Leicester Pay The Penalty

Posted on May 14, 2010 by tokyofox

The end of season play-offs have a reputation for providing some of the most exciting drama in the football season and this year was no exception. Sadly, for us Leicester fans we came out on the wrong side of such thrilling drama as did our rivals Nottingham F****t the night before but obviously I don’t care about them!

No-one really gave Leicester any hope at Cardiff having lost the 1st leg at home by a goal to nil and when we went a goal down on Wednesday night it looked like it was curtains as they had dominated the opening period of play.

However, football has a habit of throwing up surprises and this game was no exception as we grabbed an equaliser within minutes and then incredibly levelled the aggregate score. I got up at 3.45am to see the game on a streaming site but was having computer problems as the first half progressed yet despite this I somehow managed to catch all three goals amid the images freezing and then speeding up in almost comical Benny Hill style! Throughout all this the commentary continued but at half time I reset the computer and just as I got the game up and running again we went 3-1 up. I didn’t see (but did hear) the Cardiff penalty which tied the aggregate scores or very little else of that half either.

Thankfully I managed to pick up perfect coverage of the fairly dull extra time (heightened by listening to the BBC man doing what was highlight, if not just goal, commentary which meant he didn’t speak that often or sound too excited until the climax of the contest) and maybe I am to blame for our loss.

To my absolute disgust the computer froze just as the penalties got underway so I missed the first five successful kicks. Cardiff levelled with their third kick and who knows what Kermorgant was thinking when he chose such a critical moment to try a little dink which was inevitably saved. The next Cardfiff player showed us how it should be done and then Waghorn had his penalty saved and that brought the curtain down on our season in dramatic fashion.

A heartbreaking end to a fantastic season where we probably punched above our weight in our first season back in the Championship on the back of winning League One 12 months ago. I was gutted but so proud of the team and very glad that I made the effort to catch the game at such an ungodly hour.

Posted in Leicester City, Sport | 2 Comments

Sayonara Yoyogi School

Posted on May 12, 2010 by tokyofox

The end of March brought about the end to my short time (6 months) in Yoyogi school although bizarrely I was there the following week to cover myself! When I started in October I took on some of the most badly behaved kids I’ve ever experienced but as time went on I’d like to think that I made my mark and added a bit of discipline and routine to lessons.

My hands were also tied in this school as the office on the floor below would complain about any noise made by running or jumping which is understandable on their part but frustrating for me as running games in particular are a major part of my lessons. However, it did teach me that lessons can still be conducted in a more civilised sitting down way which most teachers probably employ but I generally don’t until later ages. This class were very weak with phonics and word recognition which I focused on a lot as well as well as doing a lot of drilling and chanting which they were good at for the most part.

As time went on a few dropped out which was a shame as I felt they were making progress albeit much slower than most other students of their age. They seemed to like me or at least liked the fact that I wore a Star Wars tie, started the lesson with the Star Wars theme and played the Imperial March during certain activities or games. For their last lesson I rewarded those in attendance by dedicating a very small part of the lesson to making a Clone Wars door hanger.

On top of a few leaving that lower elementary class a couple of boys also left from a Junior High school class which was my favourite consisting of three boys who were a great laugh to teach and also talented enough to handle the textbook and the target language that it threw up. However, they were at that age when a lot of kids often leave our schools due to having to go to cram school which is a ridiculous Japanese idea where kids not only do a long day at school but they also do sports or club activities afterwards and then go to this school to study more!

 

I did enjoy the challenge of teaching the aforementioned elementary kids class as well as a kindergarten class of three year olds who I have featured on this site before in the entry ‘Doing It By The Book’. Ultimately, I was proud of what I achieved with both these groups and hope that they continue to develop with their new teacher.

I only did a few adult classes there and they were no problem at all and I have stayed in touch with some of them. No doubt there will be a couple of more changes this year as the company continue to chop and change things to deal with the recession.

Posted in English Teaching | 1 Comment

TF Recipes #1: Miso On Toast

Posted on May 10, 2010 by tokyofox

A first for this website. Cooking instructions for making an authentic Japanese dish(?) as recommended to me by my friend Neil. Follow these five simple steps.

Step One: Empty the contents of a Miso soup packet on to one or two slices of bread. (below)

Step Two: Use a knife to spread the miso on the bread and after you have spread the Miso your bread should look like this. (below)

Step Three: Place the slices of Miso on bread into a toaster oven and toast for about 3 minutes. (below)

Step Four: When toasted the Miso-on-toast should look something like this. (below)

Step Five: Put the miso-on-toast in your mouth and eat it. (below)

But what did it taste like I hear you ask. Only one way to find out!!

Posted in Food & Drink, Japan Life, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nakizumo – Sumo Wrestlers Making Babies Cry!

Posted on May 6, 2010 by tokyofox

This event, which took place behind Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa, was one of those ‘Only in Japan’ occasions and featured a couple of sumo wrestlers holding a baby each with the winner being the first one (the baby, not the wrestler) to cry. This will of course sound very weird to some and lets be honest, it is isn’t it?! The Japanese thinking is that the more babies cry, the healthier they grow up. Basically, its supposed to assure them of a long and healthy life and not at all traumatise them!

I first remember becoming aware of this contest on the BBC sports comedy panel show ‘They think it’s all over!’ in the 1990’s where the team captain (and Leicester’s favourite son) Gary Lineker actually knew about it from his time spent in Japan in the early 90’s. I had never been aware of the event happening until a month ago when I saw it advertised in a listings magazine. So together with Gideon and our mutual friend Will (who I hadn’t seen since the end of 2004) we went to this quirky event on April 25th. We didn’t watch the whole afternoons events unfold as it became a bit tedious after a while (much like sumo itself!) but all in all it was an interesting experience.

            

Nakizumo started off with some long and boring official announcement by someone or another before all the mothers (and one father!) brought their competing babies on stage in two groups before we all saw what we had came to see. There were three sumo wrestlers alternating and they just took a baby from each group and then jiggled them about a bit until they cried. This didn’t always take so long but there was a back-up plan which involved the four judges (or whoever they were) getting up off their seat in the corner of the ring and putting on a supposedly scary mask to try ensure that the babies did cry.

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

Darth Vader: Who Is My Boss?!!

Posted on May 2, 2010 by tokyofox

This mobile phone company poster/billboard recently appeared all over the stations of Tokyo though god knows what its all supposed to mean. While in Shibuya last Friday I took the opportunity to take a few photos of the ‘viral’ campaign on display on the 109 building.

Vader in Shibuya Apr '10 003  Vader in Shibuya Apr '10 004  Vader in Shibuya Apr '10 009  Vader in Shibuya Apr '10 006  Vader in Shibuya Apr '10 013  Vader in Shibuya Apr '10 007  Vader in Shibuya Apr '10 014
Posted in Star Wars | 1 Comment

Cycling The A-Z Of Tokyo – Part II

Posted on April 28, 2010 by tokyofox

As mentioned in the prelude, station ‘B’ was a bit of a problem in that it was completely out on a limb compared to most of the other stations but it had to be done and so we left the Ginza and Hibiya district behind to head for Bakuro-Yokoyama where we had a short lunch break at Matsuya for a very cheap beef bowl dish (only 250 yen at that time) and then it was off to the Iidabashi district where a few stations needed to be checked off.

Before that Michael said we should stop at Otemachi for another ‘O’ stop as its the only one to have five metro lines going through it.

 

Jimbocho, Ichigaya and Yotsuya soon followed with the latter two being the only JR (Japan Railways as opposed to all the other private Metro ones) stations on the journey. This wasn’t really an issue for me. I just thought it more interesting to have a photo taken outside a proper station rather than the typical Metro station with its steps leading down underground.

As we rolled along the riverside into Ichigaya we could see many people fishing for fun at a place which featured in a BBC programme about Japan early last year. It’s one of those places where you pay to fish and then put them back in for the next customers to catch. Tranquility and peace and quiet are supposedly the order of the day but that looked hard to imagine with so many people there and trains going by every few minutes next to the place. I also wanted Yotsuya included as I was working there this month on Tuesdays.

Ushigome-Yaniguchi was unknown territory for both of us and was a tiny station in a quite difficult to find area and as we took some backstreets from there to Waseda just before 2pm the journey was starting to take its toll in terms of all those hours sat on the saddle if you know what I mean!

The only ‘Z’ station that I was aware of was Zoshigaya which is where I used to live for a few years and so that was quite nice to return to that area for the first time since I left. From here on all the stations were personal to me and it was me who was in charge of naviagtion for the first time. Kishibojin-mae is just a stone throw from my old house and was a bonus ‘K’ station and the only streetcar one.

 

The final straight was indeed a straight; the main road known as Kawagoe-kaido which I live on. I have never been stopped by the police on this road even when riding late at night without lights and listening to my iPod and less than a second after saying that to Michael we were stopped by a policeman who felt a desparate need to stop two foreigners to check if their bicycle codes matched the correct registered owner. This is basically what the police do in Japan and to top it off many Japanese cyclists pedalled by without problem whilst he checked our details.

I worked in Tokiwadai for 4.5 years before bowing out last September so that was next and was one of our longest stops as I had to wait a while for a delivery truck to move away from where it was parked in front of the station entrance. My home station Kami-Itabashi soon followed and the last two stations; Chikatetsu Akatsuka and Shimo Akatsuka brought the A-Z journey to an end at around 4pm.

 

Of course I had to cycle back to my house where we had a couple of celebration beers and then Michael had to get all the way back to Meguro. Almost nine hours in the saddle and mission accomplished and time to think of another bicycle challenge.

‘Cycling The A-Z Of Tokyo – Prelude’ can be read here.

‘Cycling The A-Z Of Tokyo – Part I’ can be read here.

Posted in Cycling, Japan Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cycling The A-Z Of Tokyo – Part I

Posted on April 25, 2010 by tokyofox

‘Cycling The A-Z Of Tokyo – Prelude’ can be read here.

After some very sh*tty weather recently, the forecast for Sunday 18th April was sunny and so it was that I left my home by bicycle at 7:35 am that morning to get to Harajuku for an 8:30 start at its other station; the metro known as Meiji-jingumae. It was quite strange being in this place when it was empty as opposed to its usual over-crowded status. I was even able to ride up the usually jam-packed Takeshita-dori shopping street and while waiting for my partner-in-crime Michael to turn up I thought I’d try and get a photo of me on my bike at the entrance to Meiji Shrine as I wanted the ‘A-Z’ journey through Tokyo to feature a few landmarks that weren’t just stations or subway entrances.

So this latest bicycle tour of Tokyo got underway at about 8:45 am and a few minutes later, following a pit-stop at Omotesando Hills (some fancy shopping complex), we were at Omotesando station. Daikanyama, Ebisu, Naka-Meguro and Fudomae were all ticked off within an hour. Gotanda soon followed even though Ginza was later planned to represent ‘G’. This was added spontaneously as I work there which could add a little bit more weight and justification for covering this fairly meaningless challenge in a lesson or two!

Michael was solely in charge of navigation and knows his way round Tokyo well unlike most people who live in this metropolis and just rely on the trains to get around. He thought it a good idea to do a few obscure minor stations like Takanawadai and Shirokane-Takanawa as back-up.

Azabu-juban was likewise and was an area we had been through before back in November as covered in ‘Tokyo Filming Locations Pt IV’. Akabane-bashi was my intended ‘A’ station for the reason that it was featured in a catchy song performed on the BBC show ‘Adam & Joe Go Tokyo’ many years ago. Tokyo Tower provided the backdrop before we went through Roppongi which was not so recognisable to me in the daytime given that its a place to eat, drink and party at nights.

The National Diet Building, Imperial Palace and the Godzilla statue (yet again!) were all seen and photographed as we took in Hibiya-Yurakucho, Hibiya and Ginza before embarking on the longest stretch we would have to do between stations.

         

Click here to read ‘Cycling The A-Z Of Tokyo – Part II’ 

Posted in Cycling, Japan Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cycling The A-Z Of Tokyo – Prelude

Posted on April 22, 2010 by tokyofox

Cycling the Yamanote line back in October with Michael whetted our appetite for a similar bike ride. The only problem was coming up with a novel idea as the Yamanote line is the only one which circles the city but when I heard about one of my favourite bands ‘Ash’ releasing the A-Z series of singles on the internet I came up with the idea of the A-Z of stations. Instantly, the alphabet of 26 letters was reduced to 21 as the letters ‘L’, ‘Q’, ‘V’ and ‘X’ aren’t in the Japanese alphabet and there are no stations beginning with ‘P’ anywhere near Tokyo (there are only a few ‘P’ station names in all of Japan).

Of course cycling them in order (A, B, C….) would be near impossible in one day so the idea was just to tick off each letter as we went around. You may think that sounds simple and while there are many many stations beginning with ‘K’ or ‘S’ for example, there are barely any starting with the letter ‘B’ or ‘C’ which meant that our journey would take us to all corners of Tokyo.

Another problem was that Michael and I live far apart (he in Meguro and me in Kami Itabashi) so it was decided to cover a handful of stations near these areas. Stations ‘D’, ‘E’ and ‘F’ are in short supply and luckily these and a few more big name areas (with their own stations) are all in the vicinity of his residence. As for my neck of the woods, there are a few near me which I wanted included for personal reasons like being where I live, work or used to work. The fact that the only ‘C’ stations are near(ish) my house meant that I could justify the inclusion of cycling in this part of Tokyo.

Finally, the only rule that I made was that this ‘A-Z’ journey could not include any Yamanote line stations although if a station had a separate Metro station using the same name then its OK such as in the case of ‘E’ for Ebisu. With those considerations and a plan in place all that was left was to actually get a decent day of weather for the challenge to be realised before Michael left Japan today (April 23rd).

Posted in Cycling, Japan Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

C*ck A Load Of This – Kanamara Matsuri 2010

Posted on April 16, 2010 by tokyofox

I made what has become my bi-yearly pilgrammage to Kawasaki Daishi on Sunday 4th April to witness the Kanamara Matsuri more commonly known as the P*nis Festival. This was my third visit to the festival and maybe my last one as I think the novelty of seeing the stone, black and pink portable p*nis shrines has worn off. My friend Gideon was with me this time but despite being in Japan for nearly 15 years he’d unbelievably never been to this cultural highlight!

 

The festival seemingly attracts more attention from the overseas media who tend to focus only on the weird things in Japan. As for me, I was just there to raise money and awareness for AIDS research and to celebrate fertility or whatever!

Compared to my last visit two years ago it was pretty much the same in terms of the main theme of the penis which could be seen everywhere in terms of candy, carved vegetables, illustrations and other souvenir goods.

 

I actually saw a bit more of the parade this year which saw the portable shrines carried by dozens of Japanese people through the streets of Kawasaki not that it was that interesting really. In some ways the festival was more enjoyable and certainly more relaxing once the parade disappeared from the shrine grounds as there was more space, the beer flowed and some performances of traditional Japanese music which added to the atmosphere. Sadly the weather wasn’t the same though as this year it was a bitterly cold and cloudy day which didn’t bode to well for the hanami party which I attended afterwards in Kichijoji.

Not to much to add to my previous blogs on this festival in 2006 and 2008 but I will say that there is something very wrong about seeing young kids sucking on phallic-shaped lollies or being placed on the big long wooden penis while their parents (along with a crowd of others) click away.

Posted in Japan Life, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Kung Fu Panda Special Lesson (2010 Edition)

Posted on April 12, 2010 by tokyofox

To celebrate the end of a hard years work for my kids I treated them to non-textbook special lessons in the last week of March which marks the end of the school year in Japan. This was basically the follow up to last years Kung Fu Panda special lesson and involved the manipulation of their standard text to fit in with the animal characters (from the Kung Fu Panda film) flashcards that I made and laminated and the making of a Po (the title character) mask before the culmination of some games played whilst wearing it. To be honest, I was quite disappointed with these lessons as I hadn’t anticipated so many students being absent as they were on school holiday. My efforts had been geared towards doing this themed lesson with the majority of kids in attendance.

  

Anyway, despite my somewhat wasted efforts (cutting out many rough templates of the Panda mask using old cereal boxes the night before each day) the lessons were still enjoyed a by a fair number of kids (I teach a lot of kids groups which were all mostly depleted that week) and gave them a break from the normal course syllabus.

           
Posted in English Teaching, Films | Tagged , , | 2 Comments