Alan Brown was born in Pennsylvania in 1950. In 1987 he was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to go to Japan, where he lived until 1995, writing on culture for the Los Angeles Times and contributing travel articles for Travel and Leisure magazine. He also published a bi-lingual comic and was dialogue coach to the Japanese star in the Michael Douglas film Black Rain. Since 1990 he has been a cultural correspondent and programme host for BBC Radio 3.
