Author Archives: tokyofox

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About tokyofox

A Leicester City fan teaching English in Japan

Foxed In The Head: Cycling To All Inari Shrines In Tokyo’s 23 Wards – #18 Ota

#18. Ota 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

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Interesting Japanese Playground Structures #36 – Octopus Square

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 , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Tokyo Daytripper: A Unique Frog Shrine & A Park Featuring A Few Pre-Historic Dwellings

The thousands and thousands of shrines in Japan often have the likes of foxes, lions, lion-dogs but there are a few exceptions like wolves, elephants or horses. Never did I know there was a frog shrine though, and it was … Continue reading

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan, Tokyo Daytripper: | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Unstaffed Stations of Japan #6 – Miyamae

Think of train stations in Japan and the mighty Shinjuku station is sure to come to mind for many people. That is the world’s busiest train station, and Japan monopolises the top 50 list with only five of them not in … Continue reading

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Dining Out: The Ramen Considered To Be The Best In Japan

At the start of this year I went the short distance from the Tokyo Fox Global Operations Centre to Nakiryu in Toshima-ku which is one of the world’s cheapest Michelin starred restaurants. That was great but the noodles often rated … Continue reading

Posted in Food & Drink, Japan Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Japanese Castle Which Can Rival Himeji-jo For Appearing In Movies

When it comes to Japanese castles featuring in movies, Himeji-jo in Hyōgo Prefecture is the most obvious one which comes to mind. It appeared quite extensively in the fifth James Bond movie ‘You Only Live Twice‘ (1967) as well as two … Continue reading

Posted in Japan Filming Locations, Japan Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Don’t Just Pass Through This City In Gifu But Stop Off & See Some Interesting Local Sights

Ogaki is one of those stations I’ve passed through a fair few times when travelling by train between Nagoya and Osaka. Admittedly, I had never had any real desire to stop there but it was realistically as far as I … Continue reading

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Going Back & Forth To Visit All The Stations Of Kawasaki`s Industrial Line

With it being located between Tokyo and Yokohama, Kawasaki can often be overlooked or bypassed by people going between Japan’s biggest two cities but it’s not without its own charms. Smelly and noisy industrial works really don’t sound like a … Continue reading

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Exploring An Abandoned House In Izu Plus Chainsaw Action, Hot Spring Baths, Lakes, Parks & Dogs

For some people, abandoned buildings (known as haikyo in Japanese) are just dirty and messy structures in poor condition with no redeeming or appealing features but for others they offer quite fascinating insights into the lives of others from bygone … Continue reading

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Hats Off To Those Visitors Who Leave Offerings At This Local Shrine!

When entering a place of worship it is respectful to remove a hat from your head but at this quirky shrine all types of headwear are often left as offerings. However, all is not as innocent and harmless as it … Continue reading

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments