Monthly Archives: June 2012

On The Trail Of John Rain (雨) Part III – Tokyo

It’s back due to popular demand from none other than Barry Eisler; the author of the John Rain series of books. Thanks to Twitter, I had a very short but enjoyable conversation with my favourite author earlier this month after … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Cycling | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

‘Beyond The Movies’ – Behind The Scenes + Full Interview

‘Beyond The Movies’ is the title I’ve been using for the last few years on my Facebook film-related albums which feature mostly shooting locations but also include screenshots, memorabillia, exhibitions, toys, events and anything which takes the reader beyond the … Continue reading

Posted in Japan Filming Locations, London Film Locations, Movie Locations, Star Wars Filming Locations | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

TF Film Review: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

I’ve been complaining for years about Japan always being last to see films released but every so often the tables are turned. I’ll be honest and admit that I probably wouldn’t have gone to see this if it hadn’t been … Continue reading

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Dining Out: Whoopi Goldburger!

Going out for a burger isn’t usually worthy of an entry on this site but the place I went to a couple of weeks ago is an interesting little place. Apart from the occasional 100 yen burger from McDonalds I … Continue reading

Posted in Films, Food & Drink, Japan Life, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

日本 vs サモア (Japan vs Samoa)

Wishing for a break from all the football going on at Euro 2012, Mostyn and I decided to  head on down to the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground near Gaienmae station not too far away from Omotesando. The Japan “Cherry Blossoms” were playing … Continue reading

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Review: Films Set In Japan – The Barbarian And The Geisha (1958)

‘You Only Live Twice‘ or ‘Walk Don’t Run‘ may be the more famous of the older films set in Japan but I recently encountered one from nearly a decade before those. Of course I was very much aware of John Wayne … Continue reading

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Tokyo Filming Locations #11 – Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (2006)

Of course this site focuses mainly on the locations of foreign productions but from time time we go off track whether it be soaps, dramas or even books. This time I hunted down a couple of pivotal locations from Japanese … Continue reading

Posted in Japan Filming Locations, Movie Locations | Tagged , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Tokyo Daytripper: The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum

Whilst walking amongst a very local flea market in a nearby park a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be able to pick up a bonsai tree at a heavily discounted price. It has since taken pride of … Continue reading

Posted in Japan Life, Japan Travel, Tokyo Daytripper: | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Review: Films Set In Japan – Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)

I decided to watch this again a few days ago having just taught a student who this week is going to visit the island of Iwo-jima which is actually part of Tokyo albeit a long, long way south (750 km) … Continue reading

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Cycling The ‘Ten Shrines of Tokyo’ In One Day

Only a couple of weeks ago did I say the words “I’m not really a temple or shrine person” after my trip around YaNeSen where I went to Nezu Jinja Shrine. It was whilst doing my research on that place … Continue reading

Posted in Cycling, Japan Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments