It may have been the rainy season on this particular visit to the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture but there was thankfully very little wet weather and so we could enjoy a relaxing week at the house with a couple of side-trips included too.
Staying in the countryside is a far cry from our urban life in Tokyo with all the convenience that it offers. There’s not that much to do at times so Continue reading
In the wake of the Star Wars prequels coming to an end in 2005 I have to say that I never thought I’d see the day when actor Ewan McGregor returned to his role as a Jedi Master. A few months ago though that did happen when the Obi-Wan Kenobi series aired on Disney Plus. Even my wife was interested in seeing this show so we rewatched the prequel films before then watching and enjoying the six-part series together.
I really liked being able to see the ‘Back To The Future‘ costumes at Toy Continue reading
The question of when I last went swimming came up in a lesson back in early August and for the life of me I really could not remember * as it had been so long. That’s a different story now after I took a recent dip in the sea at one of Continue reading
“A wise man climbs Mount Fuji once but only a fool climbs it again!”
That proverb may be true but within a couple of years of ascending Mount Fuji for the first time I became interested in doing a follow-up climb. When we did the original climb in 2007 it actually began from the 5th station which is already over Continue reading
The rise of rugby in Japan was huge towards the end of 2019 and it was expected to continue to grow in popularity as we entered 2020……but then Covid_19 came along and all momentum was completely lost. Not for everyone though!
When I heard that the Ireland women’s team would be in town on their first-ever summer tour, I was keen to attend the match in Tokyo despite having never even Continue reading
When we went to see ‘Back To The Future’ in Concert last month we were handed a plastic bag full of promotional material on the way in as is quite common in Japan. Most of it was junk but there was one pamphlet (below) advertising ‘La La Land in Concert‘. As fans of both the film and its soundtrack we were both keen to attend so a few days later the tickets were aquired.
A decade ago I saw ‘Star Wars in Concert‘ at Tokyo International Continue reading
After countless visits to Izu I really did think we had just about exhausted every possible place worth visiting. However, my wife noticed an advert on the Izu Kyūkō Line trains showing an old temple which looked quite interesting due to its location amidst a forested area, and she was very keen to see it.
We took the train to Izu-Kōgen (IZ06) one morning and from there it was just under Continue reading
For many years I have seen a spectacular sea cave used on promotional materials for the Izu Peninsula, and really wanted to see it for myself. With no knowledge of the place I just assumed it was out of bounds to someone like me who has to use public transport to get to such sights but when I actually realised it was accessible from the most southerly train station I began to make plans.
Those plans were finally realised back in June. The train ride down the east coast of the peninsula on Continue reading
The vast majority of the hundreds of Inari Shrines I cycled to in Tokyo’s 23 wards were fairly easy to locate. However, there were some very well hidden and elusive ones which were rather isolated, tucked away in tight alleyways or located within grounds which I was unable to enter. Usually I was able to at least Continue reading
Whilst season two of alphabet dating is taking place I thought I could fill that void with a restrospecive series which is certainly an easier operation as they were not done in alphabetical order which can be a little stressful and frustrating at times.
Season 0 will throw back to places and things we’ve done in Greater Tokyo since 2011. I generally hate the term Continue reading
Tokyo Fox (東京狐) 