During a recent trip to Japan – which resulted in our newly launched Made In Japan edit – we were reminded that the sensibility that defines Japanese style also runs deep through its food. It is not loud or overly complicated, and it doesn’t need to be. From the quiet precision of a sushi counter to the warmth of an izakaya, Japan’s restaurateurs have long understood something that the rest of the world is still catching up on – that great cooking is, above all, an act of respect. Here, we asked some of the London-based finest to share what they know, and how you can bring some of those elements into your own kitchen.

Tokyo is a city of extremes. It is among the largest metropolises in the world, a forest of glassy skyscrapers, inner-city temples and hidden ramen shops, not to mention some of the best menswear on the planet. A short walk around Shibuya will leave even the most style-conscious man from elsewhere feeling entirely underdressed. It’s no surprise then that MR PORTER stocks so many Japanese brands. (Wait until you see our new Made In Japan edit.)

Michael Gandolfini wants to, in his own words, “take big swings”. With a growing list of credits, including a turn in Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again, where he plays an ambitious young political aide, and the lead in The Many Saints Of Newark, where he adroitly portrayed a young Tony Soprano, a character made iconic by his father James Gandolfini, the young New Yorker is enjoying the ride. During a stopover in London, we jumped on a call with Gandolfini to find out what he’s been up to lately.

The modern workday is noisy, reactive and fragmented. But career success rarely comes from dramatic reinventions. More often it’s the accumulation of small habits – how you start the morning, structure your meetings or close the laptop at night – that shapes both performance and wellbeing. The good news: subtle adjustments can have outsized effects. Practice one small act of defiance a day “Most of us default to agreement without realising it,” says Dr Sunita Sah, Cornell professor and national bestselling author of Defy: How To Speak Up When It Matters. “We say, ‘sounds good’, when it doesn’t; ‘I don’t mind’, when we do.”

During a recent trip to Japan – which resulted in our newly launched Made In Japan edit – we were reminded that the sensibility that defines Japanese style also runs deep through its food. It is not loud or overly complicated, and it doesn’t need to be. From the quiet precision of a sushi counter to the warmth of an izakaya, Japan’s restaurateurs have long understood something that the rest of the world is still catching up on – that great cooking is, above all, an act of respect. Here, we asked some of the London-based finest to share what they know, and how you can bring some of those elements into your own kitchen.

Tokyo is a city of extremes. It is among the largest metropolises in the world, a forest of glassy skyscrapers, inner-city temples and hidden ramen shops, not to mention some of the best menswear on the planet. A short walk around Shibuya will leave even the most style-conscious man from elsewhere feeling entirely underdressed. It’s no surprise then that MR PORTER stocks so many Japanese brands. (Wait until you see our new Made In Japan edit.)