Tokyo Fox (東京狐)

TF Top 5……Tokyo Temples And Shrines In Film

Posted on November 18, 2014 by tokyofox

About a year ago Tokyo Fox brought you the TF Top 5……Kyoto temples and shrines in film (it was actually called Kyoto filming locations but they were all places of worship as you might expect from such a city!) and now it’s time do likewise with Tokyo so here they are listed as always in no particular order.

1. Jougan-ji temple: ‘Lost In Translation‘ (2003) – Other than my own stuff there’s still very little about this small temple on the internet. It is actually quite a difficult place to find as its located on a highway (route 317) just inside Nakano-ku bordering Shinjuku-ku. The temple which Charlotte visits in the rain gets a massive 38 seconds of screen time and it’s highly likely you’ll have the whole place to yourself. More details here.

2. Sumiyoshi-jinja shrine: ‘The Toxic Avenger Part II‘ (1989) – Having been re-united with his long lost Japanese father, Toxie and Masumi follow him around the block to his headquarters at “Fisherman’s Shrine” which in reality is Sumiyoshi Jinja shrine; a place guarded by foxes. They confront him about his crimes and in true comical fashion he inadvertently hits the girl instead of his son! More details here.

3. Zojoji temple: ‘The Wolverine‘ (2013) – The funeral procession of Yashida takes place at Zojoji although some of the action scenes were blended together with ones shot at the Chinese Garden of Friendship in Sydney! Yakuza gangsters attempt to kidnap Mariko, but Logan helps her to into the urban sprawl of Tokyo. More details here

‘Into The Sun‘ (2005) – Zojoji made its big screen (well, bargain bin dvd!) debut in this Steven Seagal classic! There’s some meeting between the baddies though god knows why they chose to meet at such a public place! More details here.

4. Mori Inari-jinja shrine: ‘The Toxic Avenger Part II‘ (1989) – Yet another entry in this list from this rather silly b-movie and now I think about it there really haven’t been too many shrines or temples featured in films! A fight ensues with a man dressed as a Japanese schoolgirl and some kabuki men from earlier in the film who suddenly turn up in this sleepy part of Tokyo for no apparent reason but given that Troma Entertainment are famed for serving up campy movies this is not so unusual! The area looks quite different these days but the tiny Mori-inari jinja shrine is still there but blink and you might miss it! More details here.

5. Meiji-jingu shrine: ‘Monster‘ (2008) – Definitely the most famous of all the places listed here and in some ways a surprise inclusion (other than being desperate to fill the 5 places!) as it didn’t even play itself in this god-awful movie. The on-screen caption says that its Shinjuku-gyoen Gardens. Even though its supposed to be January the two American girls are wearing just vests as they walk along the path at this shrine in fear of the monster whilst people in the background are just going about their own business oblivious to the fact that there’s a monster on the loose! More details here.

You can see the ‘TF Top 5……Kyoto Temples And Shrines In Film’ here

Review: Films Set In Japan – Fear And Trembling (2003)

Posted on November 15, 2014 by tokyofox

Starting off at Ryoanji temple in Kyoto this French film has a Belgian woman called Amélie (Sylvie Testud) looking back on her year at a Japanese corporation in Tokyo in 1990. Having been brought up in Japan until the age of five she decides to return and has a one year contract working as a translator for the giant Yumimoto Corporation.

She is a determined young woman who suffers for doing things in a western manner in a country which rewards loyalty rather than initiative and workers are promoted based on their years served instead of their track record. Of course, its hammed up a bit on screen but there’s an element of truth to most of what we see in this office based comedy and it’s this kind of mindset that may explain why the Japanese economy has been in a slump for 15 years or so.

It may be a comedy but this is certainly nothing like BBC sitcom ‘The Office‘! The entire movie takes place in the office (filmed in Paris) so we sadly don’t get any hint of what life is like outside of their workplace. It would’ve been nice to see a glimpse of Amélie’s home life as it’s this kind of thing which helps form and develop a character.

Having tried and failed to work and integrate into the conformity of a Japanese office, Amélie works her way down the corporate ladder amid abuse, humiliation and insane routine as she fails to understand how things are done in Japan. She goes from doing great bilingual research (albeit work that violates the all important company procedure!) to re-setting calendars to serving coffee to cleaning the toilets! In between all that she’s ordered to not speak Japanese when clients and visitors are present as they wouldn’t be able to have any feeling of trust if they knew the white girl understood their language!

Another degrading assignment involves her being made to copy the same document over and over again. No care for the environment and all the paper wasted from Mr Saito as he demands it be 100% accurate with the text dead on centre to the exact millimetre. Anything less is just unacceptable!

The subject matter of this film is fascinating in itself with the protagonist finding herself in these strange situations which is fine for the first half of the movie but after that it failed to really develop any further. That is probably because it’s an autobiographical account of real-life experiences with very little added in the way of artistic license. The film is based on a book which may explain why the director uses voice over (a little too much but I guess some mother-tongue is needed to keep the natives attentive) to presumably portray essential passages from it.

Taking place in 1990, one would hope that this is a caricature of Japanese offices of that time and that they are no longer like this in any way but I still have my doubts about that! A lot of the story revolves around the inability to develop any human relations with her colleagues, particularly the submissive Fubuki; her female work leader. There are some slight lesbian undertones as Amélie adulates her and wants to please her but this is answered with sadistic pleasure as she is continuously belittled. Amélie realises that the best way to deal with it all is in humour and she uses her wild imagination to play the game of obedience and passiveness which her co-workers excel in.

In ‘Stupeur et Tremblements‘, to give it it’s original French title, Amélie has daydreams of falling out the window and floating over the Tokyo skyline as she’s desperate to escape and for many it’s hard to understand why anyone would put up with all the abuse and still be determined to continue working in such an environment.

Tokyo Fox Rating 6/10

Posted in Review: Films Set In Japan | Tagged fear and trembling review, films set in Japan, films set in kyoto, french film set in japan, Ryoanji temple Kyoto, Stupeur et Tremblements, tokyofox, watch online free, what are japanese offices like to work in? | 1 Comment

Tokyo Daytripper: Lion Shrine In Tokyo!

Posted on November 11, 2014 by tokyofox

Think of lions and a safari in Kenya rather than Tama Dobutsukoen Zoo comes to mind. Think of lion statues and Trafalgar Square in London instead of a small Tokyo shrine will probably enter your head first. However, I recently came across an interesting story on the excellent Rurousha blog about how one of the lions made its way from England to this shrine via Ikebukuro!

It’s no surprise to see lion statues as deities in temples or shrines but certainly not the style seen at Mimeguri Jinja Shrine! For one hundred years now the Mitsukoshi Department stores in Japan have featured one of these London-produced lions outside its front doors but when the Ikebukuro branch closed a few years back its lion was donated to this shrine and now sits among the usual things to be found at shrines.

Having searched out the elephant temple in Shinagawa about a year ago it’s fair to say that I like my quirky little temples and shrines I decided to cycle on over to this area lying in the shadow of the towering 634 metre high Tokyo Skytree.

The shrine is not only interesting for the lion but it also possesses a rare three-cornered torii which covers a well near a private family shrine featuring lion-dogs. Three is certainly the magic number at Mimeguri which means “three times around” and derives from a 1300’s legend about a priest who saw a magical white fox go round a recently unearthed statue of an old man on a white fox three times…and after that it disappeared! There is a signboard just outside one of the torii gates detailing this story.

Mimeguri is an Inari shrine and so has a fox shrine and many fox statues as well as a statue of an old man and an old woman that could supposedly communicate with foxes who would act as messengers. The perfect place for this Tokyo Fox if you will!

Just across the Sumida-gawa River this shrine is dedicated to two of the seven gods of fortune associated with the river. These gods relate to wealth, farmers, agriculture, rice, the kitchen, fishermen, workingmen and inevitably good fortune. Quite a lot eh! I was just there to test out my new camera and found more than I expected with an earthquake damaged lantern and discarded foxes among these other delights.

So there you have it, another interesting little place tucked away in the huge metropolis of Tokyo which is proof that there are many hidden delights out there for one to find by just getting out there and taking a look around.

Mimeguri Jinja Shrine can be found at 2-5-17 Mukojima and Tokyo Skytree (formerly Narihirabashi Station) is the closest station on the Tobu Skytree line (formerly Toho Isesaki line)

Posted in Japan Life, Quirky Japan | Tagged 2-5-17 Mukojima, attractions close to Tokyo Skytree, lion shrine tokyo, Mimeguri jinja shrine, mitsukoshi lions, three times around meaning, where is the lion shrine?, white fox story | 4 Comments

Dining Out: Mama’s Kitchen (Paraguay)

Posted on November 8, 2014 by tokyofox

Paraguay eh! I don’t know much about it at all. I’ve never been there or even to any of its South American counterparts. I can’t think of any movies which have been filmed or even set there. It’s these types of things which Tokyo Fox usually depends on for bulking out a restaurant review!

When it comes to talking about this landlocked country, one man sticks out by a mile and that is the legendary goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert! I loved watching this guy keep net for his country in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s when he played in two World Cup tournaments. Not only was he great between the sticks and an inspirational captain but he was an expert dead-ball specialist and he came so, so close to becoming the first goalie to ever score in a finals with this effort in 1998 and this one in 2002. Overall, he scored eight goals for his country and is not surprisingly the only goalkeeper to ever score a hat-trick (watch it here) as well as a goal from inside his own half. A true entertainer on the world football scene!

As the years rolled by though he started to pile on the pounds a little as he enjoyed his country’s food a bit too much it seems. Yes…. and that tenuous link my friends brings us on to this Paraguayan restaurant in Chiba! On Friday lunchtime I met up with friend and former neighbour Gideon for the first time since January last year when we took a trip down memory lane before moving on to Shibamata. The restaurant is just a minutes walk from Kamihongo station which is the first stop on the Shin-Keisei line coming from Matsudo station.

When we reached our destination we were surprised to see that it had changed its name but the Paraguay flag in the window (as well as the former name) indicated that this was where we wanted to dine out for lunch. It actually says Latin American cooking on the sign outside the place and an Argentina flag also dons the outside of the kitchen wall alongside that of Paraguay. There is also a football scarf hanging on one of the walls which is surely justification for my Chilavert reference earlier!!

By my standards this place seemed quite sophisticated on entering, with wine glasses on the tables and a couple of groups of housewives sitting around doing what they do best with their days! The place seems to be more of a bar at night (its stocked with a vast range of alcoholic drinks including Paraguayan wine) but is also open for lunch from 11.30am to 3pm (last orders at 2.30pm) from Tuesday to Sunday.

Knowing about a country’s former national goalkeeper doesn’t exactly given one any ideas about its local cuisine so I really didn’t have any idea what to expect in that area. The lunch menu has over a dozen dishes costing in the range of 1000 yen with an extensive list of side dishes on offer too. I had seen empanada‘s (300 yen) on the internet ahead of our visit and it’s basically a baked pastry stuffed with ground beef. It was absolutely scrumptious and whetted my appetite for my main which was to follow (there was a salad in between but a salad is a salad in my book!). I just asked the owner what the number one Paraguayan dish on offer was and as predicted he pointed to the first one on the menu which was also the most expensive one! Oh well, the 1200 yen Milanesas (breaded meat fillet) was well worth it. Gideon’s chicken and tomato based dish (1000 yen) also looked very appetising.

One dish I wanted to try was Borí Borí con pollo which is a chicken soup with small balls of maize and cheese which is supposed to help in getting rid of colds. Given the amount of sneezing I’ve been doing recently I could have done with it but sadly I didn’t notice there was a mini one on the menu until it was way too late.

It appears that there are some close links between Paraguayan and Italian food which presumably owes to the ethnic Italians who have settled in Paraguay over time. As always with these international restaurants, I have no real idea how authentic the dishes are but given that the owner is half Paraguayan half Japanese one would maybe expect it to be pretty close. If you want to know which of his parents is from South America then just look at the name of the restaurant!

Mama’s Kitchen (Formerly Yuki Restaurant) is at 3-111-102 Nakaicho, Matsudo-shi

Posted in Food & Drink | Tagged José Luis Chilavert goals, Kamihongo, Mama's Kitchen Matsudo, opening hours, Paraguay restaurant chiba, Paraguay restaurant Tokyo, shin-keisei line, what is empanada?, Yuki Restaurant Matsudo | 1 Comment

Time To Clamp Down On The Idle Behaviour Of Drivers

Posted on November 5, 2014 by tokyofox

Back in the day when Tokyo Fox was just getting up and running I often used to write about the everyday quirks and behavioural norms of Japanese society. Whether it be the terrible tv, the moronic cyclists or the behind-the-times smoking rules it’s pretty much all been covered before but one thing that I’ve never ranted about is the many, many drivers who leave their car engine running whilst they park up on some side road.

Crime-wise, Tokyo is a relatively safe city and people tend to sleep anywhere and everywhere and that certainly includes their cars. No problem with that. Why shouldn’t one being able to pull over and take a rest from the often stressful rigours of modern daily life. Besides, if they’re tired then its probably a good idea to take a break and not risk their life or someone else’s. However, the major problem with this is that they leave their engine running with fumes pumping out into the environment. People are seemingly aware of being eco-friendly but many don’t seem to realise that leaving their vehicles idle for a few minutes is wasting costly gasoline and releasing harmful greenhouse gasses.

One of the reasons for this happening may be that there’s just not enough free space for people to relax in. Tokyo in particular is an overly crowded and congested city with space at a premium which is why the locals feel they desperately need to find their own “bubble” to exist in within the existing environment. This is why you see people engrossed in their smart phones all over the place or spending hours with a solitary cup of coffee in a fast-food restaurant. Remember that this is the country where people go to Love Hotels for a bit of intimate privacy as its just not possible to have their own space!

For those with cars (many don’t have their own vehicle in Tokyo as it’s just not needed due to the reliable and efficient train service and the busy roads make the decision of giving up on a car a bit easier) the interior is their own space to relax in and this could possibly be an explanation as to why there are so many drivers compulsively and obsessively fiddling with cellphones, tablets, portable games consoles, TV’s and radios rather than actually opening the door and getting out to stretch the old legs.

It’s probably due to the aforementioned lack of crime that drivers feel comfortable in leaving their motor running whilst they pop into the convenience store, take a toilet break in a park toilet or wait to pick someone up at the station. On that note, the many taxi drivers lining up outside stations usually all have their engines running as is of course the norm in many countries.

So what can be done about this? In a country where change tends to come about very slowly I really don’t know. Confrontation is something that is rarely ever done in Japan so walking by and banging on the window is probably out of the question! Clearing my throat loudly as I pass by may wake them briefly but doesn’t really change much. It’s surely up to the government to start clamping down on this and fining those responsible for letting their engines idle but I won’t hold my breath on that one. Future generations may have to hold their breath more and more when out on the streets if this pollution of the environment continues.

With an ever declining population rate, Japan needs all the help it can get in readdressing this trouble but if it’s tired drivers don’t turn the ignition off whilst taking a well-earned nap then the problem will continue to accelerate.

Posted in Japan Life | Tagged annoying japanese behaviour, car engines left running, crime-free city Tokyo, fiddling with technology, idle behaviour, japanese leaving motors running, Kyoto protocol, lack of privacy, why do Japanese sleep in their cars? | Leave a comment

Luke Who Turned Up For Halloween! (Pt II)

Posted on November 1, 2014 by tokyofox

There really isn’t too much to add in the way of words to what I wrote in ‘Luke Who Turned Up For Halloween! Pt I‘ but this time on arriving at Hachiko exit of Shibuya station we were actually met by the sight of hundreds of cosplayers celebrating Halloween night. The main difference for me was that this time I was equipped with my lightsaber which I hadn’t bothered to take out in the previous Saturday.

It didn’t take too long for the TV news crews to approach and yet again I was interviewed; this time by TBS but after my three interviews ended up on the scrap heap last week I certainly won’t be holding too much hope of any of it making the cut when it airs on Monday lunchtime!

Batman (a.k.a. Neil the nurse from the previous weekends event) and I teamed up again and wandered the streets with the odd convenience store beer for comfort. No point in bothering with bars as all the action is on the streets with Center Gai and the streets running parallel all packed full of snap-happy people.

Having walked home on Saturday night I wasn’t gonna make that mistake again as I had work in the morning. The experience of last year taught me that one needs to start heading to the station at least an hour before your intended train due to extreme crowding and Hachiko exit was absolutely rammed and it took about 30 minutes to get from the gate to the platform to board an overly full train.

You can read ‘Luke Who Turned Up For Halloween! (Pt I)’ here

Posted in Hentai, Japan Life, Quirky Japan | Tagged Center Gai Shibuya, halloween in Japan, japan cosplay party, Japan halloween vs UK Halloween, shibuya crossing, tokyo halloween cosplay party, x-wing fighter pilot costume | 2 Comments

Luke Who Turned Up For Halloween! (Pt I)

Posted on October 30, 2014 by tokyofox

Things are done differently in Japan. Anyone from overseas living here will tell you that. Sometimes it’s for better, sometimes for worse and sometimes just indifferent. The subject of Halloween probably falls into the latter category. This event has been growing and growing over the years and is now a bigger money maker than Valentines Day but ultimately it’s getting further and further away from its original roots….not that it was ever anywhere near them!!

The Japanese are obsessed with all things cute and so the idea of dressing up in the more traditional Halloween costumes is not so appealing which is why this event in Japan is seemingly just about dressing up in any kind of costume with video game and anime characters a popular choice. With that in mind, I did it Japanese style this year and basically just use the occasion as a chance to do some cosplay.

As a child growing up, one of my heroes was Luke Skywalker. Han Solo may have been cooler but Luke was always the main man and the real hero of the original trilogy. Having gone out as darker Star Wars characters like Darth Maul and a Jawa the last couple of years I thought it was time to ditch that idea and go in a different direction although I did secretly keep it dark as I was wearing my Adidas Darth Vader trainers underneath!

Having seen the X-Wing fighter pilot outfit online earlier in the year I thought that could be good as it’s different but still Halloween style! It’s orange!! What more do you want?!! I finally decided to part with the most cash that I’ve ever paid for a costume. Thankfully, my fee for the Halloween parties in Hibarigaoka the week before more than covered the outlay and in some ways even justifies buying it. It’s for work is what I say!!

In the past I’ve always got changed in a school with a group of friends but this time I had to set off alone from my house to the station and onto the platform at Shinjuku where I met some friends to travel onto Shibuya with. Not a single person on the train was in costume as expected but that was surely about to change once we reached Hachiko right? Wrong!! As we exited the gates there was hardly a sole dressed up but once we’d crossed the famous scramble crossing it all changed as we met all manner of costumed people.

Despite what my mum might say, Star Wars does have close-ish links to Halloween thanks to the Expanded Universe (EU). Sadly, I didn’t spot too many Star Wars characters this year but there were a couple of Darth Maul’s (maybe it was even the same one!!), C3P0, Padme Amidala and a Jedi.

Throughout the night I was interviewed by Fuji TV three times (lots of questions about comparisons between Halloween in Japan and back home) and from those 10-15 minutes of footage they decided not to air a single second of it the following night!!

Many people thought it was Ultraman and a fair few people asked who I was through the night. I ended up just saying “I’m Star Wars!” after a while which seemed to satisfy the Japanese! At the kids party the week before I didn’t even try to explain who or what I was so just settled for saying I was a spaceman!

Eventually, enough was enough and rather than hanging around for another couple of hours till first train I decided to walk back on foot which took 75 minutes with me arriving back at the Tokyo Fox Global Operations Centre just after 4am!

You can read ‘Luke Who Turned Up For Halloween! (Pt II)’ here

Posted in Hentai, Japan Life | Tagged Center Gai Shibuya, Fuji TV, halloween in Japan, japan cosplay party, Japan halloween vs UK Halloween, shibuya crossing, tokyo halloween cosplay party, x-wing fighter pilot costume | 9 Comments

TF Top 5……Tokyo Bridges In Cinema!

Posted on October 29, 2014 by tokyofox

These structures built to span such physical obstacles like water or roads come in many different designs and so often they don’t get the recognition they deserve. When you think about it, hardly ever does a character cross a bridge without something happening whether it be a deadly battle, a car crashing through the railings, something being dropped or tossed away, a heart to heart discussion or a monster destroying a landmark one.

Bridges have always had a part to play in cinema and they have served well in transporting characters into a new phase of life and Tokyo Fox is on hand to acknowledge the role five Tokyo-based ones (as well as a bonus Saitama one!) have played in films over the years.

So without further ado, and in no particular order, here is the Tokyo Fox top 5…….Tokyo bridges in cinema!

1. Yanagibashi Bridge, Taito-ku: The Grudge (2004) – This green bridge opens up this American re-make of the Japanese horror movie ‘Ju-on‘ (2002) and just a stones throw away is the apartment of Peter who for some reason walks over to his balcony and then rolls over it and plummets to his death below. Now, as that’s in the first minute of the film I don’t really consider it a spoiler!! More details here

2. Tsukuda-bashi Bridge, Chuo-ku: The Toxic Avenger Part II (1989) – This striking red bridge first appears on the hour mark as the Toxic Avenger is re-united with his long lost Japanese father. Five minutes later and a very silly fight ensues between Toxie and his fathers team of henchmen which continues on back to the bridge in question. More details here

3. Yasakuni-dori Bridge, Shinjuku-ku: The Wolverine (2013) – Appearing on 19 minutes is the usual shot of Yasukuni dori in Shinjuku which has featured in so many movies and TV programmes over the years and I guess it’s become the classic shot (alongside Shibuya crossing) of the neon lights of Tokyo really hitting the foreigner visiting these shores. More details here

It can be seen more recently in ‘Godzilla‘ (2014) as well as the Steven Seagal classic ‘Into The Sun‘ (2005). More details here

4. Kachidoki Bridge, Chuo-ku: Godzilla (1954) – In his 15 minutes of terror, the final place to be destroyed by Gojira before returning to the ocean was this bridge (63 mins) which stretches across Sumidagawa River. More details here

5. Hamarikyu Gardens Bridge, Chuo-ku: Into The Sun (2005) – A reflective Seagal cuts a lonesome figure on one of the gardens bridges amid the cherry blossoms in the films final moments (91 mins). More details here

Bonus: Tokorozawa Bridge, Tokorozawa: Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (2006) – A bridge too far? Certainly not! Every good Tokyo Fox listings feature needs an extra one and this one is technically not in Tokyo but as it’s just over the border in Saitama it can qualify as the bonus bridge. It features in the films dramatic final chapter on 82 minutes and that’s all I can really say! The match-up photo’s below though do give some hint as to what happens as the film comes to a climax! More details here

Honorary Mention: Rainbow bridge is of course the most famous and picturesque bridge in Tokyo and is seen in both ‘Kill Bill: Volume I‘ (2003) and ‘Lost In Translation‘ (2003) but rightly or wrongly that one didn’t quite make this list.

Posted in Japan Filming Locations | Tagged godzilla bridge, hamarikyu gardens tokyo, ju-on 2 bridge tokorozawa, kachidoki bridge, rainbow bridge, the grudge bridge, tsukuda bashi, yanagibashi, Yasakuni-dori Bridge | 4 Comments

TF Flashback: Bungy Thrillogy Pt II (2002)

Posted on October 26, 2014 by tokyofox

In the second of this three part series Tokyo Fox looks back to Sunday 24th March 2002; the day of my triple bungy jump. I was travelling around New Zealand for a few months on the back of a years working holiday in Australia and was in Queenstown on the South Island. Thanks to the journal that I kept at the time it is now possible to recall the events of that day…

“With the first jump off Kawarau Bridge freshly under my belt, I was fairly confident, though still a bit nervous as six of us from that 43 metre jump joined the people who were doing the 134 metre Nevis Highwire jump only. One of those people already on board even had his parents with him to witness his jump in real-time.

A private mountain access road through a high country sheep station took us on a 4-wheel-drive to our location in the rugged Nevis Canyon. This was our last chance to go to the toilet before we got our harnesses on and walked out to the viewing platform where we got our first proper look at the breathtaking ‘jump pod’ hanging from 380 metre long cables which span the valley. From this view we couldn’t even see the Nevis river which I was thankful for really.

We were then split into groups of six to take the cable car shuttle to the pod which was reminiscent of a UFO as it swayed in the breeze across the river. Unfortunately for me, these groups are categorised by weight with the heaviest going first which ultimately meant I would not be doing this bungy jump first! In fact, I was to be the penultimate jumper just to prolong my agony. I was still feeling pretty calm despite seeing the first few heavier people jumping into oblivion.

Finally my time came to get harnessed on to the cable car ready to join the rest of the jumpers , spectators and crew over at the ‘pod’. There was a clunk as we reached the ‘mother ship’ which was a lot larger than I expected with music blaring out of the CD player and a glass bottom to see those going before but I declined to really focus on this.

Eventually, after a long wait it was my turn and I even tried to carry on walking through the safety gate without getting harnessed on. Was I too excited or just keen to get the ‘big one’ out of the way? Once through the gate, I was sat down in a big black comfy chair but it certainly wasn’t a game of ‘Mastermind‘ that followed! Instead, I was strapped up bt my instructor and given a briefing on how and when to release the ripcord. This was not a burden I needed as I thought just to dive off the platform was enough responsibility!

I then had to give the video camera the thumbs up and the few short moments that followed were the worst but they were over in seconds. I’m of course talking about leaving the chair and waddling on over to the edge where I saw what lay 134 metres beneath…and beyond! I gave a very assured and confident captains salute to the camera above me, took a deep breath. Only a 3…2….1….countdown this time, and like my predecessors, I was straight off diving into free fall for seven or eight quick seconds. Finally, I felt the tug which was a huge relief and then as a I bounced around for a bit I realised I was supposed to release the ripcord. I pulled the cord to the left like I had been told but nothing happened as I began to descend yet again. I anxiously pulled it harder and extreme joy was felt as my feet were released and I was left sitting enjoying the view whilst hanging in the middle of nowhere.

As with the previous jump, the self satisfaction I felt was indescribable as I again threw my arms about in joyous celebration. After, what seemed like an eternity dangling in the peaceful mid-air I was winched back up to the pod where one of the crew informed me that my dive out was very good. I then got to watch the last jumper dive off without any nerves or tension in me. For the record, it was a Japanese girl who was very, very nervous in a giggling-type way and took a long time to do it after a couple of reservations but thankfully she prevailed.

By this time, I was absolutely starving as we took the cable car back across the valley where we saw the video’s of our jumps and got another certificate. At this point, I felt a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders which had been carried around for weeks in anticipation of doing a bungy jump……or three in this case! I still had the Urban bungy to do at night from the 47 metre ledge but that wasn’t at all in my mind as I had just jumped from New Zealand’s highest bungy site and, back in Queenstown later on, I felt like I was the king of the world!”

You can read ‘TF Flashback – Bungy Thrillogy Pt I (2002)’ here

Posted in Action & Adventure, Australasia Travel | Tagged 134 metres, 4WD Nevis canyon, AJ Hackett 2002, bungy jumping New Zealand, bungy thrillogy, nevis highwire, nevis river, new Zealand highest bungy site, queenstown | 3 Comments

TF Top 5……Lame Halloween Activities For Kids

Posted on October 23, 2014 by tokyofox

Following the huge popularity of the top 5……lame Christmas activities feature last December it is time to cash in on the success of that and, true to form, Tokyo Fox has managed to cobble together an equally feeble Halloween edition!

With October 31st drawing ever closer, the teachers among us are probably trying to think of a few spook-tacular games and activities to jazz up our lessons. If you’re in the mood for it all and have that Halloween feeling then these can be fun times but if you’re not into the spirit then it can all be a bit of a drag. Thankfully, help is at hand and here, in no particular order, is the Tokyo Fox top 5……lame Halloween activities for kids!

Disclaimer: This is just for fun and should not to be taken too seriously!

1. Halloween Words Pelmanism – This card game was made pretty much as a joke to amuse myself but believe it or not this was way more popular than I could ever have imagined. Basically, write some Halloween two-syllable words or two-word phrases on two bits of paper (i.e. Hallo-Ween, Black-Cat, Haunted-House, JackO-Lantern, Vam-Pire etc etc). It might be a good idea to get the students to just match up the two sets first to get them accustomed to the words. Once that’s done and dusted you can play a game of pelmanism with each student continuing to turn over another set of cards when they have got a correct pair. I used orange and black cards to get even more into the Halloween spirit.

2. Three-Letter Conundrum – Take the flashcard letters A, B, T and get the students to re-arrange them to make the Halloween word! This activity practices (or reinforces) phonics and you could even pad out the activity beforehand by firstly eliciting each letter and any words (whether Halloween-related or otherwise!) beginning with that letter. Of course, more letters could be jumbled up and rearranged to form longer Halloween-related words. Alphamats or magnetic letters can of course be used instead of flashcards.

3. Halloween Naughts & Crosses – Use the whiteboard and divide it into 9 squares with one lexical item (i.e. Spider, Witch….) either written or drawn in each square. The students then throw a sticky ball at each square with the winner being the one who manages to get three-in-a-row.

4. Preposition Drawing – This can be done on the whiteboard or in the students’ notebooks (if you want the evidence to remain!) and first you get them to draw some kind of Haunted house though any kind of regular house should suffice! Then you shout out instructions like ‘the witch is by/next to the house’ or ‘the ghost is under the house’ and let the students conjure up their own Halloween creations.

5. Stick The Tail On The Black Cat – A lame variation on the classic ‘pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey’ party game with the students being blindfolded (or just closing their eyes) and then having to place a black tail in the correct place on the drawing of a black cat which can either be on the whiteboard or a self-created poster on the wall. Affix either magnets or sticky tape to the back and have fun!

So there you have it! Just about any usual activity can be slightly adjusted to make it seem Halloween-y! I seem to recall doing the likes of ‘What time is it Mrs Witch?’ and ‘Is there a/an (object) in the pumpkin?’ years ago. If you’ve got a selection of Halloween flashcards, like below, then there’s a whole host of games available for you to have an enjoyable time with your students!

You can see the ‘TF Top 5……Lame Christmas Activities For Kids’ here

Posted in English Teaching | Tagged activities for halloween lessons, additional resources for english lessons, fun halloween games, halloween lesson ideas, halloween lexical items, pelmanism, preposition drawing, variations on pin the tail on the donkey | Leave a comment

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