Even though I’ve been a Kashiwa Reysol “fan” since 2004 there were quite a few lean years in the middle when I just didn’t follow the J-League at all. Typically that period was the most successful for Reysol as they won six different titles in five consecutive seasons including back to back J2 and J1 titles. I missed it all so was hoping that this Emperor’s Cup Final match would be the first time they Continue reading
Seasons one and two (as well as the prequel season zero) of alphabet dating certainly pushed the boundaries of what a “date” is, and that continues in season three with even more tenuous examples for each letter of the alphabet. For the record, doing something together (no matter what it is!) counts as a date in this series which is not always about visiting glamorous places and doing exciting things but just getting out there and exploring locations we wouldn’t normally go to. Without further ado, lets kick off the final season of alphabet dating with what we did for the fourth set of letters…
P is for Continue reading
It’s quite hard to believe that Oasis split up nearly 15 years ago. The Gallagher brothers went their separate ways but forever live (or should that be ‘Live forever‘!) in the shadows of that band despite their subsequent successes. Their respective live dates are still hugely popular as was the case for this four date tour of Japan by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (NGHFB). I was there for the opening night in Tokyo and my wife was with me for her first ever concert of this kind.
This concert in Tokyo on December 1st was my seventh time to see Noel play live but was actually the first time I’d seen him under the Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds moniker. I am a big fan of his not-so-new band (they have actually been around for 13 years now!) but have just never Continue reading
As well as family time, nature is often at the forefront of any trip we take to the Izu Peninsula. On our most recent trip to this part of Shizuoka Prefecture towards the end of November we encountered a sign that said “tap the nature” which is certainly not a phrase I’ve ever heard before. No doubt it’s the result of poor computer translation but we did follow the instruction on the sign and was rewarded for it by a wonderful sight which was new for us.
Hotel Harvest Amagi Kogen is a place we’ve visited before and the reason for going there on the second day of this trip was to see the colourful Continue reading
Hearing the crowd (or even the commentator!) shouting “handball” is one of the great sounds of football matches around the world, and a second or two later the referee makes a decision which will either delight or frustrate those fans. It’s perhaps a little sad though that this form of handball is far more famous than the sport of the same name!
This fairly minor indoor sport has been a regular Olympic sport since 1972 (1976 for the women’s game) although it was first played at the Berlin 1936 games outside. Thank you Wikipedia for that information! Despite having been an Olympic sport for my whole life I am sure I Continue reading
Recent adventures in Chiba Prefecture seeking out the rather isolated Thai temple got me thinking about other such interesting-looking religious buildings in Tokyo. Of course the vast majority of religious places in Japan are Buddhist or Shinto but there are some others catering for those with different beliefs including well-known ones as well as a Continue reading
Just over 24 years ago the V99 music festival in the UK was headlined by Suede and Manic Street Preachers. It is still one of the best line-ups I’ve ever seen and was a very memorable weekend for me in Staffordshire which co-hosted the occasion. Fast forward nearly quarter of a century and both of those bands are still going but the landscape of music has changed a fair bit.
Bands used to only ever go out on the road to help promote their latest album releases but profits from music sales have dramatically dropped in the digital era so touring seems to be where the money is now. That may explain this fairly unique co-headline tour as neither Continue reading
It doesn’t seem so long ago that the Olympics were in Tokyo and now the Paris games are on the horizon. That was made very apparent at this qualifying event in Tokyo at the end of last month. October was something of a water sport special for me with three events in eight days. First up was swimming on Sunday, that was followed by water polo on Friday and then there was this Continue reading
Seasons one and two (as well as the prequel season zero) of alphabet dating certainly pushed the boundaries of what a “date” is, and that continues in season three with even more tenuous examples for each letter of the alphabet. For the record, doing something together (no matter what it is!) counts as a date in this series which is not always about visiting glamorous places and doing exciting things but just getting out there and exploring locations we wouldn’t normally go to. Without further ado, lets kick off the final season of alphabet dating with what we did for the third set of letters…
K is for Continue reading
This rural part of Saitama is one of my favourite places in the prefecture (one of the top 10 Saitama sights in this post from a decade ago!) but one that I have only visited a few times, and not for over ten years! It was time to change all that and on this occasion it was actually my wife who pushed for us to go there.
The main reason for this trip was to ride on Japan’s most futuristic luxury liner and to take Continue reading
Tokyo Fox (東京狐) 