#ZDay: A Multitude of Tiring Z-Based Activities was Anything but Zzz!!

Posted on October 12, 2026 by tokyofox

After finishing #LionDay, I soon began to think about the next tenuously themed day building up to a sports event. It was admittedly a bit of a struggle but after looking through the names and nicknames of many, many Japanese football, rugby, baseball, volleyball, basketball, table tennis and American football teams I finally hit on the idea of #ZDay.

It was good to approach the theme day from yet another angle too rather than going down the previous colour/country/animal (that will happen one day though, I’m sure!) route. You could call this a spin-off of the Continue reading →

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TF Flashback: Road Trippin’ in California, Nevada, Texas & New Mexico with my #1 American Friend!

Posted on October 8, 2026 by tokyofox

Two trips of a lifetime in just over a month surely can’t be real but that is exactly what I did when I booked both of my trips to Jordan and the USA at the same time 15 years ago. Whilst the former was my first trip to the Middle East, the latter was my return to a place I first went to nine years earlier. On that occasion I was on my own at the end of a 15-month backpacking trip around the world that concluded in California but this time I was in the USA with my number one American friend Ethan for a road trip through four states.

Day 1: After a night flight from Tokyo, I was met at LAX by Ethan for our first adventure together in a few years. After renting a car we had a quick stop at the famed Continue reading →

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I’ve Been to 10 Baseball Games This Year Despite Not Really Liking the Sport!

Posted on October 4, 2026 by tokyofox

Whilst football teams usually only play once or twice a week, it’s very different in baseball where the sides are in action for five or six days meaning that for the real hardcore supporters ten games can be racked up in about a fortnight. I am not really a baseball fan though so a few games each year is usually more than enough for me.

When I went to my first game of 2026 in early March I did not think for a moment that I’d ever go to ten games. However, that is what happened and I even managed to Continue reading →

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The Easiest Way for Tokyo Residents to Truly Experience the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games!

Posted on October 1, 2026 by tokyofox

Even when you live far away from the host city it’s sometimes possible to experience some live action and that was the case with the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.

Having been lucky enough to witness track cycling in Izu (Shizuoka Prefecture) at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics I was heavily considering returning there to see the same event taking place off-site. Back then, buses were provided from Ito station to the remote Velodrome in the middle of the mountains. That wasn’t the case this time though meaning that it would involve too much effort in getting there from my family’s holiday home in Ito city.

It was only after giving up on the Velodrome cycling that I realised Continue reading →

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London Filming Locations: No Time to Die (2021)

Posted on September 28, 2026 by tokyofox

It’s been five years since ‘No Time to Die‘ (2021) was finally released having been delayed a few times due to the global coronavirus pandemic. In the old days each and every James Bond movie was pretty much a standalone story but for Daniel Craig’s time as the double agent there has been some kind of continuity throughout. This fifth and final outing certainly puts a full stop on that story!

This 25th Eon-produced 007 movie has been fairly divisive among the Bond community but I actually liked it a lot and would certainly put it Continue reading →

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Authentic Screen-Used Star Wars Movie Auction Props on Display in Tokyo

Posted on September 24, 2026 by tokyofox

Springtime and early summer was a busy period in Japan for Star Wars with a string of events taking place for May the 4th and building hype for the release of ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu‘ movie. Just as I thought things had gone a little quiet a few pop-up stores appeared in Shinagawa and Shibuya along with an exhibit displaying some very rare and expensive screen-used movie props.

As nice and wonderful as it is to see all things relating to the sci-fi saga, not much gets better than seeing authentic Continue reading →

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#LionDay: It’s Time to Paws & Reflect on This Roaring Success of a Day

Posted on September 19, 2026 by tokyofox

The part of #DeutschDay to get the most attention by some distance was the solitary on-location place I visited which wasn’t live sport. A hidden German section of a park in Tokyo attracted a considerable amount (by my standards!) of feedback and got me thinking that these special themed days were a good chance to bring attention to a few lesser-known spots in the capital whilst still including some heavily ironic things.

#LionDay began on location at a shrine just a little north of Tokyo Skytree in Sumida ward. Lion statues as deities are common in temples or shrines but certainly not one like this! Continue reading →

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These Unique Coloured Torii Gates Are a Sweet Sight!

Posted on September 15, 2026 by tokyofox

The sight of many red-orange torii gates at shrines is one of the most iconic Japanese images for many foreigners. Other styles maybe wooden or white and there is a golden torii gate shrine in Kyoto which has featured on Tokyo Fox a few times. I thought that was a one-off but it seems there is another shrine including multiple golden gates.

Travel around Japan has become rarer but wanting to get out of Tokyo for a bit and actually do something with my holiday back in Continue reading →

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TF Flashback: Travelling Across Japan’s Most Famous Tourist Trail with my Parents

Posted on September 10, 2026 by tokyofox

Of the many trips I’ve undertaken around Japan one of the most memorable has to be the time when my parents visited the country for their second time. During their first trip I was living in a tiny shoebox, so a hotel was needed but about a decade later I was married and had just bought a house, so they came to stay at our place whilst embarking on a 10-day trip of Japan’s most worn-out tourist trail.

Day 1: Having arrived the day before (May 29), the first full day began with a longer than expected walk around the Continue reading →

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Interesting Japanese Playground Structures #49 – Banana Park

Posted on September 7, 2026 by tokyofox

Many of the parks and children’s playgrounds in Japan, particularly in Tokyo, are quite poor compared to other countries in terms of space, surroundings and a lack of grass. However, a handful of them do tend to possess extremely creative structures and they will be explored in this series.

Nickname: Banana Park

Location: Banana Park, 5-3-7 Continue reading →

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