AUDREY AND I had our first sight of Japan from a ship moored offshore from the Port of Yokkaichi early in the morning on a day not far into 1962. We were young, adventurous, new parents, with our adult lives ahead of us, journeying to a strange country that became our home for fifteen months, and which we got to know over many subsequent visits and occasional longer periods of residence.

For me, Japan became a place where I could study politics without having to fit in with preconceptions based on what most textbooks regarded as a normal state of affairs, but which was a reality specific to Europe and North America. Japanese politics appeared to work along familiar lines, but under close analysis turned out to follow pragmatic rules reflecting cultural assumptions contrasting with those of Europe or North America. For Audrey Japan inspired and educated her in her developing talent for pottery. In our tours of Japanese pottery regions, we encountered an amazing variety of local traditions (some in south-western areas derived from Korea), where potters belong to ‘dynasties’ that could be traced back for many generations. At the same time, tradition was not incompatible with modernity, and we met younger potters who were quick to experiment with new techniques. Audrey studied with various potters in the metropolitan region (including the woman who started on the whisky at 11.00 in the morning), and absorbed much of what, perhaps pretentiously, might be called ‘the Japanese aesthetic’.

I think it was significant that we came to Japan, not directly from our native England, but from Australia where we were relatively new residents. Australian culture is obviously closely derived from that of the United Kingdom, but it was not long into our life in Australia that we realised that Australia was different from what we had been used to while growing up in the UK. I can only put in fanciful terms, but there was for us something in the air of Australia that was liberating and relatively uncluttered with preconceptions. When we travelled within Australia, not just by plane to other cities, but to outback locations such as the mining town of Broken Hill and the awe-inspiring emptiness of Wilpena Pound in South Australia, we breathed that air of liberation.