In an archipelago famed for horrendous earthquakes and brutal typhoons, one finds themselves often in need of a drink during the brutal summers, famed for their heat and humidity. As the Australian spy Dikko Henderson in Ian Fleming's James Bond thriller "You Only Live Twice" opined - the earthquakes aren't too bad, they just make you feel drunk, but when a typhoon hits, go into the nearest bar, and drink until it's all over” - a sentiment with which most everyone in Dear Olde Nippon is in accord.

Whereabouts are you living at the moment?

At present my home is a hamlet about two and a half hours north of Tokyo, in a low-tech, blue-collar town called Utsunomiya. Framed by mountains, car plants, and a tangled web of highways, train lines, plastic neon-lit family restaurants, and gaming parlours it's not the kind of place which rates a mention in the Lonely Planet or Rough Guides of Japan, but does get a mention as the birthplace of an obscure darts player in Martin Amis' early nineties noir drama London Fields.

And your local?

My local is a 'gaijin' bar. 'Gaijin' meaning foreigner. You don't have to be a foreigner to drink there though, in fact most evenings, you may be hard pressed to find a single soul who does not hail from the Land Of The Rising Sun. The Bar itself is called "The Lion's Head", and should you find occasion to make use of its facilities, you will find a happy place, where - over time, just like Cheers- everybody will know your name.

What’s your usual order?

This is a great place to drink a beer (600 yen or 7 bucks), or perhaps a Guinness (900 yen or 10 bucks). Personally, I dodge the tap beers here, I recommend Guinness. The nectar of the gods is a much better bet than the very sour Japanese beers which I find go flat very quickly, and if you drink ten of them, will make you feel that a great deal of the sky has come crashing down right on top of your head. This feeling, I cannot in all conscience recommend.

What makes it your ‘gaijin’ bar of choice?

This is an oasis from work, responsibility, the stress of not being able to find your way around a baffling country, and countless other obligations which the international-globe-trotting-time-waster finds deeply unappealing.

Under new management this dive on the main street of a forgettable city in an unforgettable country, has the ability to provide the kinds of diversions that a traveler, or perhaps a wanderer could need. You meet 'em all. The rum coves, the western wannabes who just want to practice their English, the J babes, the crazies who wander in on a promise because they need a job and find themselves marooned far from home, the desperates who need a fix of their soccer team on big screen tv, and last of all you may even meet the occasional lost Japanese person looking for directions.

What's a Jbabe?

Basically, J  is used to prefix everything Japanese in Japan - for example the Japanese Soccer League is called J league, Japanese pop is called J-pop; Vodaphone is J phone. Jbabe is an expression given to modern Japanese women who are under 26, smart and cool - they are different from the yamamba, yanmamas, ganguro and gonguro girls though. J babes aren't a youth movement, but more 'girly girls'. Kinda like Essex girls in England.

For example, a typical J babe may manage her own retail outlet, or even become a "Race Queen" or a "TV Talent". At the other end of the spectrum, they may be an OL (office lady) or a university student. And they are probably the most likely person on any street to speak English too, hence going to a 'gaijin bar' to practice their 'English conversation.' They're favourite TV shows are shows like "Ai Nori" - a reality show where young singles go to some exotic locations to pair up, and "Sex and the City". They are probably as socially mobile as anybody in Japan is likely to be. Fave J pop idols would be Ayu Hamasaki, and, funnily enough, a singer called 'Hickey' (Hikaru Utada).