Monthly Archives: October 2017

A Spook-tacular Halloween (2017)

  It’s probably fair to say that costumes and candy are the two main priorities for the kids that come to our annual Halloween party in Hibarigaoka. The latter comes at the end of the party and my job is … Continue reading

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On The Fox Trail……At The TFGOC!

There’s no such thing as a traditional Halloween costume in Japan as witches, vampires and ghosts make way for the likes of Super Mario, Pokemon and so on. Sure, some cosplayers add a bit of scary fake blood to their … Continue reading

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Contributing To Leicester City Fanzine “The Fox”

Back in the late 1980’s I only had my weekly ‘Match‘ and/or ‘Shoot‘ football magazines for company until I spotted something called ‘When Saturday Comes‘ which I think I initially laughed at as it was only in black and white! … Continue reading

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Interesting Japanese Playground Structures #7 – Snake Park

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 38 Comments

Review: Films Inspired By Japan – Rising Sun (1993)

Sean Connery is of course no stranger to Japanese culture having appeared as James Bond in ‘You Only Live Twice‘ (1967) and here, in this crime film, he portrays a  Japanese specialist working alongside Wesley Snipes to find out who murdered … Continue reading

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This Shrine Is A Big Hit With Baseball Fans!

  There are thousands of shrines and temples in Japan and the vast majority of them don’t really register with me but I’m always eager to visit those which have featured on screen in some way (movies, music videos, animation … Continue reading

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Dining Out: Halloween Treats At A Conveyor Belt Sushi Chain

Friday the 13th is here and I’m sure you all know what happens on this particular date don’t you?! Yep, absolutely f*** all!! Well, that wasn’t quite the case actually as conveyor-belt sushi chain Kurazushi introduced a few Halloween-themed treats … Continue reading

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Star Wars The Last Jedi Art Show Tokyo

The journey towards ‘Star Wars Episode VIII‘ officially began at the start of September with Force Friday II and things are starting to ramp up as we get ever closer to the release of ‘The Last Jedi‘ mid-December.   Last … Continue reading

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Tokyo Daytripper: WWII Damaged Building In A Tokyo Park

Haikyo (abandoned ruins) has long been something that has fascinated me. Such classic examples of haikyo can include derelict hotels, abandoned theme parks, deserted ghost towns and relics of WWII. Often they are very difficult to get to and are … Continue reading

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Three Of A Kind: Dragon Torii Gates In Tokyo

For foreigners in this country there is something very alluring about the torii gates at shrines which are seen to be very symbolic of Japan. Some of the most famous ones for tourists probably include the floating torii of Miyajima in Hiroshima, … Continue reading

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments