“Venice of the Orient.” Trite though it may be to modern ears, this was how Western commentators described the Japanese capital of Edo, later to become Tokyo, when they arrived in newly opened Japan in the 1850s.

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Under Construction

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“This was the first pope,” says Tran Van Hoan, pointing to a dog-eared photograph. “He died in 1933. Or 1934.” “And this,” he says, producing another sepia-coloured snapshot, “was the last pope. He was forced away in 1956.”

On a feverishly hot September day, Tran is fanning himself with a handful of old photos and explaining why the huge, regal chair in what is surely the kitschiest church in all the world remains empty. It is the pope’s chair; and the pope is gone.

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According to legend, Susano no Mikoto, brother of the sun goddess, first brewed sake as part of a cunning plan to rescue a beautiful princess from the eight-headed serpent of Lake Yamagata. Lured by the delicious liquor, the serpent left its lair and drank, whereupon Mikoto slew the intoxicated beast and freed the young maiden. His supernatural brewing techniques were passed on to the Japanese people, who have been producing heavenly sake ever since.

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