Monthly Archives: September 2019

Manic Street Preachers Live In Tokyo 2019

Posted on September 28, 2019 by

Following tours marking two decades since the release of ‘The Holy Bible‘ (1994) and ‘Everything Must Go‘ (1996) it was perhaps inevitable that the the Manic Street Preachers would do the same for ‘This Is my Truth Tell Me Yours‘ (1998). … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Long & Steep Ride To Check Out The Cycle Racing Track Which Will Be Used At Tokyo 2020

Posted on September 26, 2019 by

  Tokyo may be the host city for next Summer’s Olympic Games but there are a few events taking place in other prefectures of Japan such as: Shooting – Asaka (Saitama); Golf – Kasumigaseki Country Club (Saitama); Surfing – Tsurigasaki (Chiba); … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel, Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Highs & Lows Of Watching England’s First Match At The Rugby World Cup In Sapporo

Posted on September 23, 2019 by

  In November 2003 it was only my second day in Japan when England beat Australia to win the Rugby World Cup Final. That night out in Roppongi proved to be a hugely memorable night. 16 years on and I now … Continue reading →

Posted in Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

One Of Japan’s Most Beautiful Beaches Plus A Dilapidated Castle, A Loop Road & Shizuoka Cola

Posted on September 20, 2019 by

  The weather forecast for the August Obon holiday was rather unpredictable to say the least. Pretty much everyday was meant to be rainy or stormy if you believe what the apps tell you! I had to basically just wake … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dining Out: A Restaurant That Only Sells Canned Food!

Posted on September 17, 2019 by

Think of canned food and the likes of spam, tuna, corned beef and sardines comes to mind but the ones on sale at this quirky bar are a far cry from those classics. A few years ago the Rambling Northerner … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Drink, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Taking A Bicycle On A Train In Japan – It It Actually Allowed?

Posted on September 14, 2019 by

When I got a new bike (second-hand from a friend) last October I was aware that it could be folded in half and started to get excited about the possibility of taking it on a train which would open up … Continue reading →

Posted in Cycling, Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

On The Fox Trail……At Sasuke Inari Shrine (Kanagawa)

Posted on September 11, 2019 by

One of the comments in the last ‘On The Fox Trail…’ post alerted me to this wonderful shrine in Kanagawa Prefecture. Despite having been to Kamakura on numerous occasions over the years I was completely oblivious to the fox shrine … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Japan & South Africa Meet For The First Time Since “That” Huge Shock In 2015

Posted on September 8, 2019 by

  It was one of the biggest upsets in sporting history and helped propel rugby into the consciousness of a nation where the game had often just been a footnote on sports bulletins. I am of course talking about Japan’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Sport | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Tokyo Filming Locations #18 – As The Moon, So Beautiful (2017-)

Posted on September 5, 2019 by

Anime is one of those things which has really helped bring Japan and Japanese culture to the attention of many people overseas. I certainly wouldn’t call myself an anime fan as such but that’s not to say I haven’t had my … Continue reading →

Posted in Cycling, Japan Filming Locations | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Interesting Japanese Playground Structures #21

Posted on September 2, 2019 by

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 , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments