On The Fox Trail……At The Rooftop Shrine Connected To Both Earth & Sky!

Posted on July 3, 2024 by tokyofox

It is said that bonafide official shrines should be located ‘on the earth under the sky’ but there are a fair few which don’t meet such criteria including two of Japan’s most popular ones; Meiji Jingū and Fushimi Inari. There is no law saying that they must be recognised by the Association of Shinto Shrines so it’s not so unusual I think. This rooftop one in Tokyo though has a unique way of connecting to earth.

Earlier this year I was watching a TV show on NHK when I heard them mention a shrine I recognised the name of. It was in Continue reading →

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An Away Day At One of Japan’s Newest Top Tier Stadiums

Posted on June 29, 2024 by tokyofox

As a fairly casual Kashiwa Reysol fan I think this is the first time I’ve seen the same teams play each other twice in the same season. Back at the end of February, the two teams played a fairly lacklustre 1-1 draw in the rain in Kashiwa. It was a fairly miserable afternoon yet somehow still ranked quite high in my top ten matchday experiences compilation post!! For the record, it was placed high due to what happened around the actual match.

The idea of going to this match was a fairly late one as I knew I had a couple of days to myself whilst my wife worked. Subsequently I booked a very cheap Continue reading →

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Witnessing History As England Play A Rugby Match In Japan For The First Time In 45 Years!

Posted on June 25, 2024 by tokyofox

Seeing double! Which team would I support for this match?!

Rugby in Japan was very much a minor sport when I first saw the national team in live action back in June 2005 as they were thrashed by Ireland. Things changed a decade later though on the back of that sensational last minute winning try against the mighty South Africa in the 2015 Rugby World Cup. It was perfect timing ahead of them hosting the 2019 tournament and the game has continued to grow and grow.

Whilst I do occasionally long for the old days when it was much easier to get tickets for Brave Blossoms matches (you could just pay on the gate!) I am delighted to have witnessed the growth in the team. I feel a close attachment to them and always want them to win with one exception. That is of course when they play Continue reading →

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Unstaffed Stations of Japan #16 – Minami-Takasaki

Posted on June 21, 2024 by tokyofox

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: Minami-Takasaki

Prefecture: Continue reading →

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Wrestle Mania: A Taste of Authentic Olympic-Style Wrestling Action In Tokyo

Posted on June 17, 2024 by tokyofox

About a month ago a friend messaged me to ask if I’d ever been to watch any fighting sports such as boxing, MMA or Pro-Wrestling. This wasn’t as random as it may sound as we often talk about events we’re planning to go to, and he is aware of my ever-growing portfolio of live sporting action. I subsequently went on a ticket site to see what sports tickets were available as I tend to do from time to time. Within about 5-10 minutes of reading my friend’s message, I had booked a ticket to see a sport I’d never seen before.

By luck, there was actually a four-day event taking place just a few days later. I originally thought it was at Yoyogi Gymnasium before realising a couple of days later when I got the ticket from the convenience store that it was actually at Continue reading →

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TF Flashback: The One & Only Time Both My Sisters & I Have Been Together In Japan (2004)

Posted on June 13, 2024 by tokyofox

Foreign tourists in Japan is an overly common sight these days and I’ve been fortunate to meet up with a fair few friends, family members and other such contacts in recent times. Two decades ago though it was very different and visitors really were quite rare. I had very few visitors in those early years but my two sisters thought they had better take advantage of me being in Japan as they’d maybe never get another chance once I left after doing a year or two of teaching English!!

Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa

Beforehand they were a little worried about whether I’d actually plan anything and thought we’d just be wasting time sitting around in my tiny apartment in Matsudo (Chiba Prefecture)! If only! What actually resulted was a fairly brutal schedule where we were Continue reading →

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TF Top 10……Football Match Day Experiences In 2024 So Far (Part 1)

Posted on June 9, 2024 by tokyofox

 

In 2023 I went to 20 football matches in Japan which was double what I did the year before. Whilst I am highly unlikely to attend 40 this season (not that I want to!) I should at least equal last year’s tally. It’s certainly been a strong start (by my standards!) with 10 under my belt already. That total so far includes nine different grounds (including three I’d never been to before) in five prefectures to see football in six competitions so not a bad mix.

A few of these have had their own blog posts but the majority of them weren’t really Continue reading →

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My First Time Watching Gymnastics Was Rather Overwhelming!

Posted on June 5, 2024 by tokyofox

During each Olympic games, the likes of athletics and swimming are quite prominent which is probably because there are just so many events within those. After that, I reckon gymnastics is the next most important Olympic sport as it too has many disciplines under it’s banner.

Last year I attempted to attend as many different sports as possible. Overall, I saw 21 including 15 that I’d never previously been to. Athletics and swimming were among that sizable list but one sport that eluded me was gymnastics. Of course there were some gymnastics events in and around Tokyo but they Continue reading →

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6 Nights In Izu: A Blackout, Birthday Celebrations, Over-Tourism, Star Wars Day, Walking Adventures, J3 Football & The Birthplace of Long-Distance Calls!

Posted on June 1, 2024 by tokyofox

Heavy rain, cooler temperatures and no electricity for 24 hours meant our latest trip to Izu didn’t get off to a good start at all but thankfully things did get much better and it actually ended up being quite an interesting holiday featuring some new places.

As soon as the electricity was back on mid-afternoon we went out to regular haunt Mount Komuro to enjoy the clear blue skies and sunshine. It was my wife’s birthday on day two of our trip and, following a stressful morning of dealing with electricians, she opted to ascend the mountain by Continue reading →

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Twists & Turns Aplenty At Japan’s Title-Deciding Rugby Play-Off Final

Posted on May 29, 2024 by tokyofox

At the end of a long league season, it is my opinion that the team finishing top should be crowned as champions. However, some sports have some money-spinning play-off matches to decide who the champions are. Since the turn of the century, my home country England has used this system in slightly different styles to end the rugby season which more often than not has seen the team that won the regular season losing out in the Play Offs. Would the same happen in Japan?

Cup final day at the National Stadium

The Rugby League One Championship Play-Off Final was contested between the top two sides at Japan National Stadium on a sunny afternoon last Sunday. Saitama Wild Knights finished on top of the regular season with a 100% Continue reading →

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