Think of train stations in Japan and the mighty Shinjuku station is sure to come to mind for many people. That is the world’s busiest train station, and Japan monopolises the top 50 list with only five of them not in this country. However, at the other end of the scale are some tiny stations which are usually unstaffed and used by very few commuters.
Station: Takio
Prefecture: Continue reading
Once I’d visited Sapporo Dome for the first time back in 2015, my sights were then set on the next most appealing Japanese stadium that was used in the FIFA World Cup of 2002. Nine years later and that dream was finally realised but was the match I saw live fitting of the occasion and my presence?!
It was 22 years ago that Japan and Korea co-hosted the biggest football tournament on earth. As much as I got into that World Cup, I have to admit that I wasn’t really aware of this particular stadium in Continue reading
Replacing band members like guitarists, bassists or drummers is quite common in the music business and can often be done with minimal fuss and disruption to their look and sound. However, switching the lead singer is a different thing all together. Very few bands have continued after the frontman or woman exits the band for whatever reason whether it be illness, death, scandal or musical differences.
Four years ago, Tom Meighan departed Kasabian as a charge of assault against him was imminent. The band wanted to protect their image and so he was gone. Replacing Tom was a possibility but eventually it was decided that Continue reading
If someone told me they’d eaten ramen in the morning I’d perhaps naturally assume it was either an early lunch or a late night out. A 24 hour ramen restaurant though opens up all kind of possibilities, and given the ridiculously cheap price of this one, it would be insane to turn down the chance of having this noodle dish for breakfast!
On the back of a night in Tosu (Saga Prefecture), I made an early start the next morning and headed north to Fukuoka arriving just after Continue reading
For the first half of my life living in the UK, tennis was something that happened for two weeks a year when Wimbledon came around each summer. There was the occasional foray into other random tournaments thanks to Transworld Sport on Channel 4 early on weekend mornings in the early 90s but basically Wimbledon equalled tennis for me.
When I moved to Australia, and then Japan, other tournaments came more on my radar, particularly the other three Grand Slams. No doubt this was all helped by Andy Murray, the G.O.A.T. of British tennis, who was as successful as could be in an era featuring Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Nowadays I follow the sport pretty much all year round (it really is a long season!) and take up pretty much any chance to watch it live when it’s on in Tokyo. Earlier this year I saw Continue reading
Three of the Star Wars saga films were shot in Tunisia, and by the time I went on this movie pilgrimmage it had been eight years since filming last took place in the country for Episode II which came out a year later in 2002. It may surprise many that to visit these filming locations was actually very difficult when I went there in the late 2000s. The political unrest in the country certainly didn’t help in the intervening years but for a long time after that there were no special Star Wars package tours * and very, very few Tunisians had even heard of, let alone seen the sci-fi saga.
The wheels for this trip of a lifetime were set in motion earlier that summer when I Continue reading
The word overtourism has been used a lot in the Japanese media this year with Kyoto always the city which seems to be the most affected. People taking advantage of the weak yen and coming to Japan for their first visit are likely to hit the major sights though so when my wife suggested going there in August I really wasn’t so enthused.
However, this was for a family visit to see her brother’s family so would probably be a bit different. Admittedly, I was curious to see how crowded some of the busier tourist spots were but not enough to actually bothering with them, particularly in the tense August heat. Instead, we Continue reading
Whilst doing a bit of research about Ajiro in Shizuoka (the setting for the accalaimed TV series ‘Shōgun‘) earlier this year I came across some other well-preserved Samurai districts in Japan. One of them was located in a far-flung place that I’d never visited before but just happened to be in the process of planning a trip to.
Back in late-June I flew to Oita in the north-east of Kyushu island which is Japan’s most southerly main island. Unfortunately my flight was delayed by about 30 minutes which meant I just missed my intended local bus from the airport to the town of Continue reading
Back in 2015 I made the momentous decision to switch my baseball allegiance from Chiba Lotte Marines to Hiroshima Carp. Off the back of a trip with my wife’s parents to watch Carp in action it seemed like the right thing to do and would give me something to talk to my father-in-law about. Given that I don’t really care too much about Japan’s most popular sport though, it really wasn’t such a big deal!
Having had a look around some of the city centre in the afternoon on the day of the game, I decided to take a bus the relatively short distance east to the rather ridiculously-named Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium. Big mistake! Continue reading
Many people have no doubt often wondered what might have been when reflecting on past lovers or near-romances. They can sometimes linger for a lifetime resulting in feelings of profound regret. There are some people though that take such matters into their own hands and vow to get some closure before it’s too late. One of those people is 75-year-old Icelandic man Kristófer (Egill Ólafsson), the main character in this moving romantic mystery set across decades, history and cultures.
Kristófer is suffering from the onset of dementia during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. His doctor advises him to deal with any unfinished business before it’s too late. He was probably talking about bills, taxes and making a will but instead Kristófer wastes no time and decides to track down his ex-Japanese girlfriend Miko (Kôki) who suddenly Continue reading
Tokyo Fox (東京狐) 