Letter: Japanese aphrodisiac

Sir: I was intrigued to read your recent spate of correspondence on the ginkgo tree, but I was alarmed by the reported stripping of a tree by Japanese tourists on the basis of the supposed properties of the leaves (Letters, 6 December).

The Japanese must be having far too much fun and excitement for such a 'workaholic' race. In the bars of 'deep kabuki-cho' (the Soho of Tokyo), ginkgo nuts are a staple snack to supplement saki, whisky and beer. And while the trees are so ubiquitous on Tokyo's streets, the leaf forms the symbol of the University of Tokyo. Maybe the solution to the Japanese miracle is more ginkgo than Miti.

Yours truly,

GLYN FORD

MEP for Greater Manchester East (Lab)

Mossley, Lancashire