Hundreds, if not thousands, of books have been written on the Japanese psyche, but I dare say none offer as succinct an insight as a conversation I just had in work today.

I was approached by a Japanese teacher asking for an English proverb that conveyed the opposite meaning of “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.

I drew a blank, as such sentiment is rarely expressed back home.

If you’ve any suggestions, please post in the comments…