Review: Films Set In Japan – Rental Family (2025)

It’s overly common for international media to focus on the quirkier side of things when it comes to shining a spotlight on Japan. Renting the likes of boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, pets, families and so on is one such example that’s been covered a fair amount over recent years by American chat show hosts and YouTubers, and it has even been the subject of a few other movies too. This one, directed by Hikari, is a Japanese and American co-production that focuses on helping people connect to what’s missing in their lives.

Brendan Fraser’s Philip Vanderploeg is a struggling American actor in Tokyo whose most famous work is a popular toothpaste commercial from seven years ago. In search of a solid acting job, he is one day given Continue reading

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My 1st Leicester Tigers Rugby Match For 23 Years!

Whilst I’ve been a rugby fan since the mid-80s it has predominantly been for the international game with only a smattering of club matches thrown in from time to time. Despite this I have always claimed that I am a Leicester Tigers fan but my support for them is very different to that of the city’s football team.

Following the Tigers for me has pretty much been one of just checking their results, seeing highlights on the news (back in the day) or YouTube (in more modern times) with the occasional live game here and there, particularly cup finals. Back around 2010 though I did Continue reading

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TF Flashback: The Cosy & Intimate Special Event With 2 Sith Which Launched Tokyo ComicCon A Decade Ago

Tokyo ComicCon recently celebrated its 10th anniversary having begun in 2016 at Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba Prefecture. However, that was technically not the first one as there was a launchpad event 12 months prior to that just ahead of the release of ‘The Force Awakens‘ (2015).

The San Diego Comic-Con began in 1970 and inspired many other similar conventions and 45 years later Tokyo decided to get in on the act with this launchpad event which was organized by Continue reading

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3 Home Matches In 11 Days On My Big Return To Leicester Deliver Mixed Results!

As soon as the idea of returning to the UK for the festive season became apparent, I was looking closely at the fixture list to see which games Leicester City had and how many I’d realistically be able to attend assuming I could get tickets. Thankfully, with the club now in the second tier of English football it made it much easier than during my previous visits to Britain where I was only able to attend home ties in the FA Cup 3rd Round where demand for tickets was less than usual. This time I was quite surprised to be in town for three home matches but would that initial delight actually turn out to be as satisfying as I’d hoped it would?

#1. Leicester City vs. Watford, Friday 26th December 2025 (KO 15:00)

Not long after acquiring a ticket for this one I realised that there was absolutely no Continue reading

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Back To The UK For The 1st Time In 6 Years For Some Family Festive Fun!

Having not been out of Japan at all for six years it was finally time to head back to my homeland for a couple of weeks over the festive season. It was a tough decision to make in many ways as it did mean I would be apart from my wife and dog for longer than ever before. Time doesn’t offer refunds though, so it was the right time to go and spend some time with my parents.

The 23rd December was one hell of an epic and quite brutal day as I left the Tokyo Fox Global Operations Centre in Tokyo just after 4:30 am and arrived at my parent’s house Continue reading

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How Many Different Sports Did I Manage To Go & Watch Live In 2025?

 

On the back of watching a whopping 21 different sports in 2023, last year’s total was a more modest 12 and I was fairly happy with that. I don’t have any real interest in bettering that 2023 total and would have been content with reaching double digits. Yet again my main focus was on my three favourite sports (football, rugby and tennis) as well as any sports event taking place at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Fridays when I’m off work. Ranking them all in order of preference is an impossible task so I have instead opted to just list them in alphabetical order.

1. Continue reading

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TF Top 10……Tokyo Fox Hits of 2025

 

So 2026 has only just begun and already Tokyo Fox is looking back!! There used to be exactly ten new posts on here each and every month for over a decade but in the last couple of years it’s been reduced a bit for a variety of reasons. As there were 24 posts less than usual it has been decided to just show the ten from 2025 which got the most hits … excluding compilation posts! Of course, those entries from earlier in the year had more time to accumulate hits so don’t read too much into it all as it’s basically just another filler post to kick start the new year! Let’s start this top 10 compilation post at number 11!!

11. Celebrate the chaos & clutter at Continue reading

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2025 In Pictures – Tokyo Fox’s Favourite Moments From Each Month

It sure has been a busy 2025 with multiple activities and events each and every month. The majority of them have been sports matches but there were various other things like travel, concerts, events and more personal family stuff, the like of which did not feature on Tokyo Fox until now. Why I’ve never done this before I really don’t know! Well, probably because it’s actually Continue reading

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Countdown to Christmas 2025 in Tokyo

Anyone who knows me or has ever read any of the previous ‘Countdown to Christmas in Tokyo’ blogs probably thinks I go all in on Christmas almost as soon as Halloween is out of the way but that’s not quite true. Sure, I do like to put the tree up in early November but this year it took a bit longer than expected before it was finally ready on Continue reading

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TF Top 25……Photos For 2025 (End Of Year Filler Post!)

 

This lame and lazy half-assed compilation post idea was ushered in at the end of 2018 with an eye on permanently replacing the ‘TF Top 10……Filming Location Trips For (year)’ series which has run out of steam although the occasional locale-related article appears on here. It should be noted that the focus is on the more artistic photos so there are no pictures of family, sports action or selfies. Just to be clear, some of these pictures were indeed taken in 2024 but did not appear on the Tokyo Fox site until this year. They say a picture paints a thousand words so rather than write a load of words about these photos, I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

1. Tanushimaru Continue reading

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