One really doesn’t need to go too far in Tokyo these days to experience some kind of Americanism whether it be chain stores, slogans, music, movies or food and drink. However, just over the border in Saitama prefecture there is actually a small community known as Johnson Town which is a little piece of America in Japan… where all the residents are Japanese. Yes, really.
Just the name of the town is enough to bring a smile to my face but I was way more Continue reading
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 and they will be explored in this series.
Nickname: The Camel Slide
Location: Continue reading
1983 was an interesting time for James Bond fans with the release of two films. Sean Connery was back in the role of Bond in the non-Eon release ‘Never Say Never Again‘ twelve years on from his last appearance in ‘Diamonds Are Forever‘ (1971) and Irvin Kirshner of ‘Empire Strikes Back‘ (1983) fame was the director. That came out in the Winter but in the Summer preceding that, there was the Eon produced ‘Octopussy‘ which was the 13th official release.
The Old War Office Building on Whitehall (below) is the MI6 HQ for ‘Octopussy‘ which was directed by John Glen. It appears on 13 minutes and would also be used as MI6 for ‘A View To A Kill‘ (1985) and ‘License To Kill‘ (1989) which he also directed.
The Department of Energy and Climate change at 55 Whitehall is alongside it, and where Bond and Continue reading
Tokyo may possess some of the world’s finest local delicacies but there’s also plenty of room for international restaurants to compete. Naturally there are dozens and dozens of Chinese, Italian, Indian and French restaurants serving up food which is famous all around the world but if you dig around a bit then you can find that many nations are represented. All continents are covered with at least 80 different countries featured but for some of them, there is (to the best of my knowledge!) just one of its kind but please let me know if otherwise! Here then, in no particular order, are the details for some of them……
1. Belarus @ Minsk No Daidokoro, 1-4-2 Azabudai, Minato-ku.
2. Bhutan @ Gatemo Tabum, 1-22-5 Uehara, Shibuya-ku. Continue reading
Once released as a TV movie called ‘The Sword of the Ninja‘, this John Frankenheimer directed film features Scott Glenn as the frustrated sparring partner of a champion boxer. One day his character Rick Murphy decides enough is enough and fights back with his superior technique before resigning. Watching on were a couple of Japanese people who recruit him to help smuggle a priceless family Samurai sword back to Japan.
He subsequently gets caught up in a bloody feud between two Japanese brothers laying claim to the blade. One of them is Continue reading
Japan loves to categories things into ‘Best 3’ lists such as gardens, castles and so on which I’ve mentioned before. The same also applies to Inari Shrines with Fushimi Inari in Kyoto and Toyokawa Inari (which is actually a temple!!) in Aichi comprising two of them. The third one often depends on regional pride of the person speaking so it could be in Okayama, Miyagi, Saga or this particular one in Ibaraki.
Once it was decided that I would be going to Ibaraki prefecture for a football match kicking off at 2pm and visiting Kairakuen before that, I knew I had to rise extra early to squeeze Kasama Inari Shrine into my schedule too. Whilst in that part of Japan I wanted to get as much done as possible as it’s not an area I intend to see again for at least a few more years. As a result I left the Tokyo Fox Global Operations Centre at Continue reading
The fermented soy beans dish known as natto is one of those foods which really divides opinion due to it’s smelliness and stickiness. My wife served it up (along with tofu) during the early days of living together and I haven’t looked back since. It is now an integral part of my daily diet as I eat it every morning and sometimes for lunch too but natto on toast is something I have only ever had once in the name of food science!!
Anyone who knows anything about this foodstuff will be aware that Mito in Ibaraki prefecture is the natto capital of Japan and the train station was full of souvenirs relating to the pungent sticky stuff. One thing I’ve not mentioned is that natto is very cheap and my local supermarket sells it for just Continue reading
As one of the three main gardens in Japan, a visit to Kairakuen had to be done but with no time to go after the Mito Hollyhock football match had concluded, there was no real choice but to view them mid-morning ahead of the game. Being a weekend meant it was always going to be busy and that was very apparent when I arrived at about 10:30am which was a far cry from my time at one of the other main gardens in Okayama when I pretty much Continue reading
Away day travel is good at most times of the year but there are some grounds which are just that bit more appealing during certain periods and Mito Hollyhock certainly fall into that category. This Ibaraki-based side may live in the shadows of their more famous and successful prefecture rivals Kashima Antlers but they have the advantage of lying much closer to Kairaku-en.
These gardens are famed as being one of the best three gardens in Japan and worthy of a visit at any time but the end of February is particularly good as that’s when the plum blossom is at its best. Hollyhock’s home game against Shonan Bellmare (relegated from J1 last year) gave the Rambling Northerner and I the perfect opportunity to combine the gardens and the K’s Denki Stadium into a day trip.
Having paid 900 yen at JR Mito station (bus stop #4) for a one day pass bus ticket, we actually left at about 12:45pm ahead of a 2pm kick off. However Continue reading
Over the years I have passed through Ofuna in Kanagawa prefecture a few times and have always noticed a giant white goddess statue looming in the mountains looking down on the station. The sight of this has always been of interest to me but it always seemed too much trouble to stop off there or go specifically to see it as I didn’t really know what it was. However, the journey back from Odawara was the perfect opportunity to Continue reading
