Monthly Archives: August 2025

Tokyo’s Iconic Rugby Venue Hosts An American Football Match For The 1st Time Ever!

Team personnel and fans of football and rugby can get pretty upset when their home pitch is used for different sports and thus “ruined” by different markings and types of game play. Whilst many multiple-sports venues exist in Japan, there … Continue reading

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A Day In Yamaguchi Prefecture: The Fox-Blessed Hot Spring Town, A Feast of Football & A Few Notable Stations!

As far as day trips go, this one had all the trademarks of a typical Tokyo Fox one as it included train stations, foxes and football which have all played a fairly significant part over the years in terms of … Continue reading

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Original-Style Vending Machines, Cleaning Out The Gutters, Tennis Coaching, Toilet Problems & Some Breathtaking Moments!

At the end of June my wife and I went to our family holiday home in Izu (Shizuoka Prefecture) for the first time in six months. Not surprisingly the garden in particular was a bit of a mess but we … Continue reading

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TF Flashback: Euro Trip Vol. 3 – The Fairytale Island, One of My Longest Ever Journeys, A Star Wars Locale & Explosive War Remnants In Former Yugoslavia!(2010)

For a Brit living in Japan, it’s a bit strange to go to Europe for a holiday without visiting the UK to see family and friends but that is exactly what happened 15 years ago. The plan was to fly … Continue reading

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Golden Statue Hunting In A Low Mountain Valley Not So Far From Tokyo!

“I love gooooooold” said one of Mike Myers’ many characters in ‘Austin Powers In Goldmember‘ (2002), and when it comes to statues I can only agree with the gold-obsessed Dutch super-villain. In search of seeing some fine examples of this … Continue reading

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How Much Has The Red Bull Takeover Energised Omiya Ardija?

In recent years there has been a rise in conglomerate football clubs with the City Football Group (CFG) owning the likes of Manchester City, New York City FC, Melbourne City, Yokohama F. Marinos and about 10 other teams. Elsewhere, Red … Continue reading

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Treehouse of Horror: Is This One of the World’s Most Dangerous Buildings?

When it comes to tiny houses, Japan is surely the master of somehow making the smallest of spaces work in becoming a habitat for humans. Whether it be the former Nakagin Capsule Tower, business hotels, the rising popularity of tiny … Continue reading

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Interesting Japanese Playground Structures #47 – Calligraphy & Large Disk 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

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