TF Top 10……Animal-Themed Playground Structures In Tokyo Metropolis

Posted on September 12, 2025 by tokyofox

When it comes to playground structures in Japan, the designers don’t always just go for the most generic design but sometimes incorporate mysterious and charming features to make them stand out as truly unique creations which are sights in their own right. Some of these extremely inventive structures include the likes of robots, seafood, insects, reptiles, buildings, yokai (Japanese supernatural entities and spirits) and of course animals.

The latter is the feature of this post as Tokyo Fox brings together the best ten animal-related playground structures in Tokyo Metropolis; the area comprising bordering prefectures Saitama, Kanagawa, Chiba and of course Tokyo itself. As ever, the ranking isn’t to be taken too seriously and if you do go to any of these places be very considerate and respectful about who they’re intended for.

10. Continue reading →

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The Sports Stadium In Yokohama With The Best Atmosphere?

Posted on September 8, 2025 by tokyofox

Even though I’m not really a baseball fan I have almost by default ended up visiting a fair share of the stadiums belonging to the 12 Japanese clubs which make up the Central and Pacific Leagues. Other than the Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium in Hiroshima, all of the others have been based in Greater Tokyo but there was a fairly convenient one in Yokohama that could help add to my tally. Better than that though, I got to Continue reading →

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#WeStopAtNothing! Visiting All The Platform Zero Stations In Nagano

Posted on September 3, 2025 by tokyofox

There’s something slightly mystical and Harry Potter-like about these platforms and one has to wonder why some stations have them whether it be because it’s been added on that particular side of platform 1 or just because they began their numbering from zero! I’m not sure if I’ll ever visit all of them but certainly hope to tick a few more off as the years go by! The challenge continues with a visit to all the platform 0 stations in Nagano!

Located in central Japan, the landlocked prefecture of Nagano is joint second (along with Yamaguchi) when it comes to possessing stations with a platform zero. Neighbouring prefecture Niigata is the Continue reading →

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Tokyo’s Iconic Rugby Venue Hosts An American Football Match For The 1st Time Ever!

Posted on August 31, 2025 by tokyofox

Team personnel and fans of football and rugby can get pretty upset when their home pitch is used for different sports and thus “ruined” by different markings and types of game play. Whilst many multiple-sports venues exist in Japan, there are also plenty of stadiums principally used for a solitary sport.

One such example is the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground (a.k.a. Chichibunomiya Stadium) in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. Apart from FC Tokyo playing a couple of League Cup football matches there in 2019, it generally stays true to its roots and hosts only rugby matches but last Friday (29th August) it staged the American form of football for the first time since opening in 1947 as Tokyo Rugby Stadium.

Continue reading →

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A Day In Yamaguchi Prefecture: The Fox-Blessed Hot Spring Town, A Feast of Football & A Few Notable Stations!

Posted on August 27, 2025 by tokyofox

As far as day trips go, this one had all the trademarks of a typical Tokyo Fox one as it included train stations, foxes and football which have all played a fairly significant part over the years in terms of content. The planning of such trips generally starts with the football match and then the rest of the day is filled in and around it. Next up were the stations of interest, and finally I stumbled on the fox-blessed hot spring town which was a huge bonus for me.

Family commitments in the morning meant I didn’t actually Continue reading →

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Original-Style Vending Machines, Cleaning Out The Gutters, Tennis Coaching, Toilet Problems & Some Breathtaking Moments!

Posted on August 23, 2025 by tokyofox

At the end of June my wife and I went to our family holiday home in Izu (Shizuoka Prefecture) for the first time in six months. Not surprisingly the garden in particular was a bit of a mess but we worked hard cleaning it all up, and the reward (other than satisfaction!) was that when we recently returned there five weeks on there was far less housework to do meaning that we could relax a bit more. Of course our time at the house wasn’t without some problems though!

Our little chihuahua doesn’t seem to travel well with both of us so my wife often Continue reading →

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TF Flashback: Euro Trip Vol. 3 – The Fairytale Island, One of My Longest Ever Journeys, A Star Wars Locale & Explosive War Remnants In Former Yugoslavia!

Posted on August 19, 2025 by tokyofox

For a Brit living in Japan, it’s a bit strange to go to Europe for a holiday without visiting the UK to see family and friends but that is exactly what happened 15 years ago. The plan was to fly from Tokyo to Zurich in Switzerland with my return flight to Japan’s capital being from Croatia. I then had to decide how best to fill the fortnight in between. This is the third and final part looking back on the time I spent in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovena…

A fairytale-like tiny island on a lake with only a church on it in the north-west region meant that the town of Continue reading →

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Golden Statue Hunting In A Low Mountain Valley Not So Far From Tokyo!

Posted on August 15, 2025 by tokyofox

“I love gooooooold” said one of Mike Myers’ many characters in ‘Austin Powers In Goldmember‘ (2002), and when it comes to statues I can only agree with the gold-obsessed Dutch super-villain. In search of seeing some fine examples of this strongly desired chemical element, I set off on an adventure deep in to Saitama to see a temple featuring a range of statues.

On the back of the festive season, and in need of some exercise (and adventure!) I decided to cycle from the Tokyo Fox Global Operations Centre in Itabashi-ku to Continue reading →

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How Much Has The Red Bull Takeover Energised Omiya Ardija?

Posted on August 11, 2025 by tokyofox

In recent years there has been a rise in conglomerate football clubs with the City Football Group (CFG) owning the likes of Manchester City, New York City FC, Melbourne City, Yokohama F. Marinos and about 10 other teams. Elsewhere, Red Bull possess FC Red Bull Salzburg, RB Leipzig and New York Red Bulls among others. Last year it was announced that the Austrian energy drinks giant had aquired Omiya Ardija thereby making their first Continue reading →

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Treehouse of Horror: Is This One of the World’s Most Dangerous Buildings?

Posted on August 7, 2025 by tokyofox

When it comes to tiny houses, Japan is surely the master of somehow making the smallest of spaces work in becoming a habitat for humans. Whether it be the former Nakagin Capsule Tower, business hotels, the rising popularity of tiny houses, rental work stations or just capsule hotels themself there are many examples of slightly claustrophobic spaces out there but none of them are as dangerous as this otherworldly pair.

This duo of mysterious homes are like something out of a fairytale, and were once featured in a top 10 list of the Continue reading →

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