Tokyo Daytripper: For Fox Sake! Not Another Trip To Kawagoe!

Posted on October 15, 2011 by tokyofox

This blog is called Tokyo Fox and that is my username on twitter too but there are very few references to Leicester City (whose nickname is the Foxes and is where my name obviously derives from) on here these days apart from a solitary post-Christmas report on my annual trip to the City Stadium. That’s not gonna change too much in this post either but it does have a fox reference of some sort.

I have been to Kawagoe four or five times before and its fair to say I’m quite tired of the place and its attractions but I continue to go as its only 30 minutes away from my place. Back in May I went to Fushimi-Inari temple in Kyoto which is a beautiful place full of foxes (stone ones) but little did I know that the animal would feature at other temples around the country. Kita-in is the most famous temple in Kawagoe but next door to that is one with a foxy theme. The Japanese traditionally see foxes as a sacred, mysterious figure and the key often seen in the mouth of it has something to do with rice granary.

    

The main attraction of Kawagoe is the old Kurazukuri street (a street lined with traditional warehouses keeping in with the Edo period look of the place) as well as the bell tower. Going under the tower there is a tiny temple with people queueing up to pray for whatever they pray for. Probably not too much as they no doubt feel under pressure to get the process of throwing their coin in and clapping their hands in prayer out of the way as soon as possible so the next person can do the same. Just next to that is another small torii gate through which there are two foxes guarding the temple.

     

Posted in Japan Travel, Tokyo Daytripper: | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

iPod Docking Station

Posted on October 12, 2011 by tokyofox

My iPod is nearly six years old but only recently did I purchase a docking station for it. I’ve never really felt the need for one as I usually just listen on the computer or headphones but with the former on its last legs and the latter not being so good for ones ears I thought it would be nicer to be able to listen to all my podcasts (and some music too of course) in a more conventional way.

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For twenty years now I’ve had a love for radio (more so than TV in some ways) and its a pretty much unknown fact that I listen to the Chris Moyles Show on Radio One on the BBC iPlayer every night when I get home (why would anyone know that?!). I love listening to it each night though I think if I was back in England listening live I’d prefer him to actually play some music and go to the news on time (and not ten or even twenty minutes late as can happen!). Anyway, I have been downloading his and fellow DJ Scott Mills’ podcasts (free downloads?) since I got my laptop at the same time over half a decade ago. The Matt Edmondson show on the same station is a funny recent addition to the networks podcasts.

I’ve never listened to BBC Radio 2 by choice but in the need to fill a gap in my life during the football-free Summer I decided to download podcasts from Chris Evans, Steve Wright and Simon Mayo who I enjoyed listening to on Radio 1 back in the 1990’s.

Despite all my film-related posts and expeditions I am far from being a film buff though I’d like to know a bit more so I started listening to Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review show on BBC 5 Live which has been going for over a decade and its 10th anniversary programmes a few months ago were very interesting. On the subject of films I have been listening to ‘The ForceCast’ Star Wars podcast each and every week for two or three years now and that has recently expanded with some spin-off podcasts which are not of such strong interest to me but as they are automatically download I feel the need to give them a listen. I’m just too nice! Actually, thats the reason I listen to the 5 Live Football Daily. I started downloading it in the World Cup when my mate Hugo was here so that we could wake up and listen to the reports and so on. After that had finished it continued to download and before I knew it it had become part of my daily routine. Weekly football podcasts from BBC Radio Leicester, Foxblogger and the Guardian’s Football Weekly were soon added to my playlist.

On the topic of sport I have been enjoying 5 Live’s ‘Fighting Talk’ for many, many years now and is perhaps still one of my favourites. Danny Baker has been part of my radio life for a long, long time now and listening to his Saturday morning radio show (albeit in pod format a few days later usually!) always provides interesting listening.

Unlike sport I don’t really keep up with the news back home too much so the ‘Daily Bacon’ 5 Live show helps fill that void a little although my inclination to listen usually depends on what celebrity is interviewed as they promote their latest book, film or whatever. My cousin Alex (of Motorhomo fame!) even got a mention from presenter Richard Bacon about a month ago which certainly took me by surprise although he thought Motorhomo was a type error!

I have no idea what frequency Radio 4 is even on but that is no reason to not download some of their content and some of their comedy shows have been a good way for keeping up with the world of political satire.

Since writing this entry in draft form Apple’s former CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs has sadly passed away leaving a very strong legacy in his wake. The iPod was perhaps Apple’s greatest breakthrough as it changed the way we listen to music which in turn led to radio stations producing podcasts of their most popular shows in order to compete. The rise of the iPod meant there was a demand for other related products and it may have taken me a while but the addition of the docking station has been a very welcome one for me.

Posted in Films, Leicester City, Music, Sport, Star Wars | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Things I’ve Never Done In Tokyo

Posted on October 8, 2011 by tokyofox

Over the many years I’ve lived in Japan I like to think I have done more than most in terms of seeing and doing things. Of course there are quite a few places I still haven’t been to outside of the capital such as Hokkaido but here are a few things I’ve never done in Tokyo:

* Eat sushi at Tsukiji Fish Market – This place appears in all the guide books and is often part of peoples ‘bucket list’ but I have never felt the urge to get up at a stupid time to see the tuna auctions at about 5am followed by a sushi breakfast. Likewise, as much as I like raw fish, its not usually on my mind at the end of an all-nighter. I have been to the market when I cycled Tokyo’s Top 25 sights in one day last year but naturally didn’t see too much fishy action in the afternoon.

* Go up Tokyo Tower – I’ve been there a few times but never felt the need to pay a high amount of money to go up to the top to see a view which can be seen for free from many other buildings such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Building in Shinjuku where you can see Tokyo Tower. Much better.

* Ride the Shinkansen – I’ve been to Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto etc) a few times but have always gone on the far cheaper night bus. I will only ride on the ‘bullet’ train when I am short on time.

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* Sleep in a capsule hotel – Been wanting to do this for years but again it comes down to money and the fact that I have my own place means waiting for a few hours for the first train is a better option. I intended to stay in one when I went to Kansai in May but knew I wouldn’t want to do it for more than one night so a hotel won out in the end.

* Watch people from Starbucks at Shibuya Crossing – The greatest view of the world’s busiest crossing but I don’t like coffee so am unlikely to ever go there. No doubt chances of getting a window seat are not high.

* See Christmas illuminations – The Japanese like these decorations in the run-up to a day which they don’t even celebrate. I don’t care about illuminations or as we prefer to say Christmas lights.

* Go to an onsen – Just having a bath is something I’ve rarely done in the last 15 years as I find soaking so boring. The Japanese are obsessed with bathing and taking scorching hot onsen. They may stereotypically be shy but not, it seems, when it comes to parading around naked in front of others. In fairness I have kind of done this but only ever after a busy long day of snowboarding and then it is actually OK. I include this as I’ve never had the desire to specifically go somewhere for these hot springs.

* Go to a fireworks festival – These take places every Summer and are frequented by thousands of people which is reason enough to stay away in my opinion. I was on my way to one in Tokyo Bay back in 2005 or 2006 when my mate mailed to say it had been postponed due to the rain. That was the closest I’ve ever come to attending a ‘hanabi’ festival.

* See the Japan national team play live – Part of the reason I came to this country was because I loved watching the 2002 World Cup so much and I had hopes to see the ‘Samurai Blue’ in action but my working schedule and a decline in the teams performances have meant I’ve kind of lost interest.

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* Cultivate a bonsai tree – OK, I probably never really expected to do this but thanks to Mr Miyagi in ‘The Karate Kid’ (1984) I thought this was what Japanese culture is all about and that I might even do it myself one day!

* Watch Kabuki – Friends invited me a few years ago and I was all set to go just in the name of crossing it off a list of things to be done in Japan……..but then I decided that I really didn’t have an interest and would rather spend my money and time on anything else!

Posted in Japan Life, Japan Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Senior Teacher Position

Posted on October 5, 2011 by tokyofox

I have been working for my company at Shibuya school since 2005 and don’t really have any desire to move ‘up the ladder’ but when the Senior Teacher position became available in that school recently I decided to go for it. The bigger schools usually have a Senior Teacher in that school four days a week who does a few extra things around the school (sorting out flashcards, organising parties/events etc) in return for a measly pay rise.

Such positions are often advertised around our Tokyo schools but I have never applied for them as I don’t wanna change schools and leave Shibuya where I work two and a half days a week. As I don’t want to leave there this could be seen as the ideal post for me. For years I have worked under the present Senior Teacher with maybe one eye on replacing him one day…….which I never thought would come in all honesty. He has decided its time for a change and so the post was advertised. Given that I know the school set-up well and have had quite a lot of involvement in events over the years I applied with confidence and found out that another colleague was applying who had been rung up by our boss and offered the position. However, he was bemused that the vacant position was then advertised to all. After mailing my covering letter I was invited to go into the head office for what just sounded like a quick chat about the job. As it was it was actually a proper interview and to be honest he didn’t really sell me the position during that half hour meeting. Some of the questions and situations presented to me were far trickier than I had anticipated but I thought it went well enough and was told at the end that I would hear back later that day.

However, that day just happened to be the day of the typhoon in Tokyo so the decision was left hanging in the air over-night for understandable reasons. Overnight I was wondering about the job quite a bit and realised that maybe it wasn’t the job for me as it would give me some stress which I rarely get. Now I know that most teachers in our company think its an easy job (and it probably is!) but you do need to take a far more active involvement in how the school is faring in terms of student numbers and in a way your head is on the chopping block if things start to decline which is kind of out of your hands but could easily happen given the decline of the industry in Japan in recent years.

I woke up in a better frame of mind the following day but was slightly relieved when my boss said that I hadn’t got the job. Of course I was a bit annoyed that I didn’t get offered it as I felt I was the perfect candidate to bring continuity to the school but the boss felt the school needed a new, fresh change and so the one female candidate got the position. Girls often seem to get offered these positions as the company needs female teachers who don’t usually stay around as long as the guys who tend to get involved with Japanese ladies. Its not very common for the opposite to occur so giving them a bit of responsibility is one way of trying to keep them from leaving the job/country. Anyway, as I’ve never met or heard of the successful applicant I can’t say too much as I don’t know her situation, plan or how she came across in her interview. Whether or not I would bother applying for the position again should it become available further down the line I really don’t know at this moment.

Posted in English Teaching | 2 Comments

Tokyo Daytripper: Yoshimi Hyaku-Ana WWII Caves Re-Visited

Posted on October 2, 2011 by tokyofox

I recently went back to see these caves (with my girlfriend) which I wrote about last year as well as the cliff-face hotel carved out by one man which is just round the corner from it. I even wrote about it (well, I did a quick copy and paste job) for my schools in-house magazine which is read by hardly anyone!

  

I do wonder if any fellow teachers did read it and decide to visit the caves as they are quite interesting and are an easy day or half-day trip away for Tokyo residents.

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I have included a few new photos above but if you click on one of the links at the top of this article you can see many more as well as find out about the history and naming of the caves and the fascinating hotel story.

Posted in Action & Adventure, Japan Travel, Tokyo Daytripper: | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Typhoon In Tokyo

Posted on September 30, 2011 by tokyofox

I arrived at work in Shibuya last Wednesday (September 21st) fairly wet and unaware that a typhoon was on its way and scheduled to hit Tokyo around 5-6pm that evening. As the day wore on more and more students called up the school to say they would be absent. To his credit one of my afternoon students made the effort to come in the rain but when his lesson finished at 4pm I heard a rumour that our company would close at 5pm. While waiting for confirmation my three colleagues and I had fun watching the overly umbrella-conscious Japanese people trying to walk with their umbrella up. Such a losing battle but they always perisist with it resulting in their hair staying dry at best which I suppose is very important for women. Broken umbrellas could be seen piled up on the streets all over the place in the aftermath of the typhoon.

 

At 5pm a fax was sent to all schools saying they had been closed. Fairly pointless in my opinion as the typhoon was just about at its strongest then. Many companies sent their employees home a lot earlier to ensure they got home that day given that the typhoon would cripple the train timetable. Us teachers left while the Japanese staff rang students to say the school had closed. We got to an absolute jam-packed chaotic JR Shibuya station just as the Yamanote line had been stopped to which Mark suggested going for a beer. What a great idea I thought as we had finished four hours earlier than usual so my mind was already thinking about a big drinking session! Just crossing a couple of roads was a journey in itself with the winds really blowing a gale. I was only holding my umbrella by my side but it was hard work just holding on to it during those moments!

 

Two and a half hours later we went back to Shibuya station and took a Metro line home with very little trouble. I found out the following day that a big truck has blown over right outside our workplace given the extreme nature of the typhoon. Similar to the big earthquake back in March we now have a few extra make-up lessons to do with students that wouldn’t have come anyway on that day. Our company would have been better either sending us home earlier or telling us to just ‘sit out’ the typhoon in the schools and the students wouldn’t have came as it was an act of god.

Posted in Action & Adventure, Japan Life | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Review: Films Set In Japan – Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Posted on September 28, 2011 by tokyofox

This stylised revenge film is centred around Uma Thurman’s character who is known as The Bride and having been left for dead at a church in El Paso by her ex-boyfriend Bill she wakes from her coma four years later and basically has a hit-list of people as her quest for vengeance begins. She sets about hunting down Bill’s gang members who destroyed her life and killed her baby before finishing things off with Bill himself (seen in Vol. 2). ‘Kill Bill’ was actually split into two with the follow-up released shortly after the first part and back in July it was announced that a third part will come out in the future though god knows how the story will continue.

The Bride flies to Okinawa which was no doubt just filmed in the studio as it only features the sushi bar and workshop of retired sword maker Hattori Hanzo (one of Bill’s former tutors) where she goes to to aquire the perfect sword needed for her revenge attacks. Tokyo appears on screen just after the hour mark as we see The Bride riding her motorcycle over Rainbow Bridge and through Shinjuku as she heads to a restaurant.

    

As I mentioned in a post a couple of years ago ‘Gonpachi’ is the restaurant in Nishi-Azabu which served as the inspiration for the ‘House of Blue Leaves’ as the photo frame (below) hanging in the restaurant shows. This very nice, cavernous, rustic-themed place was not actually used though as a similar looking one was built on a soundstage in the studios in China. It was used for the extensive and bloody slice and dice one-against-all scene which precedes her showdown with O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) outside that place in the snow.

 

I don’t mind director Quentin Tarentino’s works prior to this film but I’m certainly no big fan of his weird trademarks and unfortunately I don’t have much idea about what kind of cinema (particularly the Japanese films) inspired his work on ‘Kill Bill’.  Things like bleeping out The Bride’s name a couple of times as well as black & white shots and an anime introduction to O-Ren Ishii are thought by many as being quirky but I personally just find them a bit irritating. Furthermore the dialogue is a bit cheesy, corny and over-dramatic but maybe that was the idea. I should add that none of the aforementioned things really spoiled my enjoyment of this movie.

If you ask me (and I know you didn’t!) I think its the great soundtrack that enriches this film and its the eclectic mix of musical genres which accompany the almost continuous  blood and gore as well as the great sword fighting sequences which are great though the viewer does need to suspend their belief quite a bit.

 

Tokyo Fox Rating 8/10

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USA 2011 Pt V: El Paso

Posted on September 24, 2011 by tokyofox

In some ways I was actually most looking forward to this part of the trip as it would be far more relaxing than all the other places and give me a taste of American home life. Despite having never met me Ethans five year old daughter Kaylee she was very excited at my arrival and had a host of games and things ready to play with me. I’ve never heard someone use my name as much as she did! I may have a fair bit of experience at teaching and playing with Japanese children but I’m not so used to being with English-speaking kids. However, once I’d gotten used to her way of speaking we had a great time messing around together for three days and in all honesty it was one of the most memorable and enjoyable parts of the whole trip. Tiring though!

The following morning Ethan drove his wife Kaori. Kaylee and me to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico which was a couple of hours away. It was a nice trip but probably not worth going all that way as at the end of the day caves are caves and when you’ve seen a few you’ve seen them all.

         

Far more impressive was the mountain which we saw both on the way there and on the return journey (below) before the heavens opened up and the road became flooded in no-time which caused one accident on the other side of the road. On the return journey we stopped for late lunch at a delightful area aptly named White City which played up to my stereotypical image of New Mexico in its appearance. Not quite sure why all the aliens were there. Maybe something to do with Roswell.

         

Back at the house Ethan got out the water sliding mat thing in the garden for Kaylee to play with though we ended up probably enjoying it more than her! The day before we blew bubbles in the garden which Jack (a huge dog that seemed intent on always getting in my way and given his height in proximity to me it wasn’t always such a pleasant collision!) seemed to enjoy too.

         

My final day in the States was a fairly relaxed one as the photo above shows! Ethan did that to me while I was passed out on the sofa. We then went to Hooters for lunch which incredibly was my first time to go to the chain famed for its  large chested waitresses. The beer and food was good but the service, as it did in most places in the USA, annoyed me with the constant questions and checking-up which is all in the name of a tip. After that we drove up to a lookout point which offered views of Mexico (below) which is very close to El Paso.

     

Back at Lieutenant Ethan Pointer’s house I tried on his US Army uniform which was a childhood dream realised albeit a very early one before I became a wuss and realised being a soldier was a dangerous job! Ethan and I both put on our green Chang beer t-shirts which we bought on our trip to Phuket in 2008 thinking that we would never wear them together and don’t we look ridiculous dressing the same!

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Diamonds Are Forever: James Bond Filming Locations In Las Vegas

Posted on September 18, 2011 by tokyofox

Las Vegas figured prominantly as Sean Connery returned to the 007 role in ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ (1971) which is far from my favourite Bond film but it does happen to have the finest theme song accompanying it.

On his arrival in this glossy location Bond goes to Willard Whyte’s house which is the Las Vegas Hilton and is slightly off The Strip so we didn’t bother going there. Besides it was the interior of Riviera Hotel & Casino at 2901 Las Vegas Boulevard South which was used in the scene where Bond wins $50,000 and meets the opportunistic Plenty O’Toole before taking her up to his room where smugglers are waiting and throw her out the window. Bond say that its lucky there was a pool down below to which the classic reply comes in the form of “I didn’t know there was a pool there!”

     

Riviera Hotel & Casino also featured in ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ (1998), ‘Casino’ (1995) and ‘Oceans 11’ (1960).

Its quite a walk up The Strip but we did go to Circus Circus at 2880 Las Vegas Boulevard South which the owner allowed to be used in the movie as he was a fan of the franchise. This is where Bond meets up with Tiffany Case wanting to retrieve the diamonds at its casino.

    

Bond himself stays at The Tropicana on 3801 Las Vegas Boulevard South and this fairly dull looking hotel (well compared to the others in Vegas its appearance is not so flamboyant!) was snapped from the window of our room at the MGM Grand.

For anyone wondering why the parking lot of The Mint (where the car chase took place) isn’t included here that is because it was actually filmed on the backlot at Universal Studios. Now you know!

See other James Bond filming locations by clicking on the cities below:

Tokyo   London   Prague   Venice   Como  Istanbul

Posted in James Bond, Movie Locations, Nth American Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 23 Comments

USA 2011 Pt IV: Las Vegas

Posted on September 14, 2011 by tokyofox

Whatever happened in Vegas……erm, goes on Facebook! Now its time for it to go on this blog! I can’t say that I’d ever had any desire to go to Vegas but as Ethan suggested it I had little choice but to go along with the idea not that I was exactly complaining. We checked into MGM Grand  on our arrival early evening from Death Valley in California. It was only $40 per night each for our twin room which is admittedly more than I usually pay but not that much. Besides, you don’t go to Vegas with the intention of not spending much money though it is actually possible.

 

Vegas may be basically just one street (albeit a very long one) but it packs a lot into that area. One doesn’t even need to leave their hotel complex in Vegas given the amount of amenities inside or maybe thats the idea! Anyway, it took us a good 15 minutes just to get from our room to the strip or the hotel pool given the vastness of the hotel. After a fairly uneventful quiet first night (due to my tiredness/jetlag) we began the following morning by the pool with a yard of pina colada which provided a nice souvenir and was consumed as if it was a smoothie. No affect was felt and back in the room I said we should hit the strip right away but Ethan suggested a quick 30 minute power-nap. Over three hours later we both woke up!!

 

We then went about seeing Vegas as its supposed to be seen and thats all lit up. Places included the Hard Rock Cafe, Riviera, Harley Davidson Cafe, The Bellagio, New York New York, Tropicana, Paris, Imperial Palace, Caesars Palace, The Mirage, Circus Circus and many more.

                 

Ultimately we were both pretty under-prepared for Vegas with our individual efforts before the trip being put in to the Los Angeles filming locations and Magic Mountain respectively. As for Las Vegas filming locations there are a fair few with significant ones including The Bellagio, Riviera and Imperial Palace. The former featured in both ‘Oceans 11’ (2000) and ‘Oceans 13’ (2007) and the latter two were in ‘Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery’ (1997). Imperial Palace was Alotta Fagina’s penthouse and the Riviera’s interiors were used instead of Stardust Resort and Casino which is where Austin and Vanessa stay. That hotel had been knocked down when we were there.

      

As we walked up and down the strip we were drinking and going in and out of the casino’s and all in all it was quite refreshing to be in a place where there aren’t too many rules regarding alcohol, smoking and so on. Where else can you just wander from casino to casino (via a bar or two) with a can of supermarket beer in your hand and not have any problems with the authorities. The place really takes it out of you though and I’m not just talking about the contents of your wallet! We both tried our hand at blackjack with mixed fortunes but overall we were both quite cautious, especially myself who soon realised I wasn’t gonna win big having not done my research on how to play the game well.

With nothing to do on the final day apart from wait around for our night flight to Texas we thought that it would be an easy relaxing day. It started off that way but soon turned into an all-day drinking session! Already fairly bored of looking around the shops and casino’s on the strip we decided to have an early afternoon bottle of beer which was on special at an Irish bar. A musical comedy duo were just getting ready to perform on-stage when we arrived and we were a little wary of them at first but soon got into it which probably had something to do with one bottle of Miller leading to many more and a few hours later having filled the table with empties we decided to head back to the hotel (via a Star Wars photo opportunity which Ethan had no recollection of the following day!) to get our bags and we even walked to the airport which was over an hour away.

     

Posted in Films, Movie Locations, Nth American Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments