My First Table Tennis Match Was The Women’s Title Decider & It Was Epic!

Posted on March 28, 2023 by tokyofox

Each and every time the Olympics take place I often find myself watching a fair amount of table tennis. It’s not because I’m particularly interested in it but it’s just that the Japanese TV broadcasters seem to show it a lot. That’s probably not too surprising as there are a lot of very good players with Mima Ito and Jun Mizutani being the ones I remember the most from both the singles and the mixed doubles.

In my attempt to see a few sports I’ve never seen before I noticed the T.League Play Off Finals were taking place in Tokyo so booked a couple of tickets last month when it was only known that Continue reading →

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Going Back & Forth To Visit All The Stations Of Kanagawa’s Coastal Line

Posted on March 25, 2023 by tokyofox

 

When I went to every station on Kawasaki’s industrial Tsurumi Line in one day a few years ago it was expected to be a one-off but on something of a whim I then decided to do likewise on another interesting train line in the same prefecture. This time it was the Enoshima Electric Railway (also known as the Enoden Line) in Kanagawa Prefecture where the iconic Continue reading →

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My First Time To Watch Futsal In Japan But Will It Be My Last?

Posted on March 22, 2023 by tokyofox

Until I started teaching in Japan I have to admit that I had never heard of this form of football, and I even thought the students were making mistakes and that futsal may have been a Japanese-English word. It’s relatively unknown back in the UK but is popular in the likes of Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Japan.

Futsal has similarities to five-a-side football, and is something I’ve been meaning to go and experience for quite a few years now. The F. League is Japan’s top league for the sport, and having Continue reading →

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TF Flashback: Pristine White Beaches, Turquoise Seas, Snorkelling & Horse Riding In The Crown Jewel Of The Philippines (2008)

Posted on March 18, 2023 by tokyofox

 

Times were very different in the late 2000s when I would pretty much go abroad every time I had at least four consecutive days off. Of the eight countries I visited in 2007, my trip to Palawan in the Philippines was perhaps the most enjoyable. Subsequently I decided to return to the country the following year to see a different island and my girlfriend-of-that-time joined me too for our first trip together.

Boracay island is considered to be the crown jewel of the country thanks to the beautiful White Beach on the west coast but we had to Continue reading →

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The Good, The Bad & The Rugby! My Return To Kashiwa’s Secondary Stadium After 19 Years!

Posted on March 15, 2023 by tokyofox

Like many people in Japan I was keen to see some domestic rugby on the back of the country hosting a successful World Cup in 2019. However, Covid_19 came along and a lot of the momentum for rugby’s growth was lost. With limited knowledge of the Top League, I decided back in late 2019 that I’d like to see Continue reading →

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Alphabet Dating In Japan With My Wife Who Was Still Completely Unaware Of The Task At Hand! (S02E02 F-J)

Posted on March 12, 2023 by tokyofox

 

Season one (as well as the prequel season zero) of alphabet dating certainly pushed the boundaries of what a “date” is, and that continues in season two with some very 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 continue with the second part of season two…

F is for Back Continue reading →

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8 Days In Hiroshima: A Milk Carton Building, A Star Wars Cafe, Abandoned Stations, Snowy Hot Springs, Japan’s Best Value Meal, Train Trips, Waterfalls, Boat Race, Family Time & More!

Posted on March 9, 2023 by tokyofox

 

One of the things which first comes to mind when thinking of Hiroshima is the local delicacy okonomiyaki and within minutes of arriving back in the city for the first time in 12 months we were tucking into some although Continue reading →

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#WeStopAtNothing! Visiting All The Platform Zero Stations In Niigata

Posted on March 6, 2023 by tokyofox

There are 36 stations in Japan that have a platform zero. They are dotted around the whole country with just one or two in 24 of the country’s 47 prefectures. Yamaguchi and Niigata are the kings with four platform zeros. However, nothing could have been Continue reading →

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This Quirky-Looking Building Is A Sight For Saur Eyes!!

Posted on March 3, 2023 by tokyofox

Just a short time after posting a list of must-see dinosaur-related places in Japan in July last year I came across an attraction-of-sorts which sticks out like a saur thumb and would no doubt have been included in that top ten! Typical!

I wouldn’t say I’m a big fan of these pre-historic creatures yet I have managed to visit a fair few places relating to them over the years. Have I become a dino-whore?! This one all came about as I was looking deep for interesting and unique places to visit on my whirlwind three-day trip to Niigata in September. One of the first stops on my final day was Continue reading →

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Tokyo Modern Architecture #10

Posted on February 28, 2023 by tokyofox

For all its good points, Tokyo ain’t half one ugly looking city with buildings pretty much erected (and pulled down) willy nilly without any thought to the environment around it. However, amid all the chaos of such a concrete jungle there are a fair few examples of modern architecture which I am ever keen to photograph. Now, I am certainly no expert on such a topic but have enjoyed going around capturing the interesting and weird designs of some of these buildings. Here, in no particular order, is the next volume of interesting looking Japanese buildings including the addresses:

1.  University of Tokyo Hongo Campus, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku.

2. Continue reading →

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