Stop! Hama-rikyu Time!

Posted on April 20, 2011 by tokyofox

 

Hamarikyu Gardens on the bank of Sumida-gawa river are well known to Tokyo tourists as they are often visited in conjunction with the must-see Asakusa Senso-ji temple by way of boat taking one between the two places. When my sisters visited me during my first time in Japan we did this boat trip as its a nice escape from all the concrete not that the river is particularly interesting or nice.

I don’t really recall much about the actual gardens from all those years ago so with a late start at work two days ago I decided to re-visit the place to see the cherry blossom (sakura) trees. It was the warmest day of the year and not too crowded. The place comprises gardens, woods and water with the main Sioiri-no-ike pond having seawater flow in and out of it which is the only one of its kind in Tokyo

 

according to my pamphlet. That kind of fact didn’t impress me but the pond itself did with its couple of islands linked by a few very pleasant bridges. A teashop is situated on the bigger of the islands which serves powdered green tea and a sweet for 500yen but all that seems quite normal to me so I didn’t bother.

 

Its not often that I view the cherry blossoms once during season but after last Fridays bicycle ride along Kanda River I saw yet more cherry trees in Hamarikyu. They certainly didn’t dominate the place but there were a few of them dotted around the main pond being admired and photographed by the snap-happy Japanese if I can use that (slightly out-of-date) stereotype for a moment.

 

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Review: Films Set In Japan – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)

Posted on April 16, 2011 by tokyofox

Well I managed to sit through all 95 minutes of this movie which is set in feudal Japan (1185 to 1868). I will never ever get that time back! I watched this with one eye very much on how it inter-spersed the heroes in a half shell with the legendary and deadly samurai.

At the start of the 1990’s the Teenage Mutant Ninja (changed to ‘hero’ for the cartoon) Turtles were big business. I recall watching a few episodes of the cartoon and getting a pirate copy of the first film but it’s probably the theme tune which sticks in my head more than anything and I am afraid to say that my ironic use of the word ‘cowabunga’ in this day and age loses its irony the more I say it!

Lets get on with the storyline then. On second thoughts why should I bother wasting any time explaining it when it seems that the writers put so little effort in to yet another time-travel plot gimmick that had something to do with a magic scepter which could transport them back to 17th century Japan. Possibly the only positive from the film is that Michaelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael train to perfect the art of becoming one and even manage to show how the introduction of guns into Japan destroyed the samurai class and altered power structures.

Primary antagonist Shredder is totally absent in this movie (maybe he died in the second movie???) , Splinter is under-used and pretty much static for the few moments he appears (albeit his top half only!) in his underground house. Anyway, who gives a sh*t about all this. The popularity of the turtles was already on the wane by the time this film came out in 1993.

   

Tokyo Fox Rating 3/10

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Cycling Kanda River In One Day

Posted on April 12, 2011 by tokyofox

You can read ‘Cycling Kanda River In One Day’ – Prelude’ here.

Within a few seconds of cycling alongside the river I stop at Yanagibashi which, according to the article that this ride was based on, was a red light district 200 years ago. Not so exciting now with it just being a kind of car park but for charter boats.

 

Not much further on is Hijiribashi which is an 88 year old arched stone bridge.

 

I continue on through Akihabara but its too early to see any maids about. I take a quick detour to the see Tokyo Dome (photo opportunity for a different project) and though I’ve seen very few cherry blossoms (sakura) so far I decide to be patient and miss Koishikawa Korakuen gardens as I’ve been there before and don’t really wanna spend money on the entrance fee or stop when I’ve only just got going. Unbeknown to myself I take a wrong turn at Iidabashi and end up following the wrong river down to the fish farms of Sendagaya. I turn back and am slightly frustrated despite seeing some beautiful sakura.

     

Picturesque scenery dominates my ride along the riverbank around Edogawabashi and it isn’t until I reach Takadanobaba that I actually have my bearings. I lose them pretty much straightaway after crossing Tokyo’s only tram line (Toden Arakawa line) as I am unable to follow the river and can’t cycle parallel to the river. From here on there are lots of gates to go through and I can’t go more than 50 metres without having to slow down and go through one before waiting to cross the roads and the process repeats over and over again.

         

Every photo opportunity (and there are many!) seems the same (a bending river with overhanging sakura) as I race to make it to my destination by lunchtime. Up river I am faced with a decision as the river splits into two and I am thankful that I recognise the kanji for Kanda River and take the left fork where that sign is placed. On my return journey I discover that it wasn’t such a crucial decision as they both eventually lead to the same place!

 

Nakano-ku is hell. A long and dull urban sprawl which seemingly goes on for ever. As I have no iPhone (with its useful navigation system feature), map or geographical knowledge of the area I have no idea where I am or how close I am to the end. Mitakadai eventually appears (though I don’t know it at the time) and is much nicer and some koi (carp) can even be seen in the river that I have been religiously following for nearly four hours.

     

I don’t realise that Inokashira Park in Kichijoji is just round the corner though not literally. Its just before 1pm when I make it to the pond which is the source of the Kanda River. Despite it being a cloudy, windy day the park is quite busy with groups of people having their hanami parties under the sakura.

     

I take a short break, look around the temple and take some photos and then head off home. I don’t need to follow the river so closely going home but decide its best to do do as its all easy to get lost.

 

I am wondering how long its gonna take to get back and the cliched answer is of course too long!

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Cycling Kanda River In One Day – Prelude

Posted on April 10, 2011 by tokyofox

Last year I read an article about cycling the length of Kanda River at a time when I was racking my brain to try and come up with a new Tokyo cycling challenge. In some ways I didn’t think it sounded as interesting as my previous rides so I thought it best to do it during the limited cherry blossom season to make it a more picturesque and enjoyable experience. It is that time in Tokyo right now and it already seems like the sunny days are over so I was left with pretty much no choice to do it yesterday (April 8th) when it was a very cloudy, windy day. My mate Matt pulled out of it a couple of days before and there was a pretty large earthquake the night before (at 7.1 magnitude it was a huge one but not as big as ‘the one’ on 11th March) but none of that put me off!

On paper this looked like being one of my easier bicycle rides as what could be difficult about just following a river for about 25km! However, when you have to account for very windy conditions; lots of people; bumpy paths; crossing roads; dead-ends; dogs and kids straying from their owners and parents; construction work; bends and a slightly buckled wheel all amid one of the worlds busiest cities its not such plain sailing.

The sun is actually shining a little when I leave my house in North Tokyo at 07:30 but that soon disappears behind the clouds and the strong winds make it quite difficult to control the bicycle at times as I make my way along a couple of very big, long roads. The only incident worthy of note is when some stupid woman wearing a visor hat appears out of the blue cycling towards me whilst she’s on the wrong side of the road (this is sadly a common thing in Tokyo and it really does my head in) and with cars speeding past my shoulder I can’t exactly swerve out of the way so I have to slam on the breaks. She offers no apology and cuts on to the path leaving me wanting to swear at her in Wayne Rooney style! There are a load of school-kids on the pavement so I bite my tongue not that they would understand anyway! It took me longer than expected to get to the starting point on the Sumida-gawa in Taito-ku very close to the sumo arena. It is just before 9am when I cross back over Ryogoku Bridge and begin to follow the Kanda River which commences at the green bridge seen in the picture below.

 

‘Cycling Kanda River In One Day’ can be seen here.

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Dining Out: Zakuro

Posted on April 7, 2011 by tokyofox

A couple of Sunday’s ago I went to ‘Zakuro’ which is a Persian restaurant in Nippori. My friend Peter found this place online and thought it might be interesting for a night out……and it was……although we probably won’t be rushing back! Call me boring but I don’t really like places where fun is supposedly created for you. Part of our 2000 yen course (plus 1000 all-you-can-drink) included not just a huge selection of food but also a belly dance.

I’d never seen a belly dancer live before and this particular dancer was very beautiful. I think she danced for about four songs but when the owner of the place (providing commentary and lines which he no doubt repeats every time!) pulled a girl up on stage to dance with the professional I knew the writing was on the wall for me or Peter as the only foreigners in the place.

Inevitably it was me who got pulled up ‘on stage’ (well, the middle of the floor where the dance was taking place!) which was of course embarrassing as I have no dancing ability. I don’t think anyone cared about that though or really took any notice of my ‘moves’. Another guy joined in and we tried to bend as far back as possible whilst on our knees and then he walked off so I followed too. In hindsight I should have taken over the dancing by performing the legendary David Brent dance from series two of The Office!

 

Peter was chosen next (above right) with some other random girl to do some pointless blowing out candles on a birthday cake activity (it was no-ones birthday!) though it did provide some entertainment as rather than feed each other (via linked arms) they chose to shove it in the face of the annoying host…albeit in a joking way.

The layout of the place was very basic with everything on the floor including the table which can make it difficult for us westerners who can’t stretch our legs out under the table a bit like in traditional Japanese restaurants. The walls were covered with belly dancer costumes and other middle-eastern attire and on walking in I knew it would be the kind of place where they try and get everyone up and dancing! As for the Iranian/Turkish/Uzbekistani food, it could only be deemed as alright. I didn’t falafel (feel awful!) the next morning but it was nothing special and believe it or not if it had been better I would have enjoyed this middle-eastern experience more.

Posted in Food & Drink, Japan Life, Middle East Travel | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Review: Films Set In Japan – Walk, Don’t Run (1966)

Posted on April 7, 2011 by tokyofox

Set during the Tokyo Olympics of 1964 this was Cary Grant’s final film appearance and it sees him arrive in the Japanese capital on business but he is unable get any accommodation. Whilst at the British Embassy he sees an advert for an apartment which he soon fast-talks his way into sharing with Samantha Eggar. After a couple of days he then decides to sub-let his half of the place to a member of the USA Olympic team and then he tries to play cupid.

I picked up this film for a few quid whilst I was back in Britain over the Christmas period and finally got round to viewing it recently. The reason I watch all the films featured in the ‘set in Japan’ category on this blog is for the locations. Asakusa senso-ji temple is at the start of the film just to set the scene and once it gets underway we see the British Embassy, Yoyogi stadium, the outside and lobby of Hotel Okura and the streets of Toranomon. The film offers a rare glimpse of life in 1960’s Tokyo which I’ve heard just doesn’t really exist anymore.

Its a light, romantic comedy where the plot flows along gently with, in my opinion, the best scenes being when its just Grant and Eggar working their way round the absurd bathroom schedule. Grant provides further comedic timing when distracting Eggar’s fiancee on a boat trip as he tries to provide matchmaker. After that I feel it gets a bit silly and its maybe no surprise that Grant decided to call it a day at the end of this!

‘Walk, Don’t Run’ was perhaps one of the first true Hollywood films to be made in Japan and inevitably shows the usual exaggerated scenes of bowing and disgust at the thought of eating raw octopus which have popped up time and time again through international films set in the land of the rising sun. Overall, its a nice, little movie to fill a couple of hours when but walk, don’t run to see it!

Tokyo Fox Rating 7/10

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London Film Museum – Star Wars Special

Posted on April 3, 2011 by tokyofox

It seems kind of ironic that the highlight of the London Film Museum for most visitors is a Hollywood production! The main reason Richard Richard and I went there was to get our photo taken with droids C3P0 and R2D2 on a Star Wars set called the Rebel Blockade Runner, a.k.a. the Tantive IV which featured in ‘Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope’.

  

The cost of this was not included in the entrance fee so you have to cough up £7 for one photo or you can get two for a tenner. We went for the latter. The photographer will take a load of photos and then you select the ones you want but you can only get the copies in printed format. We scanned the photos when we got home and Richard Richard added the colour to the lightsabers.

                  

There are plenty of other Star Wars exhibits on display such as Han Solo in carbonite (from ‘The Empire Strikes Back’), Boba Fett, Darth Vader and stormtrooper mannequins, lightsaber and air-blaster props, production storyboards, behind the scenes photos and so on.

 

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London Film Museum – Batman Special

Posted on March 31, 2011 by tokyofox

As I’ve mentioned on here in the past I have always been a Batman fan when it comes to the super-heroes and there were a fair few items of memorabillia relating to that franchise in the London Film Museum. Richard Richard were very happy to have our pictures taken with a plastic Batman mannequin.

 

The most noteworthy item may well be Christian Bale’s batsuit (below) from ‘Batman Begins‘ (2005).

 

In addition to all that I also visited a couple of filming locations from the last couple of Batman films. Below is Criterion at 224 Piccadilly which is visited by Bruce Wayne in ‘The Dark Knight’ and is actually a French restaurant owned by Marco Pierre White.

 

The eye-lid entrance of CityPoint (above) on Ropemaker Street was the shooting location in ‘Batman Begins‘ where he arrived with a couple of playmates.

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London Film Museum

Posted on March 28, 2011 by tokyofox

I’d never even heard of the London Film Museum until one of my friends here in Tokyo took a trip there in the Summer on his visit to the UK. I decided then that the next time I was in England that I would go there so having arranged to meet my mate Richard Richard I thought I would combine the two. On an afternoon back in December we turned up at the museum which is next to the London Eye and diagonally opposite Big Ben. Richard Richard even managed to haggle the price down (usually 12 pounds) with the man selling tickets outside which was something I’d never dare to do in England but I was very grateful to save a couple of quid.

It was a huge place but I wouldn’t say it was as chock-a-block full of stuff like I expected. In fact, if it wasn’t for the Star Wars and Batman stuff I’d have been a bit disappointed. Those two franchises will get their own article in the following couple of blog entries. Apart from them highlights included being able to sit on the sofa with the Simpsons, the tardis and daleks from Dr Who (iconic things but a show I’ve never really got into), a room to make you feel like you were tiny and various costumes and framed exhibits from the likes of  Jason Bourne, Superman, Terminator,  007, Austin Powers, Indiana Jones and so on.

                 

Of course there were lots of other exhibits and special areas designated to ‘Charlie Chaplin’, ‘myths & legends’, ‘London on film’, ‘Zulu’ as well as special horror, war and comedy rooms.

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Review: Films Set In Japan – Monster (2008)

Posted on March 27, 2011 by tokyofox

It may be called ‘Monster’ but this 2008 movie was anything but a hit. It went straight to dvd release and having watched it the other day it is very clear to see why. The film revolves around two American reporters who are in Tokyo to interview some guy at the Ministry of Environment about global warming. During this interview, what they think is an earthquake occurs which it turns out are caused by a monster reminiscent of a giant octopus that has been dormant for centuries.

This film supposedly takes place in January 2003 but the two girls are dressed as if its summer wearing sleeveless tops. The film is told documentary style as if the video tape has been discovered after the whole ordeal which means you get 86 mins of grainy youtube-style handheld footage with the damaged film effects kicking in every few seconds by way of static and jump cut distortions. This kind of filming may have worked elsewhere but it just gets annoying here and even gives some people epileptic seizures.

I wasn’t aware of the storyline before I watched it so it’s just a coincidence that it has earthquake links given the tragic circumstances relating to the catastrophe on 11th March. There are scenes at the start of the film which are obviously filmed in Tokyo (Shibuya and at a hotel, probably in Shinjuku) but the caption giving the location is clearly not Shinjuku Gyoen as there is no giant wooden torii gate there. It can only be Meiji Shrine and it is there that you get to see people in the background walking around normally which is a little strange surely when the girls are in such a panic whilst the city is supposedly being terrorised by a monster.

Talking of which, you can see more of the monster (though you can sure hear it by way of sound effects in the background constantly) on the dvd cover below than you do in the whole film where you only see a tentacle or two swinging about for a few seconds here and there. The two girls switch camera from time to time and fill out the movie by running around “Tokyo” (which looks more like L.A.), crying, panicking, getting their faces dirty and generally running for cover in a country where the language barrier does them no favours.  The plot is paper-thin, the camera-work is awful (even by amateur standards), the ‘effects’ are repetitive and it relies far too much on gimmicks (its a tape of lost footage remember!) to try and cover up its many flaws with the main one being that this is a monster movie without much of a monster in it.

Tokyo Fox Rating 1/10

Posted in Films, Review: Films Set In Japan | Tagged | 11 Comments