This Italian-Themed Concert Was Too Good an Opera-tunity to Turn Down!

Posted on May 3, 2026 by tokyofox

When it comes to opera my knowledge doesn’t really go too far beyond ‘Nessun Dorma‘ and a few other notable songs in popular culture which have featured in films or been used in TV montages during major sporting events like the Olympics and the World Cup. However, that changed a little bit recently when my wife and I attended a local opera performance featuring the only soprano singer I know!

Charlie’s Angels!

Up until the end of March, I taught English every week to a wonderful young soprano singer who Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Near-50km Cycle Trip to Watch & Meet the Winners at Tokyo’s Best Value Tennis Tournament

Posted on April 29, 2026 by tokyofox

For many fans, tennis is all about the Grand Slams and seeing the world’s top players in action. Understandably, that is very appealing and something I’d like to do but it is unlikely to happen anytime soon so I have to make do with what Japan offers. Thankfully, there are a few international tournaments in Tokyo each year and they are all very appealing to me as they offer a more intimate and up-close experience featuring some slightly lower-ranked players.

Over the years I’ve cycled past the Ariake Coliseum a few times but this was the first time to specifically ride there for a tournament. It was a mere Continue reading →

Posted in Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Circling Tokyo’s Iconic Yamanote Line on Foot! (Part 2)

Posted on April 25, 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 Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Japan Life, Japan Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Modern Architecture Outside of Tokyo #10 – Osaka, Hyogo & Tottori

Posted on April 21, 2026 by tokyofox

 

For over a decade Tokyo Fox has focused on the modern architecture of Tokyo with a long-running ten-part series featuring over 100 interesting-looking buildings. During that time, I have also taken photos of some unique structures outside of the capital city but had no place to showcase them until now. This is Volume 10 which includes some more weird and wonderful buildings in Osaka, Hyogo and Tottori.

5. Maishima Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2008 Vs. 2025: How Did These 2 Star Wars Celebration Japan Conventions Differ?

Posted on April 17, 2026 by tokyofox

Since 1999 there have been 16 Star Wars Celebration fan conventions. The majority of these events have been in the USA but there have been four in Europe and two in Japan. The first Japanese ones in 2008 was four years before the Disney takeover and also in a limited-digital era of interaction. Times had changed a fair bit by the time it returned to Japan 17 years later. I’m lucky enough to have been at both of them but how did they differ?

Dates: Star Wars Celebration Japan 2008 ran for three days between 19-21 July with the final day being on Marine Day, one of Japan’s national holidays. On the other hand, the 2025 version took place from April 18-20.

Climate: The hot & humid summer played host to the 2008 event whereas last year’s was Continue reading →

Posted in Star Wars | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

TF Flashback: 4 Days of Movie-Location Hunting in Kyoto & the Surrounding Area (2011)

Posted on April 14, 2026 by tokyofox

Visiting the Star Wars locales in Tunisia in 2009 whetted my appetite for doing something similar a bit closer to home. Those Tokyo shooting location posts weren’t particularly good but they did catch a bit of attention and indeed featured in a magazine and newspaper in Japan. Fast forward 18 months and I took a trip 500 kilometres south to the Kansai region (Osaka, Kyoto etc.) to track down the movie locations for a handful of international productions including ‘Lost in Translation‘ (2003), ‘The Last Samurai‘ (2003), ‘Memoirs of a Geisha‘ (2006) and ‘You Only Live Twice‘ (1967) among others.

The overnight bus from Tokyo to Osaka was long and sleepless. Why I didn’t book a ticket to Kyoto or just disembark there I really don’t know! As it was, I took Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Waxing Lyrical About This World-Renowned Celebrity Spotting Place

Posted on April 10, 2026 by tokyofox

Glitz and glamour in London with a vast number of celebrities from the world of TV, film, sport, politics, royalty and music is the dream for many people. That all became reality for me a few months ago but not all is as it seems as this was not a Variety Show Performance or whatever but just an afternoon at one of London’s premier tourist attractions. I’m sure you knew that already though but hey I have to come up with some kind of opening!

Back in 2014 my parents-in-law accompanied my wife and I on our summer trip back to the UK and the one thing they wanted to do was visit Continue reading →

Posted in Films, Sport, TV Shows | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

TF Top 10……Reverse Culture Shock Experiences I Had Back in the UK

Posted on April 7, 2026 by tokyofox

After being nowhere else but Japan for the last six years it was perhaps inevitable that I’d experience some reverse culture shock when I went back to the UK for the festive season a few months ago. Many of these have been mentioned on the pages of Tokyo Fox before but that was many, many years ago when I was still finding my feet in Japan and blogging about such differences.

1. Opening hours – Japan’s lust for convenience means Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Food & Drink | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Nostalgic Walking Tour of Britain’s Most Underrated City!

Posted on April 4, 2026 by tokyofox

Back in August last year I was all set to meet up with a fellow Leicester City fan to watch RB Omiya Ardija but a couple of days before the match I got a message saying he’d taken an impromptu trip back to England. Viewing all his Insta stories from Leicester was actually what gave me the idea of returning home last Christmas having never given it a moment’s thought before that. His updates really did take me on a journey back in time and I wanted to replicate such nostalgia when I was back in the UK.

The short trip into Leicester (15 minutes by train) usually only happens once or twice for me whilst back home but I went there five times on this occasion, all in the name of live sport. A few of them were combined with looking around the city though which I have a great love and affection for. Eagle eyed readers may recall that I Continue reading →

Posted in Euro Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This Is the Way to Put on a Free Star Wars Mandalorian & Grogu Exhibition!

Posted on March 31, 2026 by tokyofox

After an absence of six and a half years, Star Wars will finally return to the big screen in May with the Mandalorian and Grogu movie. Consequently, the promotion campaign for it is starting to ramp up a bit as the countdown to its release gets closer and closer.

Star Wars pop up stores are common in Tokyo all year round these days, but a few have recently opened to help promote the new film, and NTV Tower have put on a Continue reading →

Posted in Star Wars | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment