Big Ange Returns To Japan With His Spurs Side To Face The Reigning J1 Champions

Posted on July 30, 2024 by tokyofox

The summer break in the Japanese football season is a time when some fly-by-nighter European teams like to come into Japan to play some games and try and steal some money off punters in the country. Not my words but those of J-Talk Podcast host Ben Maxwell. I do actually agree with him on the whole, and do make light of such money spinning friendly matches…..but after slagging them off I then inevitably end up going to one or two!

Three English teams are in Japan this summer for a total of Continue reading →

Posted in Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

TF Flashback: 4 Nights In Rome On My First Italian Encounter (2009)

Posted on July 26, 2024 by tokyofox

Despite living in England for the first 23 years of my life, my travels to other European countries were actually quite limited and indeed I had only been to France, Portugal and Sweden before moving to Japan. Italy was always a country I was interested in for the usual reasons like the food and the famous Roman architecture. However, it has to be said that going to Italy was very much the warm-up act for a trip to North Africa. As I needed a transit in Rome, I decided to take advantage of this and so spent a few nights in the Italian capital.

Having arrived the previous night on a long 14 hour flight, I was up early the following morning (Wednesday 5th August) but just missed my Continue reading →

Posted in Euro Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

How Many Olympic Sports Did I See Live In The 18 Month Build Up To Paris 2024?

Posted on July 21, 2024 by tokyofox

If you’re lucky enough to live in or close to a host Olympic city then there’s a strong chance you’ll get swept up by the hysteria surrounding the sale of tickets. For the last Olympics in Tokyo, local residents were allowed to apply for a maximum of 30 tickets across as many sports as they wanted. Whilst I applied for some pairs of tickets I thought (in a very selfish way!) that I would increase my chances of winning in the ballot by just trying to get single tickets.

 

I can’t remember exactly but I tried to get tickets for about Continue reading →

Posted in Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

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 →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

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 →

Posted in Japan Life | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

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 →

Posted in Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

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 →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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 →

Posted in Japan Life, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

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 →

Posted in Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments