England 2013 Pt II: Starting Off In London

Posted on August 17, 2013 by tokyofox

Following a fairly rough and ever-lasting transit flight on the longest birthday ever (8/8) I was back in England with a whole one day to spend in the nations capital before heading back to my parents house. Of course I would be back in London later in the trip for a few more days but I was keen to do as many of the sights as possible as our return would include meeting up with a few people meaning less time on the tourist circuit.

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Waterloo station is always a good place to start any jaunt around London as it takes in many of the sights in quick succession. Starting with the London Eye, you then see the view across the River Thames to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben (above) not to mention perennial tourist pleasers like double decker buses and black cabs. It was an ideal place to throw my girlfriend right into the heart of London and the temperature, as we walked across Westminster Bridge, was certainly different to the hot and humid conditions we’re accustomed to in Tokyo!

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We continued down Whitehall going past Horse Guards Parade (above) before encountering Nelson’s Column and Trafalgar Square (below) where we slipped inside the National Gallery for a very short time which was certainly not for a love of art but for something that will appear in a future Tokyo Fox blog entry!

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The most recent addition to Trafalgar Square is a giant French cock! Ah so many potential jokes in that but its actually a big blue cockerel (above) which had only recently been unveiled by London Mayor Boris Johnson on the square’s Fourth Plinth. We strolled on from there to Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square where we had lunch and I realised why British food maybe gets such a bad rap. Home cooking is very good BUT most tourists don’t encounter this and instead settle for paying over-the-top prices for simple food (burgers, pizza’s, pasta etc) outside the city’s attractions.

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After lunch we walked fairly aimlessly before ending up in Covent Garden and then on Oxford Street and by the time we had walked the length of that we were fairly tired and had to head back to my sisters house to have a birthday dinner at the ‘Bishop Out Of Residence’ pub in Kingston which sits on the banks of the Thames and has a good view of Kingston Bridge. No sooner had our London trip begun and it had been taken away from us as we had to return to my hometown the following morning but we would be back!

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Posted in Euro Travel, Family | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

England 2013 Pt I: “I Was George First”

Posted on August 14, 2013 by tokyofox

Having last seen my nephew George at the start of January last year when he was a nine month old baby I was very much looking forward to seeing him up and walking and talking when I stayed with my sister (his mother) and her husband for a few nights on my recent trip to London. I wasn’t really expecting him to know who the hell I was but surprised to know that he did actually know my name and boy did he like to use it! Not as much as his own name though as he can only speak in the third person for he hasn’t quite mastered his personal pronouns which are of course far easier to use!

When the name George was banded about as being the most likely name for the royal baby last month I was not happy as it would mean a period of connections and comparisons. I guess he doesn’t mind though as he’s no doubt getting a little bit more attention and of course it means that he get the chance (not that he knows it!) to wear such comical t-shirts like the one pictured below which his daddy bought him.

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George loves his trains and particularly Thomas the Tank Engine and seems to know just about all the dozens and dozens of other characters. Ever keen to be a popular uncle (I don’t have any competition!) I pounced on his train fascination with some purchases of transport stickers and a Shinkansen (bullet train) train set which came in three parts and cost a whopping 315 yen! Thankfully, he liked it and played with it a lot….until my mum and dad arrived a week later with a newer train!!

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Posted in Euro Travel, Family | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Review: Films Set In Japan – The Wolverine (2013)

Posted on August 10, 2013 by tokyofox

Typical eh! You wait ages for a new film set in Japan to be released and then two come out at once! ‘Emperor‘ (2013) hit Japanese cinema screens on July 27th and this sixth installment in the X-Men film series had a worldwide release the day before that. Of course ‘The Wolverine‘ is yet to be shown on the big screen here but Tokyo Fox managed to get access to an exclusive pre-screening of it.

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Now before I start, I do have to say that I have never read any X-Men or Marvel comics so my knowledge of this character is perhaps more limited than others. However, I did do my homework beforehand in one sense as I watched the previous five X-Men films in anticipation of this release and my visit to the temple where the funeral scene was filmed. I can’t say that I was too enthralled by those movies but I was very much absorbed by the  Logan/Wolverine character and, unlike many others, I actually didn’t mind the 2009 ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine‘ film

‘Wolverine Samurai‘ as its titled here takes place after ‘X-Men: The Last Stand‘ (2011) and in a sense the movies opening storyline is very true to the heart of X-Men as the U.S. drops the bomb on Nagasaki in WWII. This particular event on 9th August, 1945 led to anxiety of the atom age breaking and the possibility of radiation and mutation affecting people. As  most of the soldiers commit suicide Logan saves a soldier named Yashida. Many years later, Yashida is a rich technology entrepreneur and still ever grateful for being saved, he invites Logan (via Yukio) to Japan because he’s dying from the radiation he was exposed to. He offers Logan the chance to become mortal if he promises to protect his grand-daughter, Mariko from the Yakuza. It’s an appealing offer for someone who feels his gift has been a bit of a curse recently.

Huge action star Hugh Jackman is always charming and charismatic in interviews and his portrayal of the ageless character is fantastic…. and a good job too as the film almost never leaves Wolverine’s side! Three female characters feature prominently with Yukio being the most interesting one; a ninja with the gift of seeing the future who acts as “bodyguard” to him as she calls it during the movie. Mariko (Tao Okamoto) was not so memorable for me and just a standard damsel in distress. The third is the venomous Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova) who I didn’t really get into and thought she could have been utilised better.

I did find the film to include a few too many ninja fight scenes but I guess that’s what the kids want to see! Fights on top of moving trains have long been a feature of movies but the one on the bullet train from Ueno station was pretty exciting stuff not that any of the passenger extra’s seemed too bothered about all the destruction and devastation! What I did find of interest was the nod to a small scene in ‘Diamonds Are Forever‘ (1971) with someone being thrown over a high-rise balcony into a pool below by someone who didn’t know there was a pool there! Homage was also paid to Akira Kurosawa’s1957 film ‘Throne of Blood‘ (or is it just more a case of it not being too original lacking in ideas!) when the Wolverine is halted by the arrows of archers and turned into a pin-cushion.

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Japan is principally the backdrop for the majority of the flick with filming taking place at Tokyo Tower and Zojoji Temple as I revealed back in May but I should add that quite a few of the ‘Japan’ scenes were shot in New South Wales in Australia. Naturally, the cinematography was one of the films highlights for me in a film with plenty of plot loopholes and things that just don’t add up such as his memory but I guess you’ve gotta suspend belief a little bit when watching such films anyway. X-Men films always have a post credit scene and this one was no exception but I don’t really like these cheap ways of promoting the next film in the franchise with some vague ending.

Tokyo Fox Rating 7/10

Posted in Japan Filming Locations, Review: Films Set In Japan | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

Tokyo Daytripper: Ichikawa Zoo

Posted on August 7, 2013 by tokyofox

I’ve been on the lookout for things to do along the Sobu Line for a while now and when I came across a video on YouTube the other week about some cute otters at Ichikawa Zoo that place was planted in my mind. With the weather better than expected a couple of  weekends ago my girlfriend and I hopped on a train and travelled 40 minutes east to Ichikawa where we were gonna hook up with my mate Chris and his girlfriend Helen who had only just returned to Japan.

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Sadly I forgot to do my research in advance and just a few stops before Ichikawa we realised that the zoo wasn’t actually close to that station! Thankfully it didn’t bugger things up too much as it was just a few stops further on and a quick change to the Musashino Line (also JR) before we were at Ichikawa-ono which is the nearest station to the zoo. However, its still not within walking distance from there so the four of us jumped into a taxi and continued on to our destination. The cost was only 1000 yen so it wasn’t much more than the irregular bus service which is around 200 yen per person.

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We arrived at about 3.15pm and with the place closing at 4.30pm (last entry is at 4pm) we had enough time to go round everything at a leisurely pace rather than rushing round which is what I thought we may have had to do! The cost of entry is 420 yen for adults and 100 yen for children.

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The aforementioned YouTube video (which you can see here) brought this zoo to my attention with its cute otters getting into a bit of a traffic jam on their water-pipe-constructed play thing! It took a fair bit of waiting before they finally started playing and splashing on the water pipe (below) but was worth it. Up until then they had been just swimming around the other parts and sniffing the door and fence on dry land and Chris and I had actually crossed to the other side of the path to see some other animals before returning in time.

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Ichikawa is fairly small zoo and whilst it doesn’t have the usual favourite wild animals like tigers, lions and elephants it still has many other animals with the best thing for kids being the chance to get hands-on experience of touching and playing with a range of  domesticated animals.

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Personally, I’m a fan of the lesser Panda’s (above) and there’s a sizeable amount of those to see as well as a monkey area (below) known as saru-yama a.k.a. monkey mountain.

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There’s supposedly a couple of huge orang-utan’s but I only saw one and certainly didn’t get a good picture of whichever sex it was that was sitting around above.

There’s a mini shinkansen (bullet train) which costs 100 yen and goes round the mini park (below) which is a nice little area for one to rest among a couple of stagnant giraffes!

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For the record, the Municipal Museum of Natural History in Ichikawa (above) is also located within the zoo grounds but we didn’t really have any interest (or time!) in going inside.

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Review: Films Set In Japan – Emperor (2013)

Posted on August 4, 2013 by tokyofox

Do you see that year in the title? Yes, it is this year and indeed it’s the very present and a rare opportunity for Tokyo Fox to review an actual current release! In fact, this movie will not get a UK release date for a couple more months which is the opposite of what usually happens with any western movie production being released in Japan!

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However, as its a new film I don’t think its best to reveal too much in the way of plot spoilers even though you know the historical outcome! The storyline is a fairly easy one to follow with General Bonner Fellers (Matthew Fox) being hired by General Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) to investigate Emperor Hirohito’s role during WWII and whether he should subsequently be tried as a war criminal.

Don’t be fooled by that synopsis though as ‘Emperor‘ is not a war movie as there are no battle scenes and instead it focuses on the aftermath of the war and the true price of peace. Naturally, with all western films about Japan there is also some stuff about cultural adaptation as Fox’s character gets to grips with Japanese attitudes towards conflict, and how they differ from those embraced by people in the west. His work is further complicated by his memories of a girl called Maya (Eriko Hatsune) who he fell in love with during his college days which we see via a series of flashbacks. Not only is he searching for a conclusion within a 10 day framework to the emperor’s situation but he’s also keen to trace his lost love. Searching for two different things sees some quite touching scenes and leads him to the chef (veteran actor Toshiyuki Nishida) from ‘The Ramen Girl‘ (2008) who shares his wisdom with him.

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Jones’ portrayal of MacArthur has been the topic of much debate but I didn’t really have a problem with it and indeed thought that his mannerisms in particular were seemingly captured very well. My problem was that, despite getting top billing, he doesn’t get enough  screen time for such an important figure. MacArthur’s opinion is that his job would be far easier if Hirohito stays as emperor as he believes that with no god-like figure the Japanese people will kill themselves en masse. The powers that be in Washington see things a bit differently!

The movie was filmed in Auckland and Wellington in New Zealand as well as Tokyo itself where I assume some scenes really were filmed in the vicinity of the Imperial Palace rather than being faked in a studio somewhere. Sugamo Prison even features which has long been replaced by the Sunshine 60 building in Ikebukuro which featured in my Tokyo’s Most Haunted Sights feature last year. The wartime devastation scenes are particularly impressive and overall the cinematography was pleasing and so it should be given the generous budget of the film!

Whilst I found ‘Emperor‘ quite intriguing due to my interest in such topic matter I do think that many neutral viewers may find it a bit slow not that I can really see it attracting much of a general audience. When I watched it one afternoon, the place was almost full of ojiisan and obaasan! It’s a dialogue driven film with some interesting scenery and the interwoven love subplot helps push the movie along as a decision of huge historical importance affecting all future relations between the US and Japan is ultimately decided.

Tokyo Fox Rating 7/10

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Dining Out: I-Ran Out For Iranian Food After Watching ‘A Separation’

Posted on August 1, 2013 by tokyofox

Having just watched a foreign language flick I think most people might be tempted to go on and watch more films from that country or even book a trip to the place. The latter may usually be true for me but when the country we’re talking about is Iran it’s never gonna be that straightforward! I’ve heard great things about Iran actually, especially its people and would like to visit the country one day but for now I’ll have to settle for the next best thing. Having finally got round to watching ‘A Separation‘ (2011) I-ran out to get some ethnic cuisine as that’s the kind of persian I am!

One obvious restaurant springs to mind when it comes to Iranian restaurants in Tokyo and thats ‘Zakuro’ at 3-13-2 Nishi-Nippori. Back in 2011 I first went to this place on an  evening and slagged it off on here! That was more for my dislike of that kind of entertainment and that is still true but having returned their last year for lunch I decided it was a great place for food which kind of got forgotten about in my original entry. More on the food later.

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Now, despite all the film-related stuff here on Tokyo Fox, I really am not a film buff but I do enjoy watching foreign language movies from time to time. ‘A Separation‘ (2011) won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012 and its beauty lies with the fact that the tension and drama remains throughout without any need to resort the more commonly used gimmicks of western cinema.

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It is a sad truth that most people from English-speaking countries just will not watch foreign language films when they go to the cinema or rent a dvd. Having to actually read the subtitles in order to really understand what’s going on is one basic reason why. It’s also been suggested that subtitles require more attention and take away the viewers concentration of the action in part. Movie-goers seem to be ok with small segments of the films they watch being subtitled but it seems at times that it’s only really the film buffs who enjoy good movies whether they are subtitled or not.

The brilliant and very tense ‘Argo‘ (2012) was a three-time Academy Award winner in 2012 and having also re-watched this on dvd the other day, Iran was definitely lurking in the back of my mind somewhere. As a movie locations geek I should add that the bazaar wasn’t really in Iran but was instead the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul which also featured in ‘Skyfall‘ and ‘Taken 2‘ last year.

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That links me nicely back to Zakuro which is actually a mix of Iranian and Turkish food as well as also including some Uzbekistani cuisine too. The lunch set is a bargain 1000 yen and includes daily juice, daily kebab, soup, rice, nan, tea, Iran pasta and and a load more dishes which I struggle to recall.

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Sitting on Persian rugs which cover the floor your table is also at ground level and fairly quickly fills up as the staff bring you dish after dish as well as a Turkish fez hat!

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Having been here a few times now it really can be a bit hit or miss. Every time you go to this place the menu is a little different which is no doubt a good thing but when I took my girlfriend here recently for her maiden visit the service was a little lacking and we did get forgotten about a bit after the initial outlay of dishes given to us which it has to be said is fairly impressive. Its just that on my previous visit I was constantly inundated with extra dishes and other little bite-sized nibbles which are passed round by the waiters.

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Funnyman owner Ali is a bit of a character who usually works hard to entertain the diners, particularly the larger groups, and create a communal atmosphere in the place. Sadly, he wasn’t around so much for this recent visit which may be why it wasn’t quite up to scratch. Still, I shall definitely return again one day.

Posted in Films, Food & Drink, Middle East Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tokyo Daytripper: Top 10 Kanagawa Sights

Posted on July 29, 2013 by tokyofox

Of Tokyo’s three surrounding prefectures it’s fair to say that Kanagawa offers some of the better attractions for day trips from the capital and so this list was certainly easier to compile than the Top 10 Saitama Sights and the Top 10 Chiba Sights. However, it should be understood that there’s far more to this area than just Yokohama which is of course included.

Here then, in no particular order, are my top ten things to do in Kanagawa featuring a mix of famous sights and some hidden gems too.

1. Nihon Minka-en – A unique museum as visitors get a rare opportunity to walk through and experience ancient Edo period style architecture first hand. This folk village (below) has been reconstructed to feature a variety of buildings such as farmhouses, a water mill, a kabuki stage, a ferryman’s hut and an exhibition hall. More details here.

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2. Sarushima – The naval port city of Yokosuka is the gateway to this island. Sarushima a.k.a. Monkey Island (below) consists of a small black sand beach at one end packed full of day trippers having barbecues while the rest of the tiny island consists of vegetation surrounding the brick lined WWII tunnels and the remains of artillery positions. But are there actually any monkeys?! More details here.

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3. Enoshima – The black sand is certainly not the best, the water isn’t the clearest but there’s a charm about this place (below) and its island (connected by a bridge) is definitely worth a wander before or after the beach. The glass tower in the gardens towers above the island and is reminiscent of Scaramaga’s lair in a 007 movie! More details here.

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4. Yomiuri Land – Old fashioned theme park (below) with a standing roller-coaster (with a loop), a spaghetti-type wooden roller-coaster, a bungy jumping area and a huge floating rapid water-ride. A great day out in the sun. More details here.

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5. Kamakura – Perhaps one of the most famous day trips for tourists to do whilst visiting Tokyo. There are about 70 shrines and temples which is fine if you like that kind of thing. If you don’t, then the hiking trail from Jochi-ji temple to the 13.35 metres tall Great Buddha (below) is a very pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. More details here.

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6. The Penis Festival  – Yes, you read that correctly. More formally known as Kanamara Matsuri (below) this is the quintessential quirky festival to attend on the first Sunday each April.  More details here.

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7. Shomyoji Temple –  Faded red bridges, murky brown water full of turtles and temple buildings fringed by some lush green vegetation covering hills which make a nice, simple hike with some fine views of Yokohama’s landscape. More important than all of that, it featured in a Manic Street Preachers music video! More details here.

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8. Hakone – This place (below) may reek a bit of conveyor-belt tourism with everyone doing the same loop through the region on all manner of transport modes but if you get lucky with the weather (I never have!) then some picture-postcard views of Mount Fuji are reward for your efforts. More details here.

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9. Yokohama – Japan’s second largest city (below) has a far more continental feel about it and some actual room to breathe! A much nicer place to roam than most of Tokyo’s most famous districts. Attractions deserve a blog entry of their own (now there’s an idea!) and include Chinatown, Yamashita-koen, Cosmo World, the Ramen Museum, Nissan Stadium and the Landmark Tower. More details here.

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10. Sankei-en Gardens – Picturesque landscaped gardens (below) with walking paths around ponds  as well as some traditional tea houses and a pagoda. More details here.

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Bonus: Kurihama Hana-no-kuni (Kurihama Flower World) a.k.a. Gojira-koen – Amidst the lush, green scenery of this park there is also a huge Godzilla statue that doubles up as a kids slide. More details here

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Posted in Japan Filming Locations, Japan Travel, Tokyo Daytripper: | Tagged , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Watching Urawa Reds vs Arsenal In The Saitama Challenge Cup Final

Posted on July 26, 2013 by tokyofox

Friendlies are, and always have been fairly pointless games to watch. I have known this for a long, long time but that hasn’t usually stopped me from going to watch these games but an absence of football in the Summer can do strange things to the mind! The big game this weekend is of course Leicester City against big-spending Monaco but as that match was taking place nearly 6000 miles away I decided to plump for a closer one.

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With Arsenal in town for the Saitama Challenge Cup Final against Urawa Reds, myself and Yuji got tickets for this one as I thought it would be Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Life, Leicester City, Sport | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Review: Films Set In Japan – Battle Royale (2000)

Posted on July 21, 2013 by tokyofox

Due to overwhelming popular demand (two people!) it’s time to throw in my two cents on this Japanese movie which is included in this series owing to its popularity in the Western world. The violent ‘Battle Royale‘ (or ‘Batoru Rowaiaru‘ to give it its Japanese title and pronunciation) caused great controversy when it was originally released.

This film was first brought to my attention back in 2002 on the BBC show ‘Jonathan Ross’ Japanorama‘ (S01E02) and the story centres on an unruly high school class taken to a deserted Island for a maximum three day stay with the important word there being maximum! That’s because they have been forced by legislation to compete in a battle where they are forced to slaughter each other with only one person able to leave the island. In that sense, it has similarities to ‘Letters From Iwajima‘ (2006) and funnily enough both Iwajima and Hachijojima, where ‘Battle Royale’ was filmed, are actually both in Tokyo despite them being islands hundreds of miles away going south.

The BR Act is explained to these unwitting participants by an annoying woman giving instructions to the students via an educational video in one of those really annoying squeaky girly voices that are just not pleasant on the ears of us foreigners. The students are each given a bag with a randomly selected weapon with a few food and water rations. The man handing these bags out is none other than the aptly named Kitano-Sensei played by none other than Takeshi Kitano who is a rare phenomenon as he is the director of some very violent movies. Yet, in spite of this, he is a much loved television personality who often appears on Japanese variety shows. Oh and he’s also an artist and one of his paintings appears towards the end of this film. For anyone who thinks the kids of today need some harsh discipline then they should watch this film to realise how absurd that is!

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This kill-or-be-killed take on ‘Lord of the Flies‘ focuses on a few of the students and how they cope. Whilst some of them do decide to play the game others try to find a way to get off the Island without violence. To be honest, I did find it a little hard to really get into the characters as the majority seemingly appear for just short periods but once the numbers begin to dwindle on an hourly basis it became easier to realise that Shuya and Noriko are the main protagonists. Like many stories, there are a mix of good and bad people which can easily be characterised into geeks, outcasts and superficial bitches. I didn’t realise it at the time but one of the students is Chiaki Kuriyama whose portrayal of Takako in this film was the inspiration for her character in ‘Kill Bill: Volume I‘ (2003) where she played the schoolgirl bodyguard of O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu).

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Many people will be shocked by the unapologetic detail to graphic violence but despite all the gloom, blood and gore its a very watchable film with a comic feel in parts which moves along at a fast pace and is so compelling that it kept me hooked for 108 minutes. It is indeed quite moving at times as the characters are forced to confront such extreme circumstances amid the atmospheric tension and emotion created by a masterful soundtrack.

Tokyo Fox Rating 8/10

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Is Low Teacher Talking Time (TTT) Really All That?

Posted on July 17, 2013 by tokyofox

Do any teaching course or read any book on how to teach English as a foreign language and at some point you’ll inevitably come across something about how low TTT (teacher talking time) is essential and of upmost importance in helping the students but is it actually true and if it is, then to what extent. Is it really important or just one of those things DOS’s (Director of Studies) go on about to tick a box or two on their paperwork to justify a much larger salary than your average teacher!

The benefits of low TTT is that it can limit the amount of STT and the more the teacher the speaks the less student involvement which can lead to loss of concentration, boredom and reduced learning. Teacher explanations alone are often tedious, full of terminology and difficult to follow and there may be no indication of whether the students have understood so TTT can be eliminated for stuff which the students can find out or read by themselves. Also, if the teacher is always the dominant one its thought that learners take no responsibility for their own learning then autonomous learning is really reduced. Furthermore, a dominant teacher results in the role of the student just being a respondent who only speaks when spoken to thereby harming the development of their speaking skills.

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So anyway, back in May when I was feeling very much under the weather I basically re-learned the art of reduced TTT whilst teaching lessons with a surgical mask on. That in itself probably sounds quite strange to those reading this outside Japan but here it really is so normal and part and parcel of everyday life. Anyway, as my voice wasn’t working I had to resort to other methods to get my message across such as pointing, gesturing and using a voice recorder in kids lessons and the same in adult lessons but with additional use of the whiteboard for words, sentences and pictures.

This all worked quite well, particularly with the kids, but I could sense that some of the adults were a bit confused by it all. Of course it was all a bit weird and maybe its because they’re not used to having over 95% talking time. My students had been made aware by the receptionists that I had pretty much no voice but there obviously can come a point when TTT goes too far and could even be considered rude where the students don’t understand what the teacher is doing and instead think he or she just isn’t interested in speaking to them.

I remember years ago when I was in the midst of my TESOL course and practising some teaching techniques with afternoon classes. I tested out how long I could go without speaking and got about 25 minutes in before I spoke my first word. I was pretty pleased with myself but later in the same lesson one lady did say “Can you just be normal next week please?!” Admittedly these afternoon classes are often full of hobby students rather than ones doing it out of necessity and maybe their reasons for coming to an English school are different to others. However, that line she uttered hinted at the evidence that the thinking of students may not actually be the same as what the books or bosses say.

On the aforementioned course one of my fellow participants was so good with his gesturing and limited word-use that he eventually got told to actually increase his TTT a bit for fear of coming across as almost robotic in his presentation and demonstration of the target language. Ultimately, I guess there’s gotta be a good balance between STT and TTT with the more important thing for the teacher being that the bulk of what they say being useful and important talk time.

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