The 'old' Imperial where Fleming met Maugham

Fleming, Bond and Connery in Tokyo

To celebrate the anniversary of the publication of You Only Live Twice, we take a closer look at Fleming, Bond and Sean Connery’s experiences in Tokyo. Article by Graham Thomas Fleming came to Tokyo in 1959 and 1962, Bond arrived in 1963 or maybe early 1964, and Connery in 1966. In the early 1960s about…

Richard Hughes in Sydney in 1955 (Photo: Sydney Morning Herald)

Richard Hughes: Ian Fleming’s Man in the Orient

In the original typescript to Ian Fleming’s You Only Live Twice, held at the Lily Library in Indiana, there is a very interesting “Author’s note” prefixing the manuscript. Fleming wrote that on his second visit to Japan, he followed “as closely as prudence would allow, in the footsteps of James Bond.” He was accompanied by the…

Ian Fleming’s Thrilling Cities: Tokyo

Article by Graham M. Thomas Is there a more thrilling city than Tokyo? Today it would certainly come near the top of many people’s bucket list and, from a personal perspective, it comes top of mine. After all I lived there for five years and although home is now in south-western Japan, a visit to…