A Daytrip (From Hiroshima!) To The Northern Tip of Japan’s Most Southern Main Island

Posted on September 1, 2026 by tokyofox

Having flown to Kyushu for a three-day trip in June 2024 I didn’t anticipate returning so soon but with a day to myself (whilst in Hiroshima with family) I decided to treat myself to a day trip to Fukuoka Prefecture. It was built up around a football match at one of my bucket list stadiums and over time more and more things got added to my itinerary meaning that it was a very early start as I left Hiroshima station on the Shinkansen (bullet train) at 6:00 am.

About an hour later I was in Kitakyushu, the northern tip of Japan’s Continue reading →

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The Joy of Collecting Ink Stamps on Tokyo’s Iconic Yamanote Line

Posted on August 28, 2026 by tokyofox

Collecting ink stamps has long been popular with both kids and adults alike in Japan but I always thought they were mainly just for promoting upcoming events on a temporary basis. Whilst that is very true, I never realised there were permanent stamping posts at many stations around Japan and they can make a nice, unique, personal souvenir of anyone’s time at that location.

Having done a few Star Wars stamp rallies in Tokyo and Yokohama over the last decade or so I am certainly no stranger to such events in Japan. However, I didn’t realise there were so many Continue reading →

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Dining Out: Unique Southeast Asian Fusion Ramen

Posted on August 24, 2026 by tokyofox

When it comes to ramen, there are many tastes and regional variations whether it be shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), tonkotsu (pork bone broth) in Kyushu or miso ramen which is served up in Hokkaido. On top of that come the crazy novelty ones which include things like cheese, coffee, ice-cream, tequila, kiwi, ham, lemon, pineapple, sake and so on. The kind of things that the true ramen masters would most definitely turn their nose up at!

Nothing really surprises me when it comes to ramen these days so when I saw a pink ramen dish on YouTube last year I wasn’t exactly shocked. I was interested though but sadly I hadn’t seen that video when it was released so the restaurant had already closed when I began to investigate. However, it did alert me to the rest of their unique south-east Asian fusion menu, and they still had Continue reading →

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#DeutschDay Delivers Delectable Drinks, Delicacies, Downpours, Dortmund & Distinguished Delights!

Posted on August 19, 2026 by tokyofox

One of the most favourable reviews for my self-created #OrangeDay in June was that it “broke all conventions and brought a new paradigm to sports watching.” High praise indeed and there was never a plan for a follow-up, but it was actually quite enjoyable and did heighten the occasion so my mind did start to create some other ideas that could tie in with a sporting spectacle of sorts.

It was a tough act to follow but I was keen to do another themed day whilst continuously posting updates on social media throughout the day. It’s what many people call “content” nowadays! The much anticipated and eagerly awaited follow up avoided doing just another colour-themed day (that might happen one day though!) and instead used the arrival in Japan of Continue reading →

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Enjoying Slow Family Time in Japan’s Most Overcrowded City

Posted on August 15, 2026 by tokyofox

A lot has been said in the last few years about overtourism in Japan as millions of people from overseas have taken advantage of the weak yen to visit the likes of Tokyo, Osaka and of course Kyoto. The latter in particular has felt the impact of the crowds but we managed to avoid that for the most part of our short time there.

After four nights in Hiroshima, we then dropped into Kyoto to spend a couple of days with my Continue reading →

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TF Flashback: 30th Anniversary of Seeing Oasis at Knebworth

Posted on August 10, 2026 by tokyofox

Sadly, I didn’t get to see Oasis on their reunion tour last year so am left to just reflect on the half dozen concerts of theirs I did see back in the day with the most monumental one being 30 years ago when they played in front of 250,000 people at Knebworth across two nights.

Hot on the heels of Euro ’96 it really was a memorable summer and the music scene at that time was at an all-time high in my opinion. Knebworth was mainly about Oasis of course but it shouldn’t be forgotten how Continue reading →

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Lightning Disrupts World Championship Semi Finals Action in Tokyo

Posted on August 7, 2026 by tokyofox

The sight of a couple of matches in the recent FIFA World Cup being heavily disrupted by thunderstorms was something of a new experience for many sports fans outside certain parts of the United States. Lightning strikes quickly though and within two weeks of that tournament ending it happened in Japan too.

The sports venue in question was Continue reading →

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Bundesliga Giants Borussia Dortmund Light Up Tokyo Amidst Horrendous Conditions

Posted on August 3, 2026 by tokyofox

The relatively short time between the end of the FIFA World Cup and the start of the domestic league season this summer does seem to have meant fewer European clubs coming to Japan for money-spinning ties against local opposition. To my knowledge, the only teams to have made a journey to Japan have been a couple of German giants.

What usually happens with these matches is that when they’re first announced I Continue reading →

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Japan & Great Britain Face Off in a Hotly Contested Sporting Spectacle in Tokyo

Posted on August 1, 2026 by tokyofox

As a Brit living in Japan, I really have mixed emotions when either Great Britain or England play against Japan in any sporting competition. It is admittedly not the biggest rivalry but for any sports fans in my situation it is one that matters but such meetings really have been infrequent during all the time I’ve lived in Tokyo.

In tennis, Great Britain defeated Japan 2-1 in the United Cup in January and 2-0 in the Billie Jean King Cup last year having lost 3-2 in the Davis Cup before that. England lost a Continue reading →

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Circling Tokyo’s Iconic Yamanote Line on Foot! (Part 5)

Posted on July 27, 2026 by tokyofox

Needing some original Sunday morning dog walking ideas, my wife and I decided to walk round the famous green train line which passes through most of Tokyo’s urban centres in a loop. I should point out that our little six-year-old chihuahua would do a mix of walking and being carried either in my arms or in his backpack.

The 35-kilometre route for the whole Yamanote line was broken down into Continue reading →

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