Dining Out: One of Japan’s Shabbiest Vending Machine Restaurants

Posted on October 9, 2023 by tokyofox

Fine dining is all good and well but it’s not really for me. I’ve experienced it a few times and of course the cuisine has been great but I’m well and truly out of my comfort zone, and somewhat struggle to enjoy dishes which I know cost a fortune! Right at the other end of the scale was this grubby little shack of a place with a range of retro vending machines providing food for anyone dropping by.

Back in early August I noticed this place en-route to find a Thai temple in the middle of the countryside in Continue reading →

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My Parents Came To Visit Us In Japan For The 1st Time In 7 Years!

Posted on October 6, 2023 by tokyofox

When I was last back in the UK nearly five years ago my parents mentioned that they were thinking of coming to visit us in Japan again which surprised me a bit as I didn’t really think they’d be back. My dad even gave me a list of places he was interesting in visiting based on this blog’s contents! Of course Covid_19 then came along and that list was forgotten about. I found it again though recently when sorting through some old things and so we used it as an itinerary guide not that he could remember anything about the places he’d earmarked on it!

My mum and dad arrived in Tokyo quite late at night in mid-September. It was their third visit to Japan but the first time since 2016. Of course the most important things we did were Continue reading →

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A Brit Finally Plays At Tokyo’s Top Tennis Tournament & I Got To Meet Her!

Posted on October 3, 2023 by tokyofox

The top tennis stars can often make an absolute fortune from the game (prize money,  sponsorship, endorsements and so on) but one does wonder what it must be like for the lower ranked players who play different tournaments every week knowing that they’re fairly unlikely to go deep into it or even qualify for the main draw. It must require great mental strength and belief in your abilities.

I can’t pretend my original aim was always to go and see the lower ranked women on the qualifying weekend before the Toray Pan Pacific Open (TPPO) properly started. The original plan was to Continue reading →

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Tokyo Daytripper: Wat Is A Thai Temple Doing In The Middle Of Nowhere!

Posted on September 30, 2023 by tokyofox

Given that such a temple is something I’d barely give a look at if I was in Thailand, it is perhaps a little strange that I made such a big effort to see one in Japan. However, this  temple is not only unique for being Thai but it’s also located in the middle of nowhere, and the difficulty in getting there made it an even more appealing destination for me back in early August.

I’m sure many might question the idea of a 7-8 hour Continue reading →

Posted in Asia Travel, Japan Travel, Quirky Japan, Tokyo Daytripper: | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Cricket In Japan? Yes, It Really Does Exist!

Posted on September 27, 2023 by tokyofox

The Barmy Army!

Whenever baseball is mentioned in my English classes some students do actually ask me about cricket due to the vague similarities of the two sports. I rarely say too much about it but since learning a few years ago that Sano City in Tochigi Prefecture was the home of cricket in Japan I have bamboozled the majority of those asking with that fact, and not a single person has ever been aware of it beforehand.

It was of course quite surprising to me as I really did not think cricket was played in Japan, and indeed it is not Continue reading →

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60 Hours In Niigata: Natures Window, Dystopian & Scenic Stations, A Dinosaur Building, A World Cup Stadium, Platform Zeros & Cheap Alcohol Vending Machines

Posted on September 24, 2023 by tokyofox

 

Each year I try and get away by myself for a mini break but as the years go by the time away seems to get less and less. 12 months ago I decided to head up to Niigata for a long weekend as I had never been to that prefecture before. The idea was to see a few places of interest but inevitably as the trip got closer more and more stuff was added to my itinerary meaning that it would be three very packed and busy days. You’ve gotta make the most of such limited time though!

Day 1 – Things got off to a bad start at Continue reading →

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Alphabet Dating In Japan With My Wife Who Really Was Still Completely Unaware Of The Task At Hand! (S03E01: A-E)

Posted on September 21, 2023 by tokyofox

 

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 first set of letters…

A is for Continue reading →

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We Watched Japan Play An International Rugby Match Last Weekend!

Posted on September 18, 2023 by tokyofox

When I told my wife I had got tickets to see Japan play a rugby match in Tokyo she thought it was for a World Cup match even though that is taking place nearly 10,000 kilometres (about 6200 miles) away in France. Maybe she just thinks the Rugby World Cup is always in Japan!

The tickets were actually to see Japan’s Continue reading →

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TF Flashback: Travelling To A Trio Of Top Places In The Lovely & Often Overlooked Laos

Posted on September 14, 2023 by tokyofox

 

It may live very much in the shadow of its more famous neighbours but Laos is a country that should not be ignored or just added on to South-East Asian itinerary in the name of ticking off another country. Whilst it may not have the big famous sights offered in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, it still has its own charm and interesting places away from the tourist crowds of those places. 15 years ago I met up with my friends Richard and Mizuki in Laos and we travelled to three of the country’s most famous destinations…

Vientiane – Having been met at the capital city’s airport (once I’d coughed up Continue reading →

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Shizuoka Shenanigans: Spiders, Spicy Sustenance, Sizzling Steaks, Sacred Shrines, Strange Soda, Ships & Soccer

Posted on September 11, 2023 by tokyofox

The latest trip to our holiday home in Shizuoka Prefecture was a little different as this time I took our little dog there by myself with my wife joining us later that evening. On an incredibly hot morning it was far from a relaxing journey for me as I needed to continuously fan him to keep him cool and stop his panting.

Still, he was very well behaved (no barking etc) and got a fair amount of Continue reading →

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