TF Top 20……Tokyo Fox Hits Of 2016

Posted on January 1, 2017 by tokyofox

So 2017 has only just begun and already Tokyo Fox is looking back!! For about seven years now there have been exactly ten new posts on here each and every month and these are the twenty from 2016 which got the most hits. I have excluded all TF Top 10…….list entries from this feature so the TF Top 10……Tokyo Fox Posts Of All Time marking a decade of this website does not feature. Of course those entries from earlier in the year had more time to accumulate hits which may explain why so much of the top 20 is from the first half of 2016 as Leicester City were on the verge of achieving a miraculous Premier League title win. That may explain the inclusion of many foxes-related posts in this list. A couple of posts from the latter half have sneaked in though…

1. On The Trail Of John Rain (雨) Part X – Paris – With the help of the author himself these posts often do well in the wake of him tweeting the link to his thousands and thousands of followers on that particular social media platform. More details here

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2. Leicester City Supporters Night In Tokyo Bar – What a time to have our first Continue reading →

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TF Top 10……Filming Location Trips For 2016

Posted on December 30, 2016 by tokyofox

Last year was a feast of filming locations and it was always going to be difficult to better that but that’s not to say that Tokyo Fox hasn’t brought you anything in the way of location blog posts this year too.

This 8th proper full year of filming locations may be a little 007-centric at times and certainly includes topping up pre-existing entries but there are some completely all-new Japanese locations as well as a Thailand one.

Here then, in no particular order, is the TF Top 10……filming location trips for 2016…

1. Babel, 2006 (Click here)

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2. Kamichu!, 2005 (Click here) Continue reading →

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Countdown to Christmas 2016 in Tokyo

Posted on December 26, 2016 by tokyofox

For the second year running I was in Tokyo for Christmas but it was a little different this time as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day both fell on the weekend with the 23rd a national holiday too. That meant my wife was not at work and around to spend it all with me! Hmmm, I’m still wondering if that was good or not! Ha!

It seems to have been picked up by the UK media quite a bit in recent years and indeed it is true that eating fried chicken, particularly that of Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a big thing at Christmas in Japan. I first blogged about it back in December 2007 in a post about Japanese festive traditions.

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Turkey is very scarce in Japan so back in the 1970’s KFC promoted itself as Continue reading →

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Review: Films Inspired By Japan – Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983)

Posted on December 23, 2016 by tokyofox

It may be lacking in plot and have some fairly average acting at best but there’s something alluring about this WWII film which goes way beyond the beautifully, haunting self-titled theme song. ‘Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence‘ is a powerful character-driven war film albeit one without any real action.

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Despite having the word Christmas in the title, this movie is a world away from your typical festive films though I seem to remember it often being shown very late at night (back in the 1990’s) in the UK schedules at this time of year. I had actually been trying to locate a copy of this for a few years but had no luck when I asked at the rental stores and the prices on Amazon and eBay were ridiculously high. Then David Bowie died at the start of this year and Continue reading →

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Tokyo Daytripper: Todoroki Valley

Posted on December 20, 2016 by tokyofox

Tokyo may be a city somewhat lacking in green areas but that’s not to say there is nowhere to go to take a break from the concrete jungle. There are a handful of beautiful gardens and parks but little did I know that there was an unconventional green space amidst the densely populated Setagaya ward.

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Just a couple of minutes walk away from Todoroki Station on the Oimachi Line is Todoroki Valley; an attractive walking towpath stretching for just over Continue reading →

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Cycling To Lake Tama And Back!

Posted on December 17, 2016 by tokyofox

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Many years ago whilst searching for cycling ideas in Tokyo and the surrounding area I came across this wonderful link which was about a bicycle ride one guy took around this area in Saitama prefecture. From that moment my heart was set on completing a similar ride one day but I thought it best to wait for either the cherry blossom or Autumn leave seasons which are both quite short windows of opportunity.

With a couple of days holiday at the end of last month the chance of doing this cycle ride was finally there and, a day after hiking up Mount Takao, I hopped on my bike and left the Tokyo Fox Global Operations Centre in Itabashi ward at 9am with Continue reading →

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Cosplaying At Tokyo ComicCon 2016

Posted on December 14, 2016 by tokyofox

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Over the years of convention going I’ve realised that these events are as much about the people and the other fans you meet throughout the day as they are the special guests and the other exclusive content. That is all further heightened when you dress up in character and wander round the exhibition hall taking Continue reading →

Posted in Quirky Japan, Star Wars | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The 1st Official Tokyo ComicCon Takes Place (2016)

Posted on December 11, 2016 by tokyofox

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From the moment it was announced last year, I was very much looking forward to this event and my mind was working overtime with the possible guests that I hoped might be in attendance. Sadly none of them were realised, and as the months rolled by this year there were still no real guests that I was desperate to meet whilst parting with some considerable Continue reading →

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TF Flashback: John Lennon Museum (2005)

Posted on December 8, 2016 by tokyofox

Although I really like many tunes by The Beatles and John Lennon I’m probably not what could be classed as a fan as I have never really listened to their music by choice. Despite this claim, I did visit the John Lennon Museum up in Saitama prefecture eleven years ago.

It was located on the fourth and fifth floors of the Saitama Super Arena which is next to Saitama Shintoshin station. One has to wonder why the museum was in Omiya rather than Liverpool, London, New York or Hamburg which all played significant roles in the Beatles story. Lennon never even went to Omiya but Continue reading →

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Tokyo Daytripper: Climbing Mount Takao Yet Again!

Posted on December 5, 2016 by tokyofox

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You could be forgiven for thinking that Tokyo Fox has contractual obligations to include Mount Takao related posts each and every year. With that in mind, 2016 is a bumper year as this is the third post following on from the trip my wife and I made out that way in March to experience one of Japan’s quirkier festivals and to climb the mountain too.

The reason for my visit last week was more about just using up some free Keio Line tickets before their expiry date, getting some exercise and seeing the Autumn leaves was a bonus. I had a day off work last Monday and arrived at the foot of the mountain just before 10:30 am where I was surprised to see Continue reading →

Posted in Action & Adventure, Japan Life, Tokyo Daytripper: | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments