Tokyo Daytripper: Riding One Of Tokyo’s Last Surviving Tram Lines Pt I

Posted on June 16, 2014 by tokyofox

Recent trips around Japan to the likes of Hiroshima in March and Nagasaki in April have given me the opportunity to ride around on their excellent trams and I guess I must have been feeling nostalgic for these street cars last month when I dragged my girlfriend along for a day riding one of only two tram lines in Tokyo!

There are 30 stations dotted along the Toden Arakawa Line which runs for a total distance of 7.6 miles (56 minutes) between Waseda and Minowabashi. For the record, the other one is the privately owned Tōkyū Setagaya Line in western Tokyo. The Arakawa line’s been in operation since 1974 and is the last survivor of the once dominant Toden street car system (about 20 lines at one time) but for how much longer will this one continue? Difficult to tell really as its certainly not losing passengers based on what we saw on this day trip. I guess it survives because of nostalgia, public pressure and the limited effect it has on some of Tokyo’s ordinary streets.

In the appendix of the latest John Rain thriller ‘Graveyard Of Memories‘, which is set in 1970’s Tokyo, author Barry Eisler recommended an excellent photo blog about the line called Lifetoreset and I’m very glad that I had a look at it before setting out on this densha journey.

The tiny end station of Minowabashi in the north east of Tokyo has quite a Showa-era feel to it and is quite hidden away from the roads and is famed for the colour and fragrance of its roses which run parallel to the platform.

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From there on the street car chugs along on a small railway which dissects some quiet, residential neighbourhoods that were pretty much all new to me. It was quite strange to travel through so many parts which were unknown to me and I really did feel like I was in a different city at times. 

The best option for getting the most out of the line is the 400 yen day pass. If you just want to do a couple of journeys then the single ticket is better value at 170 yen whether you go one stop or ten stops! Ten stops away from Minowabashi is Odai which was our first true stop in terms of walking around the area a bit and when I say “a bit” I mean a bit as all we really did was cross the road for a brief look at the shrine before boarding the next tram!

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Arakawa Yuenchi-mae is the next stop down and a little more interesting. It is home to the Arakawa Amusement Park which is a small but treasured park built in 1950 and a good place to take the little ones for a fun and cheap (200 yen entry) day out in an area which is not so crowded.

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Before you reach the park and the old streetcar on display outside it, you will pass a small pool area where kids can navigate their way over the water in tiny water cars using arm power! I’ve no idea what you call these things!

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Back along the road that returns us to the station is a shop specialising in American goods and a bit further on past a couple of restaurants is a temple which caught my attention due to the swastika sign above it. No, its not a place to worship the Nazi Party of Germany but in Japan the controversial symbol actually denotes a Buddhist temple. The sign can be seen on street maps around Tokyo to denote such a thing.

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Oji-Ekimae was our next port of call and an area where the tram line mixes with cars, buses, and trucks on the road going under the proper JR railway line.

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We crossed the road and found a small park amid some much needed shade with a very narrow stream ideal for soaking your feet in on a hot Summer’s day.

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Oji Inari Shinto shrine is a brief de-tour up some steps from the stream and is probably not worth the climb for many!

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Just round the corner on top of a hill is Asukayama park which we reached via a small cable car (free) that elevates all up from the main street.

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This is a very family-friendly and spacious green park full of young kids playing around in the playground which possesses an old, parked train carriage and engine along with a play area and an important stone monument which was erected a long, long time ago to commemorate the opening of the park.

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After exiting the park we continued on to the next destination of our journey……

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Next: Riding One Of Tokyo’s Last Surviving Tram Lines continues in Part II

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TF Top 10……’Alternative’ Museums In Tokyo

Posted on June 13, 2014 by tokyofox

There have been many times in the past that I have visited museums when in new cities just because of a sense of obligation to do so due to what the guide books say. Japanese people tend to sleep in museums (if I can pigeon-hole a whole race into one heavy generalisation!) which is not something many other nationalities are comfortable with….or even allowed to do. I too often feel tired as soon as I enter museums and as much as I’d like to absorb all the information board material, very little ever seems to remain in my brain which is a shame but it’s also maybe a sign that these places are not for me. While I may not get too much out of visits to the art, science or history museums other than a feeling of tiredness and a slightly lighter wallet for, unlike most British museums, the ones in Japan are not free.

Having said that, there are still a fair few ‘alternative’ museums in and around Tokyo and here, in no particular order, is the Tokyo Fox top 10 recommendations. It should be noted that the Japanese use of the word ‘museum’ can be quite loose at times!!

1. Meguro Parasitological Museum, Meguro – Quite possibly the only museum in the world devoted to human and animal parasites. Not one for the fainthearted but supposedly a popular “date” destination for young couples. Maybe the guy shows his partner the 7.9m long tapeworm and then gets to comfort the shrieking girl!

2. National Football Museum, Ochanomizu – A hidden gem, this museum devotes most of its space to the 2002 World Cup Finals which it co-hosted alongside neighbours South Korea. The museum caters predominantly to the Japanese displaying the history of football in the country and features a reproduction of the national teams changing rooms in 2002 as well as other memorabilia, photos and shirts. The highlight is the ‘Mega Vision’ TV which is like being at the game as you have a panoramic view across the the giant screen enabling you to see the whole pitch from one camera angle. More details here.

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3. Tobacco & Salt Museum, Shibuya – It may sound dull, particular to a non-smoker and small consumer of salt products, but this is one of those quirky little museums that is perhaps deserving of just being able to say you’ve been there! The collection of cigarette packets from around the world is actually quite interesting as are some of the traditional ukiyo-e picture cards. More details here.

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4. Tokyo Olympic Museum, Shinjuku-ku – More commonly known as the Prince Chichibu Sports Memorial Museum this is located within the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium with exhibits including the winner’s podium from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, torches, athletic uniforms, tickets, mascots, scale models and posters providing an impressive overview of the history of the Olympic Games. It also covers other sports such as rugby and football with some of the World Club Championship memorabilia on view. More details here.

Tokyo Olympic Museum

5. Ghibli Museum, Mitaka – Hugely popular place where tickets need to be bought in advance. The museum colourfully exhibits the process of making animations and there is an interesting 20 minute anime film to watch on your arrival. As well as the Miyazaki animated stuff, there are some exhibits relating to ‘Wallace and Gromit’ and ‘Morph’ of 1980’s Childrens BBC ‘Hartbeat’ fame! More details here.

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6. Nihon Minkaen, Tama-ku – A rare opportunity to walk through and experience ancient Edo period style architecture first hand. These valuable historic creations have been relocated from all over Japan and feature a variety of buildings such as farmhouses, a water mill, a kabuki stage, a ferryman’s hut and an exhibition hall featuring your more common museum-type stuff displays. More details here.

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7. NHK Musuem of Broadcasting, Shibuya – Public broadcaster NHK runs tours of the sets used for their TV programmes. The majority of it is in Japanese but there is the chance to be a newsreader with an English auto cue so you too can speak in a dull, uninterested voice whilst reading some fake headlines! More details here.

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8. Omiya Bonsai Museum, Omiya – The perfect place for you to indulge yourself in the passion of Mr Miyagi of ‘Karate Kid‘ fame! This place has been open since 2010 and has displays of bonsai pots, suiseki (beautifully shaped) stones, pictures, historical bonsai materials and of course the bonsai trees themselves. This is just one of quite a few bonsai places in the area making up what is known as Omiya Bonsai Village. More details here.

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9. Shin Yokohama Ramen Museum, Shin Yokohama – “There’s a ramen museum in Yokohama?! You’re kidding me!” are Abby’s (the late Brittany Murphy) words in ‘The Ramen Girl‘ (2008) when asked if she’s been there. There really is one and it’s got a Showa 33 (1958?) re-production inside the place which claims to be the first food amusement park to be created anywhere in the world. More details here.

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10. Star Case, Koenji – Technically this isn’t a Star Wars museum but it goes pretty close to being one with (far more than this one!) with this fairly small shop being stuffed full of the thousands and thousands of LucasFilm merchandise goods that have been made over the years. And of course they can all be purchased! More details here.

Star Wars Shop In Tokyo!

* Honorary mentions go to Tokyo Subway Museum, Tokyo Fire Museum, Yebisu Beer Museum, JCII Camera Museum, Museum of Tin Toys, Kite Museum, Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Tsukuda Toy Museum, Tobu Museum of Transport & Culture, Tepco Electric Energy Museum, Sumo Museum.

Posted in Japan Life, Tokyo Daytripper: | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

TF Top 10……Music Videos Filmed In Japan

Posted on June 10, 2014 by tokyofox

One of the most popular articles on Tokyo Fox over the years has been a feature called ‘Turning Japanese – Songs About Japan’ which was written in 2008 (and constantly updated since!) about international artists often feeling the need to put pen to paper and write some lyrics about their Japanese experiences. Many of these have often just been album tracks or b-sides but some have been released as singles but it seems that very few of them made their promotional videos in Japan. However, other artists have filled that void by shooting their videos in the land of the rising sun despite their songs not having anything too Japanese in their names or lyrics.

Here, in no particular order, is the Tokyo Fox top 10 (well 12 to be exact!) music videos filmed in Japan and sadly there’s no space for Avril Lavigne’s recent (s)hit ‘Hello Kitty‘!!

1. Manic Street Preachers – Motorcycle Emptiness (1992): One can only assume that the line “under neon loneliness” refers to the famous neon lights of Tokyo city and so it was felt that the video should also be set in and around Tokyo. The decision to film in Japan was a last minute one so without permits to film in the streets the band and an entirely Japanese crew (with the aid of an interpreter) directed the video guerrilla-style, whereby they had to stay one step ahead of the local police force as they filmed in Shibuya and Yokohama. Click here for more details on the exact locations. Watch it here.

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2. Beastie Boys – Intergalactic (1998): I remember this one for the bright Japanese construction worker koji (uniforms) which the band wore in Shinjuku and Shibuya stations. It is a parody of Japanese kaiju (monster) films and revolves around a giant robot causing destruction by fighting a giant octopus-headed creature in a Tokyo. It was made in late June 1998 and won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop video. Watch it here.

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3. The Killers – Read My Mind (2007): Japanese TV character Gachapin; a green, bucktoothed dinosaur, featured in the video interacting with the band as they went around the streets of Shinjuku and Asakusabashi where, at the latter, they rode some unusual bicycles. Click here for more details on the exact locations. Watch it here.

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4. Muse – Panic Station (2013): The original video irked many YouTube users as it featured the rising sun flag in the intro which was originally used as the war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army until the end of WW II and is considered offensive by some who associate it with Japanese militarism. However, after an apology from the band it was later replaced with the Japanese flag. Whilst in Tokyo in January 2013 during their ’2nd Law’ tour they filmed on the streets of Shibuya and at Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho district. Click here for more details on the exact locations. Watch it here.

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5. Madonna – Jump (2006): Shot in Tokyo during her Confessions Tour stopover this 4th single from the ‘Confessions On A Dance Floor‘ (2005) album see Madonna in a platinum blonde bob wig and a black leather garment singing the song in front of a number of neon signs. The video also featured dancers who performed the physical discipline parkour. It really is difficult to make out where the parkour scenes were shot but it seems like some of the video at least was filmed in Shinjuku. Watch it here.

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6. The Police – So Lonely (1980): Originally released in 1978 this wasn’t a hit until it was re-released and Sting and co must have been some of the first international artists to film their video in Tokyo. Street scenes from Hong Kong also featured and they were all edited together. Mita station on the Toei Mita and Asakusa lines was used as the band were seen walking up and down the train as well as on the platform. Watch it here.

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7. DJ Fresh – The Feeling (2012): The music video theme seems to be all about youth and fulfilment and the feeling of ecstasy whilst these young people ride around the streets of Shinjuku, Harajuku and Ueno on relatively futuristic mopeds. Click here for more details on the locations. Watch it here.

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8. Kaiser Chiefs – Man On Mars (2011): The video consists mostly of the Kaisers trip to Japan including footage of fans singing karaoke and some brief clips of their performance at the Fuji Rock Festival in 2011. This is all inter-dispersed with footage following Atsushi Takata, a Japanese fan of the band, around Tokyo and then on his way to and from the festival via bus. Click here for mored details on the exact locations. Watch it here.

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9. Black Eyed Peas – Just Can’t Get Enough (2011): Filmed just a week before the 2011 Tohoku earthquake on March 11th this video was shot guerrilla-style as seems to be the norm when it comes to filming in the capital city due to the strict restrictions and regulations. Maybe this is why we so often see Tokyo portrayed on screen from hotel room windows and in the back of cars like Fergie and will.i.am respectively. Taboo sings his verse while walking Shibuya. It also includes the city’s rail network and nightlife. Watch it here.

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10. Elastica – Car Song (1995): Shinjuku features yet again as this popular mid-90’s English indie band made a video which is supposedly a futuristic thriller combining elements of ‘Blade Runner‘ and Japanese monster films. The song is about having sex in a car and sees the band driving around the neon-lit streets of Tokyo whilst also doing some crazy plastic gun play in the narrow alleys of Golden Gai. Some scenes were also shot in the concourse of Shinjuku-sanchome station. Watch it here.

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Bonus: Shampoo – Delicious (1994): Popular in the mid-90’s for a couple of big hits, this British female duo were the band that actually brought the term ‘big in Japan’ to my ears for the first time. This was filmed on the streets of Shibuya, particularly Center-Gai street, and also in the back of a limo being driven around neon-lit Tokyo. Watch it here.

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Japan Bonus Track: Clean Bandit Ft Jess Glynne – Rather Be (2014): Sod’s law that as soon as I posted this entry on the net someone told me of this rather good tune which became number one in the UK. The video features Japanese actress Haruka Abe appearing as a fan of the band going about her daily life as a chef whilst having  hallucinations of band members appearing unexpectedly throughout. The video was made by the electronic group themselves in just under a week including guerrilla-style dancing in the train with the extras. Locations used include Tsukiji fish market, a yakitori bar and Shinjuku station. Watch it here.

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Honorary Mentions: (courtesy of the comments section below! Thanks very much to all those who have informed me of these videos. Much appreciated) 

Phil Collins – Take Me Home (1986). Watch it here

Europe – Let The Good Times Rock (1989). Watch it here

N-Trance Ft Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? (1997). Watch it here

El Presidente – Turn This Thing Around (2006). Watch it here

Oasis – Acquiesce (2006). Watch it here

Katy Perry – Simple (2007). Watch it here

Kanye West – Stronger (2009). Watch it here

Lazee Ft Neverstore – Hold On (2009). Watch it here

Backstreet Boys – Bigger (2009). Watch it here

Tiesto and Sneaky Sound System – I Will Be Here (2009). Watch it here

Calvin Harris Ft Ne-Yo – Let’s Go (2012). Watch it here

Sub Focus Ft Kele – Turn It Around (2013). Watch it here

Will.i.am Ft Justin Bieber – #thatPOWER (2013). Watch it here

R5 – (I Can’t) Forget About You (2014). Watch it here

Carly Rae Jepsen – Run Away With Me (2015). Watch it here

Honne & Izzy Bizu – Someone That Loves You (2016). Watch it here

Clean Bandit Ft Demi Lovato – Solo (Japan Edition). Watch it here

If you know any more music video’s filmed in Japan then please let me know in the comments and I’ll add them. Thanks.

Posted in Japan Filming Locations, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , | 54 Comments

World Cup Opening Titles: Japan/Korea 2002

Posted on June 7, 2014 by tokyofox

Whenever there’s a World Cup on the horizon the media tend to look back at past tournaments and so, as a Japanese based website, this as a good opportunity to look back at the 2002 tournament which Japan co-hosted alongside neighbours South Korea. Tokyo Fox is going to take a deeper look at the opening titles for both the BBC and ITV coverage and dissect it with regard to what images of Japan were shown.

You can watch the BBC opening titles here and the ITV ones here.

This was a World Cup which I absorbed like no other as I had just returned from a long backpacking trip and so was free to consume each and every game live (despite the early morning kick offs in UK time) as well as the highlights shows and a lot of the BBC Radio 5 Live output too. I was very keen to see both the host countries play but particularly Japan as I had met many great Japanese guys during my year in Australia. I had also sounded out the possibility of moving to the country to work as a teacher either on the JET programme or for Nova. It would take another 15 months or so for me to finally get round to doing the latter though!

Now, I’m usually happy to see the World Cup games whichever side they’re being shown on though of course the BBC always wins out when the two go to head to head which they did for England’s 2nd round and quarter final games as well as the final of course. The fact that BBC presenter (and former Foxes striker!) Gary Lineker lived in Japan for a couple of years in the early 90’s when he was plying his trade with Nagoya Grampus Eight gave the beeb that extra insight into football and life in the Far East not that they really ever need such an advantage as being commercial-free is always gonna win the ratings war at the end of the day.

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Faithless provided the theme tune to the BBC’s coverage as a sample of their 3rd single ‘Tarantula‘ from the 2001 album ‘Outrospective‘ played over the top as exotic images from Korea and Japan were shown in a typical fast-paced and cleverly edited style. Of course all the classic and clichéd Japanese things like sumo, geisha, Mount Fuji and the shinkansen (bullet train) all feature as well as koi (carp), the Great Buddha in Kamakura, Shibuya crossing and Itsukushima shrine at Miyajima in Hiroshima-ken.

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Those iconic images were then blended in with some great clips of World Cup footballing past before culminating with the torii gate of Miyajima.

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The BBC Team: Presenters: Gary Lineker, Ray Stubbs. Commentators: John Motson, Barry Davies, Steve Wilson, Tony Gubba, Rob Maclean, Ian Gwyn Hughes. Co-Commentators: Trevor Brooking, Mark Lawrenson, Trevor Steven, Efan Ekoku, Joe Royle, Mark Bright. Pundits: Alan Hansen, Martin O’Neill, Peter Schmeichel, Ian Wright, Jamie Redknapp, Peter Reid, David O’Leary.

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Over on ITV, they yet again went down the opera route which both stations have done a lot ever since the huge success of Pavarotti and ‘Nessun Dorma‘ in Italia ’90. Their theme was ‘Madame Butterfly (One Fine Day)‘ as performed by the Opera Babes which has some reference to Nagasaki, Japan and Japanese culture though I’m not exactly sure what!

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Their opening titles feature far more football clips than the beebs with great memories of past World Cup heroes shown in the blink of an eye such as Michael Owen, Zinedine Zidane, Bobby Moore, Gazza, Pele, Nobby Stiles, Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona, David Platt, Ray Houghton, Dunga, David Beckham, Gerd Muller and Marco Tardelli,

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Whereas the BBC had places in Japan in their titles, ITV went for cultural images of quintessential Japanese iconography like kendo and geisha with them appearing amid a mix of players in action and all layered over cloth (Korean hanbok?) blowing about in the wind. Of course, most British people’s knowledge of Japan and Korea is fairly limited so the broadcasters can’t really be blamed for using simple images which the viewers can quickly recognise in the split second its shown on air.

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The ITV Team: Presenters: Des Lynam, Bob Wilson, Matt Smith, Gabby Logan. Commentators: Clive Tyldesley, Peter Drury, Jon Champion, Guy Mowbray, Peter Brackley. Co-commentators: Ron Atkinson, Jim Beglin, David Pleat, Graham Taylor. Pundits: Terry Venables, Gary Neville, Paul Gascoigne, Ally McCoist, Robbie Earle, Andy Townsend, Bobby Robson, Clive Allen, John Barnes, Barry Venison.

The 2002 World Cup will be remembered by me for the shock results and the exuberance of the locals. Despite initial concerns by some that Asia lacked a passion for football the local support contrasted such criticism as they lent their support not just to their own team but also to the other nations involved. Although the tournament was considered a triumph for Japan it was neighbours South Korea who reigned supreme in Asia by reaching the semi-finals.

* If you’re in Japan and fancy rewinding back to 2002 then there are a couple of places which may be of interest. The Japan Football Museum is in Ochanomizu and has a wealth of memorabilia and information relating to that tournament in particular.

untitled  Yokohama World Cup Final Stadium Tour

The second is the Nissan Stadium (sometimes referred to as International Stadium Yokohama) in Yokohama which played host to the final between Brazil and Germany as well as three group games. It is possible to do a stadium tour featuring a reproduction of the Brazil team’s dressing room including replica shirts and signed lockers, a warm-up training room, player hand and footprints, the usual displays of photos, balls, shirts, flags and tickets and of course you get the chance to walk out of the tunnel and go pitch side.

Posted in Japan Travel, Sport, TV Shows | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

On The Trail Of John Rain (雨) Part VI – Tokyo

Posted on June 4, 2014 by tokyofox

The hugely successful re-boots of both the Batman and 007 film series’ back in the middle of the last decade showed that their was a great thirst for such things and so the John Rain series’ of books has followed that tradition as author Barry Eisler fills in a bit of Rain’s backstory and comprehensively explains the events which forged his character, outlook and destiny. The latest novel ‘Graveyard Of Memories‘ dropped on my mat very recently (well it was waiting in my mailbox but that’s not what people say is it?!) with the blurb promising an explosive prequel to the bestselling series.

The story goes back to the Tokyo of 1972 and tells readers how Rain made the transition from the jungles of Southeast Asia to the mean streets of Tokyo. Eisler decided to concentrate the action in the eastern part of the capital which has been transformed far less than in the more cosmopolitan west. This decision was taken to use mostly existing places which have been around since at least 1972 to allow readers to visit them if they wish. Of course that was welcome news for fans like me so here is the bicycle tour I did of the city in the order I did it rather than in the chronological order they appear in the book. Page numbers refer to the time when they are first mentioned in the paperback version of the novel. * Spoilers are included below, you have been warned!

As I was awake I left the Tokyo Fox Global Operations Centre in Shinjuku-ku at 8am on the dot in the hope that I could get back early afternoon to rest and recover ahead of a busy weekend. Temperatures were already in the high 20’s at that time as two stations were clocked up within the first half hour; Akihabara (page 103) and Okachimachi (page 8) respectively. The former is where Rain goes to buy some items needed for his sento mission whilst the latter was nothing more than a place where he caught a train.

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Ameyoko (page 4) is short for Ameya-Yokochou a.k.a. Candy Alley a.k.a. America Alley. This area of Ueno is where Rain goes early doors and buys a cup of watermelon juice and then gets jumped by three men.

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It’s a very short distance to the next locale; Benten Shrine (page 285) which is in Ueno Park and is the place where Rain agrees to meet McGraw. Shinobazu Pond (287) is right next to it and its lotuses is where something pretty major happens at the end of the book which maybe I shouldn’t mention here despite my spoiler warning earlier!

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Yushima Tenmangu shrine (page 252, 260) is more commonly known as Yushima tenjin and is renowned for its plum trees and is dedicated to the kami of learning. It’s a popular place for students to come and pray before exams and as if to hammer that point home to me the shrine was full of them by the time I had located it at 3-30-1 Yushima. Rain pays a couple of visits to this shrine; he prays here before his “final test” and later returns to read some information given to him by Tatsu.

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I had been circling the Yushima area for a while beforehand trying to find Shinsuke but ultimately would leave empty handed where that particular place (an old-school izakaya) was concerned. I don’t think its fallen foul of the Eisler-curse which has resulted in many previous Rain locations closing down!

Unfortunately Hotel Apex, the Uguisudani love hotel where the tough Korean wheelchair-confined Sayaka works, doesn’t exist but there are many love hotels in that area catering for couples needing a couple of hours to get it on. It’s all a bit quiet and rather dull during the daytime but comes alive at night when the back alleys full of cheap love hotels do their main business!

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The north entrance of JR Uguisudani station (page 128) is where Rain and Sayaka meet up on their date before he whisks her away (via van) to see some live jazz at a club in Kabukicho, the neon heart of Shinjuku.

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Next up was the enormous Yanaka Cemetery (page 228) where Rain’s emerging tactical acumen comes to fruition as he takes down three yakuza and just down the road from the cemetery is Kabaya Coffee (page 194) at 6-1-29 Yanaka. This is a two-storey wooden structure standing on the corner where Rain collects a file taped to the underside of a counter seat. The place was busy so I didn’t take a break. The fact that I don’t actually drink coffee was another reason for continuing on with my mission!

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Back in 1972, Nishi Nippori (page 26) 4-chome was where Rain lived with a view (of sorts) of the Yamanote train track below which was in the process of being expended to deal with the growing population.

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Distances between locations had been very short up until now and whilst another 4 miles north-east to Kita Senju (page 79) might not seem too much it certainly felt like it as I lost my bearings en-route to the Sumida-gawa river which I had to cross. Once I was back on track I found the place and went off the main thoroughfare to discover a tangled tapestry of non-fancy unpretentious houses lining some very narrow, clustered streets. Not sure why I didn’t take any photos in this area but can hazard that tiredness played a part but maybe the main reason my camera stayed in my bag was that there wasn’t an actual address for LDP Executive Council chairman Kakuei Ozawa’s house.

I was then very fortunate to find the next location but thanks to a very kind local lady I found myself following her on bicycle as she led me to the correct address. It’s fair to say that such oba-san have felt the wrath of my rage on twitter before so maybe next time I’ll think back to this example of kindness before I sound off! I had obviously got my numbers mixed up when writing down the address or it is indeed wrong on many sites. The actual address is 32-6 Kotobuki-cho and the place is Daikoku-yu sento (page 81 & 117) where the bathtub fatality of a certain LDP person occurs. It’s open from 3pm to midnight (450 yen) which meant that I was sadly way too early to take a much needed soak!

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Following a meeting with McGraw, Rain ends up eventually at Sumida Park (page 195) alongside the river (and now opposite the 634 metre high Tokyo Sky Tree) where he sat down to read a file of some sort. It should be noted that parks in Tokyo are rarely ever the green grassy types many westerners expect but are just asphalt or sand surfaces amid some trees.

The final port of call on this day is Kamiya Bar (page 12) which is located on the corner of the two main roads which take thousands of people each day between the station and the highly popular Senso-ji Temple. Rain meets McGraw here at the start of the story. It’s address is quite easy to remember as its 1-1-1 Asakusa!

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That may have been the last stop but it should be noted that whilst completing all the stops is one thing getting back home is another and my arse is very sore as I cycle on 6.5 miles more to get home just after 2.30pm where I am annoyed to discover that the Runkeeper app (which should track the whole days course) has inadvertently paused at some point. That point happened to be the furthest place which was Kita Senju so given that up until then I had done 35 km I can probably assume I did about 70km in total which aint a bad days work!

Next: ‘On The Trail Of John Rain (雨) Pt VII’ featuring the remaining Tokyo locations in Rain #8 a.k.a. ‘Graveyard Of Memories‘ (2014)

For other John Rain entries please click on the following:

Rain Fall Film  Rain Fall Film Review  Prelude  Part I  Part II  Part III  Part IV  Part V  Part VII

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Tokyo Daytripper: Out & About In Ota

Posted on June 1, 2014 by tokyofox

When I first started dating my girlfriend she lived with her parents in Ota-Ku (Ota City) and it wasn’t too long before I was invited to her neck of the woods to meet her family. Apart from the similar wordplay involved in Ota-Ku and otaku (geek or nerd) I knew nothing of this southern part of the capital. Even after a fair few visits down that way I was still none the wiser so a few years on I thought it was time to see if there’s more to the city than just playing host to Haneda Airport!

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It was on a Sunday back in April that we took a trip to Senzoku-ike which is six stops away from Gotanda on the Tokyu Ikegami line. We walked around its huge scenic pond which is supposed to be something of a “power spot” if you believe in that kind of thing. Senzoku translates literally as “washing feet” and the name was bestowed on it thanks to a legendary monk washing his feet in the pond once!

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When we were there the cherry blossoms were just starting to dwindle but there were still a few parties taking place in the vicinity. Whilst nothing spectacular, the pond was a pleasant enough area full of enough things (bridges, carp, shrines, strange signs, statues etc) to keep one busy for a nice Sunday afternoon stroll.

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A further six stops along the same local train line is Ikegami station and from there its about a 10 minute walk to its main sight; Ikegami Honmonji Temple. The aforementioned monk spent his final days in this temple (possibly just at this spot as the temple may have been built after his death. I’m not really sure!) which has the oldest five storied pagoda in the Kanto region of Japan.

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Kuzumochi is a local delicacy and is a sweet Japanese dessert. It’s basically mochi cakes, made of kuzuko (starch from the Japanese Arrowroot plant), then served chilled and topped with kinako and black sugar. We bought some from one of the many shops selling it en-route to the temple which is located at the top of many, many steps! The good news is that entry is free once you have conquered the 96 steps!

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Widely spread across the top of a large hill, this temple has a very peaceful and relaxing feeling as well as some nice views of the city below. The humbling 28 metre high Honden (main building) is enormous and stands at the end of a spacious open area. It had to be rebuilt in 1964 as it failed to survive the fires and bombings of Tokyo in World War II.

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However, down the path to the right is the red, 5-story pagoda; a precious and old architecturally styled building which miraculously survived the the fires caused by air raids during WWII. It is 29.4 metres high, was built in 1608 and is surrounded by a graveyard full of cherry blossom trees which is quite a famous place for people to come and see in Spring. We sampled the aforementioned Kuzumochi here which was ok but a bit too sweet with me thanks mainly to all the syrup and powder it was buried under.

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All in all it was nice to explore these lesser known neighbourhoods and escape the ever-present crowds whilst still remaining in Tokyo. I wanted to go to Kamata Onsen which is famous for its kuroyu (black hot spring water). It’s supposed to be good for your skin but we sadly ran out of time for that as well as trying shio-yakisoba (featuring symbolic Ota-city ingredients seaweed and clams) so that will have to wait for another occasion.

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TF Top (Double Oh) 7……Hotels Featured In James Bond Movies

Posted on May 28, 2014 by tokyofox

Hotels have played a major part in the James Bond series of films over the last 50+ years with the secret agent going around the world on his many missions whilst splurging on many a fine hotel. Now, everyone’s favourite secret agent hasn’t always stayed in the accommodation listed here but they have all featured in the movies at some point. The cost of spending a night in one of these hotels varies quite a bit and one needs to be seriously minted to afford some of these places! With a slight twist on the usual TF Top 5/10…… series’ we bring you the top (double oh) seven (see what we’ve done there!) places to stay for one to follow in the footsteps of James Bond.

1. Hotel New Otani (from $217 per night), 4-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo 102-0094, Tokyo, JAPAN.

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You Only Live Twice (1967) – This hotel in Chiyoda-ku plays the part of Osato Chemicals exterior for a few brief moments on 24, 28, 36 and 41 minutes respectively. The nearest station is Akasaka-Mitsuke. Its small, but peaceful gardens round the back are worth a visit for anyone wishing to take a break from the concrete jungle. More details here

2. Riviera Hotel & Casino (from $21 per night), 2901 Las Vegas Boulevard South, USA.

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Diamonds Are Forever (1971) – Bond may have stayed at the Tropicana but its the Riviera which plays a more important part in the film. This is where he wins $50,000 and the opportunistic Plenty O’Toole (Lana Wood) who he takes back to his room where gang members ambush them and throw O’Toole off a high rise balcony into a pool below not that they knew there was a pool there! This has been parodied a couple of times; in ‘The A-Team‘ TV series and more recently in ‘The Wolverine‘ (2013). Martin Scorsese’s ‘Casino‘ (1995) used this place as the fictitious Tangier casino. More details here

3. The Peninsula (from $604 per night), Salisbury Road, HONG KONG.

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The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) – Just a stones throw from the ferry terminal on Kowloon in Tsim Sha Tsui is this hotel (seen on 27 minutes) which is where Bond tracks down Scaramanga’s mistress Miss Andreas Anders’ who had been collecting gold bullets at a Macau casino room. It is room 602 where he puts pressure on her to inform him of Scramanga’s appearance and plans. More details here

4. Hotel Danieli (from $893 per night), Riva degli Schiavoni, 30122 Venezia, ITALY.

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Moonraker (1979) –  Situated round the corner from St Mark’s Square, the Hotel Danieli is where Dr Goodhead (Lois Chiles) stayed in Venice. It could also be seen in ‘The Tourist‘ (2010) which featured Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie as well as former James Bond actor Timothy Dalton. The interior was also the inspiration for the tiny studio-built sinking palazzo used at the end of ‘Casino Royale‘ (2006) which can be seen on the DVD extras. More details here

5. Langham Hilton (from $605 per night), 1C Portland Place, Westminster, London W1B, UK.

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GoldenEye (1995) – As Tokyo Fox reported back in March many Bond locations have been faked with Russia being a prime example in the first outing for Pierce Brosnan as 007. This hotel in London doubled up as the “Grand Hotel Europe.” More details here

6. Mandarin Oriental Hotel (from $39 per night), 48 Oriental Ave Alley, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, THAILAND.

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The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) – Bond (Roger Moore) is reunited with his British assistant Mary Goodnight (Britt Ekland) at this place on 65 minutes whereby they share dinner. Inevitably their evening is interrupted! Anders (Maud Adams) tells Bond that she wants him to kill Scaramanga and will pay him at a boxing venue the next day. More details here

7. Instituto Nacional de Cultura (National Institute of Culture), Calle 1a Oeste, Caso Viejo, Panama City, PANAMA.

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Quantum Of Solace (2008) – As you may gather from the name of this one, it isn’t actually a hotel but the “Andean Grand Hotel” in Bolivia where Bond (Daniel Craig) takes MI6 officer Strawberry Fields (Gemma Arterton) to having been unhappy with her original choice as part of their cover. More details here

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Kyushu Trip 2014 Pt VII: We Got Very Lucky To See The Wonderful Mount Aso On A Rare Clear Day

Posted on May 23, 2014 by tokyofox

Our final day in Kyushu brought about some great fortune as we were able to see Mount Aso very clearly amid great conditions whereas the day before had been shrouded in mist. Mount Aso is the largest volcano in Japan and among the largest in the world. The first observation lookout was at Daikanpou which is the highest point to be able to view the whole caldera (large volcanic crater). The scenery was awesome with some splendid views of the greenery in the area.

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Mount Aso consists of five peaks and the view of the peaks from this place is likened to a buddha lying down to die (Nehan-zo) though why they have to add the dying bit on the end I don’t know! Why can’t it just resemble a buddha just resting?!

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No pictures to show but I did eat horse-meat (ba-niku) as my girlfriend bought a stick of it from a vendor as we returned to the car park at Daikanpou. Whilst there was a huge furore around horse-meat in the UK early last year, the reaction in Japan was one of surprise as its fairly common to eat it here. I’m afraid to say that I liked it a lot but can’t see myself making a habit of eating it too much!

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The next stop was across the road from the Aso Volcano Museum. Kusasenri-ga-hama is a vast plain with cows grazing on the grass covering the area. The main attraction here didn’t seem to be the beautiful flattened crater of an ancient volcano but the chance to sit on a horse whilst circling a very short and simple course!

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Not far from there was the Nakadake crater which was shaped over 20,000 years ago and was is actually still active! A car park has been built only a minutes walk away which makes things all to convenient not that its such plain sailing as there was a tailback of cars going on and on for ever. We had to wait in traffic quite a while but the queues on our descend were way longer!

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Mt. Nakadake is located within the caldera that is 25 km in diameter. Nakadake’s crater itself is 600 metres in diameter, 130 metres deep and has a circumference of 4 km. This Grand Canyon-esque place emits smoke and due to the presence of toxic volcanic gas the crater is sometimes restricted. People with respiratory problems such as me with asthma, are actually told to refrain from approaching the crater at any time but of course I ignored that warning which I guess is just a disclaimer to save them from law suits.

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The yellow rock-looking things below, which are supposedly good for preventing cockroaches, bugs, ants and so on, were being sold at a stall for 200 yen a piece. Maybe an interesting souvenir but as there was a sign saying that they couldn’t be taken on a plane (even in checked luggage) it certainly wasn’t worth bothering with.

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The sign below says worlds number one volcano although I’m not exactly sure what its referring to! Biggest? Best?! For me, it was certainly a spectacular place and given what we were told about the previous days visibility being pretty much non-existent, we felt very lucky to have seen it in such glorious conditions.

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The small, picturesque, green volcanic cone shaped slope (below) of Kome-zuka (954m) was seen a few times throughout the day and as we exited the Nakadake area we pulled over to catch a final glimpse of its beauty. The name actually means ‘rice mound’ and its another extinct volcano.

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We then went to Aso Farm Land which was ultimately very disappointing for all of us, especially my girlfriends dad who said that it had change a lot since he last went many many years earlier. This was a health theme resort with huge massive crowds of people, restaurants galore, souvenir shops aplenty, many photo opportunities, lots of baths, spas and other such amenities. Basically, it had all the makings of your typical Japanese tourist trap but I couldn’t quite get why this place was so popular! As we had Momiji with us it was a tad difficult to find somewhere to have lunch so we ended up just buying some yaki-soba, beer and the huge turkey drumstick (below) which we consumed at one of the many outside tables. It was still nice enough but not quite what we had in mind!

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There was time for one more onsen at Uinasu hot springs (400 yen entry) in the early evening before dinner which meant leaving Momiji alone at the hotel. Whilst the previous onsen had been fairly small, quiet affairs this one was a busy place with a sauna, two outdoor and four indoor pools (both electric and herb ones) and there was even an ice-cold pool which I managed to brave for a few seconds before returning to the hot baths. A nice relaxing way to bring the curtain down on a great trip around a part of the country I’d never seen but hope to visit again.

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Kyushu Trip 2014 Pt VI: Aso-san Area

Posted on May 19, 2014 by tokyofox

I think its fair to say that the western attitude to bathing fully naked in public with strangers is different to that of Asian people who have grown up with such customs like onsen (hot springs) and sento (public bathhouses). Japanese people don’t seem to have any problems with seeing colleagues, friends and family (of the same sex) without their clothes on but the British stance on going au natural with other members of the same sex (in non-gay ways) isn’t quite the same. With that in mind I can’t say I was ever too keen to share a bath with my prospective father-in-law but having dodged one bullet in Amakusa I knew it was only a matter of time before it happened.

So having started the day in Amakusa we arrived in the beautifully landscaped Aso-san area late morning and on discovering that the restaurant my father-in-law wanted to visit had actually been closed for five years, we made alternative plans. A quick sauna and onsen was taken where we were the only ones present and all my pre-conecpetions about being naked alongside the man whose daughter I’m marrying were laid to rest. I really needn’t have worried about it at all.

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We were all absolutely starving by the time we arrived at a local soba (noodles) restaurant in the middle of nowhere. With some wonderful views outside the window we sucked up the delicious noodles in no time and then moved on to our next destination.

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Shirakawa Yoshimi-jinja is far more than a nice little shrine tucked away amid plenty of greenery for it possesses the Shirakawa-Suigen fountainhead (or is it the fountainhead which possesses the shrine?!) which is an amazing pond yielding an abundance of good, clear, quality water. It really is amazing that you can actually drink the water and they even sell empty bottles (which you can properly cap like a bottle bought in a shop) that you can fill with the water using the funnels which are provided.

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My hot-spring bathing accomplice really wanted to take me and his daughter (a.k.a. my fiancée) to Tatta Aso Sannomiya jinja (more commonly known simply as Aso Shrine) which is the most noted Shinto shrine in Kumamoto prefecture.

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It’s been a place of worship going back to the 600’s and many visitors come to appeal to the local deity for a number of things. Our main reason for visiting was that it has a pine tree that is believed to bestow good fortune in marriage. For this to truly work we had to walk around the tree twice as you can see some girls doing in the picture below.

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After that we headed off to our lodgings for the night amid some spectacular scenery. I was keen to stop for photographs but knew that I would have to hold tight and wait for the following day when we’d get to see Mount Aso up close.

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Kyushu Trip 2014 Pt V: Lavish Seafood & Sights In The City of The 17th Century Christian Rebellion

Posted on May 16, 2014 by tokyofox

On leaving Kumamoto City behind we headed south to on to Amakusa to stay at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) for the night. This place is a series of islands off the west coast of Kyushu and the drive there was particularly nice as we drove over a number of bridges which connect the islands. Sadly, there’s no photos to prove that as the beauty was only seen from the car window!

My girlfriends parents had booked us (including Momiji the dog) all in to a place which is mean feat in itself as dogs are rarely ever allowed to stay in these places. This particular ryokan had it’s own private beach (of sorts) which allowed for a late afternoon amble over  the rocks that lay between the red bridge and our lodgings for the night.

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The highlight of our stay was the lavish seafood evening meal featuring a full octopus, giant-sized shrimp, ise-ebi (big lobster), extravagantly decorated hirame (halibut) and some other types of sashimi. I’m pretty sure I’ve never eaten such delicacies and I’m very grateful to my future in-laws for treating us to this.

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It’s customary in Japanese ryokan to have an onsen or two (or just a communal bath if there’s no natural hot spring water in the area) and that means changing into the yukata afterwards which we’re all wearing in the photos.

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Breakfast the following morning was a very traditional Japanese one and though dishwashers are fairly common place these days (not in our house though for it is me who is the dish-washer!) I pity those who used to have to wash-up the dozens of dishes that each and every person used! I had a quick onsen (hot spring) after that and then we departed as there was one stop to make before heading north to the Aso-san area.

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Amakusa Shiro Memorial Hall was an expensive (600 yen entry) place to enter but actually quite interesting as the city is the site of the Christian rebellion in the 17th century whereby the surviving Christians continued to practice their faith in secret despite persecution.

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