Sir Hugh Cortazzi, one of Britain's most prominent post-war Ambassadors to Japan who was in Tokyo to receive Margaret Thatcher on her historic 'handbagging' visit in 1982, was never a so-called 'traditional' diplomat.Having gained entry to the Foreign Service in 1949 his diplomatic life was hardly 'conventional'; it was most certainly, at times, controversial -- from London to Bonn, to Washington (at the time of Watergate) but principally Japan where he undertook three tours of duty, the last as Ambassador, 1980-84. After retiring from the Diplomatic Service, he became a high-profile Chairman of the Japan Society in 1985, a post he held for ten years. This memoir is a real tour de force, providing the reader with an informed, critical perspective on world affairs in general, but with a particular emphasis on Japan.