Your monthly cruciverbal test of your knowledge of far-flung places. Find it to solve online or download and print at ft.com/crossword
The usual preamble:
A cryptic puzzle themed on one particular place in the world. Its name should be inserted at 18 across. Work out the place by solving the *asterisked clues, all undefined. Their solutions have some relevance to the place, such as famous people, landmarks, culture and language.
The thing about these puzzles is that because the themed clues lack a definition and the theme itself is so broad, the wordplay needs to be very precise to give solvers a fair chance at cracking them. And I must say that Sleuth has done a great job here, with even the less familiar theme words possible to deduce from the wordplay. It makes for a very enjoyable and satisfying solving experience.
Thanks, Sleuth!
| ACROSS | ||
| 9 | ORIGAMI |
* Ordinary doctor with a note (7)
|
| O (ordinary) + RIG (doctor, as a verb) + A + MI (note)
The Japanese art of paper folding. |
||
| 10 | AKIHITO |
* International has success in a stunning event (7)
|
| I (international) + HIT (success) in A + KO (stunning event)
Emperor of Japan, 1989 to 2019. |
||
| 11 | OSAKA |
* Sailor given alias (5)
|
| OS (ordinary seaman = sailor) + AKA (also known as = alias)
Third largest city in Japan. |
||
| 12 | HIROSHIMA |
* This person’s behind very large hotel in hard Irish area (9)
|
| I’M (this person’s) behind OS (outsize = very large) + H (hotel) in H (hard) + IR (Irish) + A (area)
City in Japan, famously the target of the first atomic bomb. |
||
| 13 | MURAKAMI |
* Greek character has a minute to probe drink (8)
|
| MU (Greek character) + A + M (minute) inserted in (to probe) RAKI (drink)
Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, author of many excellent books including The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, or could be referring to a number of other famous Japanese people called Murakami. |
||
| 14 | KABUKI |
*A place to sleep, not new, accepted by family shortly (6)
|
| A + BU[n]K (place to sleep) less N (new) inserted in (accepted by) KI[n] (family, shortly)
A classical form of Japanese theatre combining drama and dance. |
||
| 16 | NEAT |
Some urbane attendee is well-presented (4)
|
| Hidden in urbaNE ATtendee | ||
| 18 | JAPAN |
[See Notes] (5)
|
| The place that all asterisked clues refer to. | ||
| 19 | LEAD |
Principal petition lacking in power (4)
|
| [p]LEAD (petition) less P (power) | ||
| 23 | RYOKAN |
* Managed to entertain couple after leaving Spain (6)
|
| RAN (managed) containing (to entertain) YOK[e] (couple, as a verb) less E (Spain)
A traditional Japanese inn. |
||
| 24 | SAKAMOTO |
* English footballer linked to heartless saying (8)
|
| SAKA (English footballer) + MO[t]TO (saying) less the middle letter (heartless)
Ryuichi Sakamoto, 1953-2023, Japanese composer, pianist and record producer, perhaps best known in the West as a member of 1970s electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra. The footballer is Bukayo Saka, who currently plays for Arsenal. |
||
| 26 | NISHIKORI |
* Is price rise curtailed in club from the East? (9)
|
| IS + HIK[e] (price rise, curtailed) in IRON (club) reversed (from the east)
Kei Nishikori, Japanese tennis player, runner-up in the US Open 2014. Not familiar to me, not being a keen follower of tennis, but very gettable from the wordplay. |
||
| 28 | ONSEN |
* Section put in don’s encyclopaedia (5)
|
| Section of dONS ENcyclopedia
Japanese geothermally heated springs with bathing facilities. |
||
| 29 | ONIGIRI |
* Novel in origin lacking in name (7)
|
| Anagram (novel) of IN ORIGIn less one N (name)
A Japanese dish of rice shaped into a ball and served with various fillings. |
||
| 30 | HOKUSAI |
* Satisfactory American in limited musical (7)
|
| OK (satisfactory) + US (American) in HAI[r] (musical) with last letter removed (limited)
Katsushika Hokusai, 1760-1849, Japanese artist most famous for his woodblock print The Great Wave off Kanagawa, part of his series of views from Mount Fuji. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | MOTORMAN |
Driver of an electric train making complaint about uproar, firstly ignored (8)
|
| MOAN (complaint) about [s]TORM (uproar) less the first letter (firstly ignored) | ||
| 2 | MIDAIR |
Welshman occupying elevated border describing a flight in the sky? (6)
|
| DAI (Welshman) occupying RIM (border) reversed (elevated) | ||
| 3 | KARAOKE |
* Knight, a dissolute figure admitting nothing (7)
|
| K (Knight) + A + RAKE (dissolute figure) admitting O (nothing)
Popular Japanese entertainment involving torturing your friends by singing along to a backing track, usually while very drunk. |
||
| 4 | LIGHT MEAL |
All eight excited to receive money for small amount of food (5,4)
|
| Anagram (excited) of ALL EIGHT containing (to receive) M (money) | ||
| 5 | PAIR |
By the sound of it, trim duo (4)
|
| Sounds like “PARE” (trim) | ||
| 6 | FIESTAS |
It’s safe to alter celebrations (7)
|
| Anagram (to alter) of ITS SAFE | ||
| 7 | RIDICULE |
Poke fun at regulation to suppress papers in controversy principally (8)
|
| RULE (regulation) containing (to suppress) ID (papers) + first letters (principally) of In Controversy | ||
| 8 | SOMALI |
African language in this way supported by African country (6)
|
| SO (in this way) + MALI (African country) | ||
| 15 | MAHARISHI |
Elevation for a clumsy Conservative politician and spiritual leader (9)
|
| Reversal of (elevation for) A HAM (clumsy) + RISHI (Conservative politician) | ||
| 17 | ACOUSTIC |
A masterstroke to dispel pressure before endless criticism relating to hearing (8)
|
| A + COU[p] (masterstroke) less P (pressure) + STIC[k] (criticism, endless) | ||
| 20 | DOORNAIL |
Doddery donor has trouble getting thing fixed in entrance (8)
|
| Anagram (doddery) of DONOR + AIL (trouble) | ||
| 21 | MANIKIN |
Skimpy costume with end raised for model figure (7)
|
| MANKINI (skimpy costume) with the final letter moved up a couple of places (end raised) | ||
| 22 | BAZOOKA |
Literary work about a final character with a portable weapon (7)
|
| BOOK (literary work) about A + Z (final character) + A | ||
| 23 | RANDOM |
Duke in crumbling manor lacking a definite plan? (6)
|
| D (duke) in an anagram (crumbling) of MANOR | ||
| 25 | OBSESS |
Constantly worry over Elizabeth hugging Bob (6)
|
| O (over) + BESS (diminutive form of Elizabeth) + S (shilling = bob) | ||
| 27 | OMIT |
Leave out old college in Cambridge? (4)
|
| O (old) + MIT (college in Cambridge, Massachusetts) |
Enjoyable puzzle as the blog says.
Neat & informative blog.
Thanks Sleuth & Widdersbel.
KARAOKE
Humorous explanation 😃
Top faves: RYOKAN, MOTORMAN and MANIKIN.
For me, the challenge with this puzzle was that – for one without detailed knowledge of Japanese culture – there were often plausible alternatives that certainly looked like Japan-related solutions. In SAKA MOTO, for example, I had KANE MOTO for a while until BAZOOKA disabused me. Kanemoto is both a given and a family name in Japan, it appears.
Still, everything eventually went in with the Down clues providing vital crossers – except for two interlinked solutions, the nho RYOKAN (yoke never came to mind) and MANIKIN which I should have got as I had considered both bikini and mankini but I had either forgotten the mannequin alternative or confused it with the Manneken Pis fountain. I think Sleuth did very well to avoid having too many unusual Down solutions, given some of those Across solutions – I guess the benefit of Japan is the number of vowels appearing, often in all the alternate positions in a solution.
Thanks both
Definitely a tricky solve as I also hadn’t heard of some of the answers. Only a couple of checks needed though, and no reveals. Thanks W and S.
I didn’t realise quite how little I knew about Japan until today, but got there in the end. As always a great blog. Thanks
[Had the earworm all day of Ryuichi 24a SAKAMOTO’s music from Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983).
TiLT – There’s a version with lyrics by David Sylvian, ex-frontman of 18a JAPAN (formed 1974, a 50th (Golden) anniversary).
Here it is, with bilingual 3d KARAOKE subtitles: Forbidden Colours.]
LOi 26a NISHIKORI – Thanks S&W
FrankieG – I bet that among those who don’t recognise the name Ryuichi Sakamoto, several would recognise the Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence theme. And possibly Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Behind The Mask as well. Japan’s answer to Kraftwerk!
Japanese and English are so different. I guess that is why there were so many partial deletion clues. Accordingly, I thought the hidden-word clues were clever. I had the same problem as PM@2 but for the opposite reason. I could find more than one answer to several Japan clues, and I know a lot about the country.
Thanks Sleuth and Widdersbel
Bit late now – events of the day took over – but I thoroughly enjoyed this world puzzle as it tapped right into my strengths.
Indeed, I think this was my favourite so far in the world series though there have been some gems.
RYOKAN was my favourite and I liked Frankie’s reminder of David Sylvian.
Thanks to Sleuth for the reliable entertainment and to Widdersbel for unravelling a few I didn’t fully parse.