For over a decade Tokyo Fox has focused on the modern architecture of Tokyo with a long-running ten part series featuring over 100 interesting-looking buildings. During that time I have also taken photos of some unique structures outside of the capital city but had no place to showcase them until now. This is Volume 4 which includes some weird and wonderful buildings in Kanagawa and Yamanashi.
5. Kawaramachi Continue reading
Like many people in this country, I have only really followed the fortunes of Nadeshiko Japan (the women’s national football team) team since they triumphed over the USA on penalties in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final. Winning the biggest prize of all came at an important time for a country which had a few months earlier suffered greatly due to the earthquake and tsunami that ripped through parts of Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures. It gave the country a much needed lift and really helped put women’s football on the radar for much of the nation.
Since then, Nadeshiko Japan have had their ups and downs. They’ve twice won the Asian Cup but they Continue reading
One of the modern symbols of the hot and humid summer in Japan is a fairly popular Japanese drink which is consumed by many at various festivals. The beverage in question is called ramune (ラムネ) and there is a museum-of-sorts dedicated to it and its unique glass bottle which has a great sense of nostalgia for a lot of people.
With the majestic Mount Fuji lingering in the background, the S-Pulse Dream Plaza can make for a beautiful setting on the right day. This shopping mall is located in Continue reading
As my foreign trips began to slow down (if not stop all together!) about five years ago I started to look closer to home for quenching my wanderlust travel thirst. The Tōhoku region in the north of Japan was an area I was interested in so I made plans for a short trip to Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures.
A city located in Fukushima on day one was my first destination, and getting there took a while as I chose to do it by local trains which took just under eight hours! Sōma Continue reading
As far as trips away go this one was for the maximum possible time available to me. As soon as I finished work on the last Saturday in June I headed straight down to Izu and then returned the following Saturday going straight to work. As is often the case, much of our time there was fairly standard (housework and lots of gardening) but there were a few notbable things we hadn’t done before.
The most interesting thing we did together was probably Continue reading
Get on board a fast-moving bullet train in Japan for this thrilling ride where five assassins find out their missions have something in common.
My eyes may have rolled a bit when I first saw the title of this film which perhaps surprisingly was not changed in Japan to its native word. I guess ‘Bullet Train‘ is still simple and understandable enough for the the Japanese market and it makes it clearer that this is no domestic release.
Far from it in fact as the locals would be foriven for being confused about this movie being set in Japan as very little is recognisable. That’s because Continue reading
Every now and again I see a post on Facebook of a global map showing which sports are the most popular in each country. Of course there are no real surprises for the likes of England (football), the USA (american football), Australia (Aussie Rules Football), Canada (ice hockey), India (cricket) and so on. However, in East-Asia it’s often a different story.
Sure, football, baseball and basketball are popular (depending on the country) but so are the likes of Continue reading
The summer season in Japan can be brutally hot and whilst many just prefer to stay indoors there are some who head for the beaches to cool off in a different manner. The nearest ones for Tokyo residents are in the neighbouring prefectures of Kanagawa and Chiba but for those looking slightly further afield Shizuoka is also a possible day trip destination though a nights stay is probably recommended.
Izu is famed for its beautiful beaches with the jewel in the crown probably being Shirahama which, along with a few other great ones in that region, is located in the south of the peninsula. However, there are about five beaches Continue reading
July is the month when some of the top European clubs traditionally like to come to Japan for some pre-season money-spinning friendly matches against Japanese opposition. Teams this summer have included Manchester City, PSG, Inter Milan, Celtic, Bayern Munich and don’t forget that Barcelona came to play Vissel Kobe back in early June. Ronaldo’s club Al Nassr from Saudi Arabia were also in the country for a couple of matches too.
There is often great debate about whether these matches are worth attending when the prices are more than double the usual cost, if not more! A J1 or J2 match will definitely provide a better atmosphere as the regular hardcore fans are in attendance. However, there’s generally a different type of Continue reading
Had I actually bothered to take a closer look inside this shrine on my previous visit a few years ago it would’ve saved me this extra trip down the coast!
Back in 2021, I made a couple of trips on consecutive days to this spot on the coast but it was only when returning home on the latter that I found out about the interesting Continue reading
Tokyo Fox (東京狐) 