The “Other” Tower In Japan Inspired By The Eiffel Tower!

Posted on July 17, 2024 by tokyofox

The world is about to bestow a lot of attention on the city of Paris as it hosts the 2024 Olympic games. Its most famous sight, the iconic Eiffel Tower will no doubt be an ever-present feature in the background of live TV presentation as well as some of the sports themselves. The 330 metre tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel for the Paris Expo in 1889 and it was the inspiration for the construction of Tokyo Tower in 1958. Is it the only tower in Japan that was inspired by the one in France though? No, there is another!!

Paris lies about 9,700 kilometres away from Tokyo but there’s no need to go that far when one is located in Continue reading →

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2000th Post: The Future of Tokyo Fox!

Posted on July 13, 2024 by tokyofox

Having begun in early 2006, the Tokyo Fox blog has reached its 2000th post * and is slowly but surely edging its way towards two decades of top quality fairly average content. Or is it? Will it even make it to the 20th anniversary?

* There have actually been more than 2000 posts but I deleted a few dozen of them earlier this year, and a load more around a decade ago!

In the modern day, blogging is all a bit old-fashioned but 18 years ago was a very different time when social media and YouTubers weren’t really around or as prevailant as today. This blog started off as a fun pun-based place to Continue reading →

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On The Road Again For An Away Match At Japan’s Most Southerly Top Flight Stadium

Posted on July 9, 2024 by tokyofox

The old adage about waiting ages for a London bus and then two come at once is quite apt for my away days travel to watch my Japanese team Kashiwa Reysol. Having seen them grab an injury time point in Kyoto five days earlier, I was then in Saga Prefecture to witness another relegation fight against Sagan Tosu. For the record, this match was the one that I planned first before tacking on the Kyoto Sanga one at a much later date.

It has to be one of the most (if not the most!) conveniently located stadium in all of Japan in terms of its close proximity to a train station. Indeed, when I passed through Tosu station earlier in the day (en-route to another place in Saga Prefecture) I could see it looming large right next to the tracks. It was very noticable that that the two stands alongside the pitch were covered but the Continue reading →

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Try Not To Wet Yourself With Excitement At This Ladder Temple In Kyoto!

Posted on July 6, 2024 by tokyofox

People go to temples and shrines to pray for all kinds of things, and specific places specialise in protection from certain diseases and ailments. They often refer to common and similar problems but every now and then one comes across slightly more obscure examples such as the shrine dedicated to feet or the temple that cures you of stomachaches! This fairly ordinary looking countryside temple in Kyoto though embodies the desire to put a stop to something that is often seen as embarrassing.

The Arashiyama area of Kyoto is a very popular one for tourists these days with the bamboo forest a particular highlight for many. However, less than three kilometres south of there is a completely deserted wooden temple dedicated to nocturnal enuresis or Continue reading →

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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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