Category Archives: Japan Travel

Tokyo Daytripper: Going Underground To See Tokyo Metropolitan’s Giant Drain

Posted on October 12, 2021 by tokyofox

One of the most interesting sights I saw in Turkey in 2011 was the underground Basilica Cistern (below) which featured in the second James Bond film `From Russia With Love` (1963). I often forget about this place as my trip to … Continue reading →

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The Worst August Holiday Ever!

Posted on October 9, 2021 by tokyofox

In terms of weather, the mid-August Obon holiday this year was the worst one I’ve ever experienced. In a way it wasn’t so bad that I only had six days off this time as it rained on five of those … Continue reading →

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Tokyo Daytripper: A Temple Dedicated To Japanese Tumbling Dolls

Posted on September 30, 2021 by tokyofox

Japan has many symbols of luck and good fortunes such as the maneki neko cat figurines,  omamori (protective amulets) and omikuji (paper fortunes) but one of the more interesting ones is the tumbling doll known as daruma. These colourful wooden … Continue reading →

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A Wet Walk Around The Rugged Volcanic Rock Shore In Izu

Posted on September 27, 2021 by tokyofox

  Back in August, my wife and I spent six days in Izu but the weather was so sh*t that we did very little outside of the house. However, there was a brief respite one afternoon so, desperate to get … Continue reading →

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Tokyo Daytripper: The Giant White Kannon Statue Keeping An Eye On It`s Residents

Posted on September 21, 2021 by tokyofox

A giant white-robed goddess of mercy standing tall and overlooking Japanese towns and cities is something that always grabs my attention. This one is located a couple of hours north of Tokyo and as soon as I found out about … Continue reading →

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Another Abandoned Building On The Shores Of Lake Ippeki And The Regular Visit To Komuroyama

Posted on September 15, 2021 by tokyofox

A few years ago I wrote about the abandoned ruins of a lakeside hotel close to the shores of Lake Ippeki-ko in Ito but little did I know that there were more nearby! Another hotel too.   Usually such derelict … Continue reading →

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Tokyo Daytripper: The Sacred Underground Palace North Of Tokyo

Posted on September 9, 2021 by tokyofox

“A spiritual cave beneath a Japanese garden” was enough to get me interested in this 400 meter-long underground tunnel north of Tokyo.   On my previous visit to Takasaki at the start of this year I picked up a free … Continue reading →

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The Station Just Over The Border From Tokyo Which Has No Trains At All For 8 Hours…In The Daytime!

Posted on September 6, 2021 by tokyofox

  The beauty of taking trains in and around Tokyo is that you never have to wait too long if you miss your intended train. That is definitely not the case though at this station just over the border from … Continue reading →

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A Floating Conveyor-Belt Restaurant, A Station By The Sea, A Disappointing Heritage-Listed Site, Wet Mountain Climbing & Live Olympic Cycling

Posted on August 31, 2021 by tokyofox

Traveling to the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture is not exactly rare for me but this mini-trip was a bit different as my wife was not with me, my parents-in-law were away from their house in Ito and of course … Continue reading →

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All Is Not As It Seems At This World Heritage Status Iron Smelting Facility In Shizuoka

Posted on August 25, 2021 by tokyofox

One of the more frustrating travel experiences can be when you make plans and effort to get to a place you`re excited to see BUT then you get there to discover that it`s either closed or under construction. It`s happened … Continue reading →

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