Many of the parks and children’s playgrounds in Japan, particularly in Tokyo, are quite poor compared to other countries in terms of space, surroundings and a lack of grass. However, a handful of them do tend to possess extremely creative structures and they will be explored in this series.
Nickname: Rocket Park
Location: Continue reading
Five years ago I went to Japan’s hottest city of Kumagaya for an international rugby match and took in a few minor sights in the hours before kick off. As I came away from the ground a fellow niche-specialist Japanese friend asked if I’d seen the big Buddha statue in that area. As a fan of such statues I was disappointed that I was unaware of it but made a note of it for future occasion. That time finally came round a couple of months ago when I went back to this area of Saitama Prefecture.
Take the train for just an hour Continue reading
For the vast majority of the year, tennis is an individual sport (of course there’s doubles but I don’t take much interest in that form) but there are a few times each season when it’s a team game as the best players represent their country in the World Cup of Tennis. It may be a squad of five players but one big star player can almost single handedly carry a nation through the competition. Would that be the case with Japan?
The Billie Jean King Cup took place last weekend in various locations around the world including Tokyo where Japan were up against Kazakhstan. This tournament, as well as the men’s equivalent (known as the Davis Cup) has a very different style and atmosphere to the Grand Slam tournaments as the spectators can use Continue reading
The journey to a place is something I truly believe is part of the travel experience and over the years I have amassed large amounts of time sitting on all kinds of trains and buses going to new places. Shoe-string budget travel is usually good for an anecdote or two and once you’ve recovered and got over the brutality it can put a smile on your face. British YouTuber Backpacker Ben often gets content from going on cheap and very long bus or train journeys which got me thinking about some of the ones I’ve done.
The rules are that this doesn’t include flights or car journeys and can include multiple forms of transport combined as long as the transit time is very limited. I’m sure there are one or two notable Continue reading
Late last year one of my friends posted on Facebook about driving round an area just north of Tokyo in the name of visiting various kofun (ancient burial mounds). The city they’re dotted around was a place I knew about from my last trip to a nearby area five years ago, and seeing his pictures prompted me to finally go there to see it all for myself.
Take the Shonan-Shinjuku Line north of Ikebukuro for about an hour and you’ll arrive in the city of Continue reading
It’s now been over five years since I went to a country other than the one where I was born and raised, and that itself was in January 2020. Back in March 2019 I visited Australia for just under two weeks, and it was an unbelievably busy trip. The main reason for the visit was to see my eldest sister’s family, and my parents who were visiting at the same time. A few other family members as well as some friends from various parts of my past were also met. There is way too much stuff to include in this compilation post so this is just what I consider to be the best of the filming locations, sights, eateries, friends and family, old haunts and live sport!
On the back of an overnight flight, I had Continue reading
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: Mochida
Prefecture: Continue reading
The scores are level in the showpiece rugby final with just thirty seconds remaining. The scrum-half throws the ball back to the fly-half who drops for glory in dramatic late fashion. The ball sails between the posts and the fans of that player’s team celebrate wildly as victory is sealed. The full time whistle blows just moments later and one of the greatest moments in English rugby is born.
You’d be forgiven for thinking I was talking about Johnny Wilkinson slotting it for England against Australia in the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final but I am actually referring to the 2022 Premiership rugby final in England where Leicester Tigers defeated Saracens. The player behind that magical moment was the one and only Freddie Burns.
Before that defining moment in his career, he had played in Japan during Continue reading
The Great Buddha of Kamakura is no doubt the biggest, best and most famous statue in the Greater Tokyo area which incorporates the surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa. Tokyo Daibutsu is a far less famous Buddha statue in the north of Tokyo but that hidden gem was included in a previous post about the best alternative big Buddha statues in Japan back in June 2020. This compilation post focuses on any sizable statue of note in Tokyo metropolis such as Buddha, Kannon and Jizo. They are listed in no particular order and are all worth seeing if you’re into such a thing.
1. Yatsu Continue reading
Back in the late noughties I was a regular attendee at the various festivals taking place in Yoyogi Park and can remember going to ones relating to the likes of Vietnam, India, Jamaica, Thailand, Brazil and Gay Pride. However, it’s been well over a decade since I went to one. That changed on St. Patrick’s Day last weekend though when we went to Continue reading
Tokyo Fox (東京狐) 