Monthly Archives: July 2020

Interesting Japanese Playground Structures #27 – Traffic 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 , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

What Watching Football In Japan Is Like Now

Between late February and 4th July 2020 there was no football in Japan. The authorities were actually very quick to shut down the leagues after the Covid_19 outbreak but maybe a bit slow to get things restarted as other leagues … Continue reading

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TF Top 10……Alternative Sights In Saitama Prefecture

‘Tokyo Daytripper: Top 10 Saitama Sights‘ in 2013 included some of the more impressive sights (Kawagoe, Chichibu etc) of the often maligned prefecture plus a few less-famous inclusions so this is kind of an expansion of those alternative places which could be … Continue reading

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Review: Films Set In Japan – Joe Butterfly (1957)

War settings for comedies have been aplenty over the years, especially for British TV audiences, with the likes of ‘Dad’s Army‘ (1968-1977), ‘It Ain’t Half Hot Mum‘ (1974-1981), ‘Allo Allo‘ (1982–1992), ‘Blackadder Goes Forth‘ (1989) and ‘Goodnight Sweetheart‘ (1993-1999) all taking place … Continue reading

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Foxed In The Head: Cycling To All Inari Shrines In Tokyo’s 23 Wards – #2 Toshima

#2. Toshima Cycling may be something that I love to do but I’m not really one who goes for a ride without some kind of aim whether it be to a restaurant, a sight or just my workplace. With that … Continue reading

Posted in Cycling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

TF Flashback: River Rafting In Saitama (2005)

“Do you want to go rafting?” is a question form used in one of the books I regularly teach higher elementary kids from with the word rafting being interchangeable with other exciting activities like snorkelling, climbing, surfing, rollerblading and so … Continue reading

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The Sea Cave In Shizuoka That Sprays Seawater Several Metres Into The Air

After countless trips to Ito on the Izu Peninsula there really aren’t that many local places which I haven’t been to but this time my father-in-law, on a whim, took us to a new location. The original plan at first though … Continue reading

Posted in Family, Japan Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Puppy Love Pt II: When Maron (Finally) Met Cocoa

When our beloved family dog “Momiji” (a chihuahua-poodle mix known in Japanese as a chipoo) went to heaven last year it left a huge void in our lives. Time does move on though and seven months later my wife and … Continue reading

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The Little Known German Park In Tokyo (+ Memories Of My Time Living & Working In Hamburg)

Parks became a very common place for me to visit during the lockdown period (known as State of Emergency in Japan and technically not even a lockdown!) as I sought a bit of greenery when getting some fresh air on … Continue reading

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My “Pele Played In Japan” Article Was In Japan’s #1 English Language Football Magazine!

This article was originally written in early 2019 for J-Soccer Magazine but due to a lack of issues last year it didn’t appear in Japan’s number one English language football publication until a few months ago. Since it’s release, a … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Japan Life, Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments