Ryan Gander: The Idea of Japan

This one off documentary fronted by British conceptual artist Ryan Gander provides a fascinating look into various aspects of Japanese culture. Some of the things he showed were surprising and all of it was informative. The surprises included things like the fact that people with tattoos can't use public baths or beaches because of their association with the Yakuza crime syndicates. Equally surprising were some of the extreme fashions in this land of conformity. Throughout the programme Ryan Gander talks to a variety of people who give us the Japanese perspective to things that may seem quite alien to western viewers. Ryan Gander makes a good presenter; he is clearly knowledgeable about Japan but he is also inquisitive and asks interesting questions of those he talks to. Overall I'd say this was an interesting part of BBC4's 'Japan Season' that anybody interested in Japan, or foreign culture in general, is likely to enjoy.