{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/69380c0d4a9751f83d7c325d/696b5b5c1e4bca00bf3c5860?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Why are we so obsessed with Japan?","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/69380c0d4a9751f83d7c325d/1768643340697-70123ae5-ca3d-4471-9ac6-6f0ea15f6540.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>A professional sumo tournament in London in October 2025 offered more than sporting spectacle. </p><p><br></p><p>It became a lens through which to view Japan’s growing cultural pull in the West, a society where ancient ritual, hierarchy and Shinto belief coexist with hyper-modern life. </p><p><br></p><p>Tanjil Rashid is joined by historian Christopher Harding to explore how Japan balances tradition and modernity, and why that balance is proving increasingly compelling to Western audiences.</p>","author_name":"The New Statesman"}