some tofu.  Once the meat has been eaten, more broth is added to  the cauldron and when this has come to the boil, noodles are added, which are eaten separately, with the customary Japanese slurping.

When I was asked to design a garden in Nagasaki on the subject of “World Peace”, the organisors asked me to contribute a single sentence which summed up my thoughts on the subject of peace. At the time we were filming for “How The Other Half Live” and the producer Daniel kept Sara amused in the long gaps between takes by encouraging her to write Haiku poems- the Japanese form of poetry where there is strict scansion of 5,7 and 5 per line in three lines. This inspired me to make my contribution on ‘Peace’ in the form of a Haiku.  I had no idea at the time
 that two months later my words would be inscribed on a monument at the Nagasaki Peace Park.
 In this video I am with Mr Ishihara and a local business man at the unveiling of the monument, in front of the TV cameras.  The background is that of a successful local businessman, who has decided to knock down his office headquarters, which adjoin the Peace Park and build a garden in their place,   designed by Mr Ishihara.  The monument will form part of the garden.  The video ends with a clip of us planting an olive tree, as the olive branch is a symbol for a peace offering.