Yukio Hattori, 'one of Japan's busiest men,' takes time to chew over the issue of food and other meaty social matters with staff writer Masami Ito.

He's on television all the time -- usually being paid to eat delicious-looking food created by Japan's top chefs. In his high-collared jacket it's difficult to guess his profession. Is he a chef? A food critic? Or a TV personality?

The answer: none of the above. He is Yukio Hattori, a graduate of Showa University Medical School, president of the Ecole de Cuisine et Nutrition Hattori -- and probably one of the busiest men in Japan.