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 →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

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 →

Posted in Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Unstaffed Stations of Japan #12 – Kamakurakōkōmae

Posted on February 25, 2023 by tokyofox

Think of train stations in Japan and the mighty Shinjuku station is sure to come to mind for many people. That is the world’s busiest train station, and Japan monopolises the top 50 list with only five of them not in this country. However, at the other end of the scale are some tiny stations which are usually unstaffed and used by very few commuters.

Station: Kamakurakōkōmae

Prefecture: Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

Review: Films Set In Japan – People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan (2021)

Posted on February 22, 2023 by tokyofox

Of all the British TV series to get the big screen treatment, it was something of a surprise that this niche show was ultimately chosen. Many TV shows have tried and failed to make the leap from the small screen but how did ‘People Just Do Nothing‘ fare?

With absolutely zero knowledge beforehand, I was able to see this 97 minute film shortly after its release back in 2021. I still enjoyed that first viewing, and indeed liked it enough to go back and binge watch all 27 episodes (five series) over a few weeks before re-watching the film with new eyes. All of that happened just over a year ago and much had been forgotten so I had to Continue reading →

Posted in Review: Films Set In Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

TF Flashback: The Search For A Difficult (But Not Impossible!) To Find Movie Location Plus Dumplings & Other Delicacies in Shanghai

Posted on February 19, 2023 by tokyofox

The arrival of a new ‘Mission: Impossible‘ movie this summer got me thinking of the filming locations I have been to from this franchise. I have tracked down locales from the first six films in the likes of England, Australia, Italy and the Czech Republic but perhaps the most exciting and challenging one for me was the small ancient Chinese town of Xitang which appeared in ‘Mission: Impossible III‘ (2006).

 

With zero knowledge of where exactly Xitang was or how to get there, it proved to be something of a struggle to reach this scenic town in Jiashan County. We found out we had to go to Continue reading →

Posted in Asia Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Forgotten Suspended Railway In Japan Which Will Soon Be No More!

Posted on February 16, 2023 by tokyofox

Last year I posted about riding on the suspended railway in Shonan (Kanagawa Prefecture) believing it to be just one of the world’s seven dangletrains. That story was probably the one that got the most attention on Twitter (yet it never made it into the Top 20 posts for 2022!) and there was one particular comment on social media which really made me sit up and take interest.

It seems that there was an eighth and it also happened to be in Japan. Whilst the two Japanese upside-down trains are both in reasonable close vicinity to Tokyo (in Chiba City and Kanagawa Prefecture respectively), the other is over 650 Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Alphabet Dating In Japan With My Wife Who Was Still Completely Unaware Of The Task At Hand! (S02E01 A-E)

Posted on February 13, 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 get season two up and running with what we did for the first set of letters…

A is for Continue reading →

Posted in Films, Food & Drink | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Lock In Your Love At This Point On The Sea Of Japan Coast

Posted on February 10, 2023 by tokyofox

The middle day of my three days in Niigata Prefecture was pretty much all railway-related in some way so I needed a bit of respite from that and that place was nearby the station which just happens to be the closest one to the sea in all of Japan.

Just a guy looking out the window in a very natural way!

That was the main reason for stopping off at Omigawa station. The modern-style architectural station building design was another but one can’t Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Stations By The Sea In Niigata (2/2)

Posted on February 7, 2023 by tokyofox

Anyone who has ever read any of the Unstaffed Stations posts will know that I love a station that is located next to water, particularly the ocean. There’s something anime-like about such a thing and so when I was in Niigata Prefecture on a short trip in September 2022 I went to check out a couple of these places.

The first of this two-part series focused on Arimagawa station but 42 kilometres east of that is this more modern-looking building. The reason for it being built though only came about due to Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Other Hugely Popular Thing To Do At Miyajimaguchi Station!

Posted on February 4, 2023 by tokyofox

 

Think of Miyajima and thoughts immediately turn towards Itsukushima Shrine and it’s bright red torii gate in the sea. The deer roaming the island and oysters may get a mention. The quirky temple on the east of the island is unlikely to be spoken of and one of Japan’s gambling hotspots is also unlikely to come to mind!

I had barely heard of boat race until I went to watch a bit of Keirin cycling in 2019 in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics at the Izu Velodrome in Shizuoka. That was when I first heard it mentioned as one of three gambling sports in Japan along with Continue reading →

Posted in Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments