TF Flashback: Two Theme Parks, A Mountain Climb & A Bungee Jump In One Big Long Weekend

Posted on November 2, 2022 by tokyofox

Usually whenever I had a few consecutive days off 15 years ago I would be hopping on a plane and flying off to another country. However, I did spend the occasional long weekend in Tokyo and this particular one was very busy and full of activity.

Day One: Tokyo’s Least Known Swimming Pool 

My friend Ethan loved theme-parks, and we went to a fair few of them over the years such as Fuji-Q Highlands, Hawaiian Spa Resort, Nagashima Spa-Land, Toshimaen and even Six Flags Magic Mountain in the USA. The one we went to on the first day of this busy three day weekend was Tokyo Summerland which is a big water amusement park in north-west Tokyo.

 

I had previously visited the place a couple of years earlier and the indoor swimming pool was a sight to behold for all the wrong reasons! When the wave machine came into operation Continue reading →

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Going Underground To Explore One Of Japan’s Most Dystopian Stations

Posted on October 30, 2022 by tokyofox

An unstaffed and virtually abandoned Japanese train station located deep beneath the surface but this is not that famous one in Gunma Prefecture!

160 kilometres north-west of Doai station is this similar nuclear shelter-like one in Niigata Prefecture which has an equally dystopian feel to it. However, Tsutsuishi hasn’t always been below the surface as it was Continue reading →

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Review: Films Set In Japan – Shutter (2008)

Posted on October 27, 2022 by tokyofox

The horror movie genre is one that I’ve never been into so much but I have seen enough films to not be too scared as there is a limit to what can make you jump out of your skin. That was certainly the case here where I really was quite surprised at how tame the horror side of it all was. There is very little chance of one having any kind of nightmares after watching this one, that’s for sure! The premise was quite good but it really failed to deliver a story of too much depth like ‘The Ring‘ which is perhaps an unfair comparison as that set a much higher benchmark for Asian remakes.

Warning: Contains spoilers!

Now I should add here that I had no idea until after I’d watched ‘Shutter‘ that this was a remake of a Continue reading →

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Experience Death Once Before Your Time Is Actually Up!

Posted on October 24, 2022 by tokyofox

It is said that the only thing certain in life is death. The next world is one you supposedly should not miss, and this quirky little museum in Shizuoka Prefecture hopes to help you experience the world of the Japanese afterlife.

 

It’s located a short distance from Continue reading →

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My Favourite Inari Shrine For Each Of Tokyo’s 23 Wards

Posted on October 21, 2022 by tokyofox

This compilation post features my favourite Inari shrine from each of Tokyo’s 23 wards. It was admittedly slim pickings for some of the wards so certainly don’t expect to be impressed by all 23! Justifying my choice for each of them with explanations would not be too interesting and indeed would probably be quite repetitive. Basically, I like any shrine which is small, has a tunnel of red torii gates, some red flags or some prominent fox statues.

1. Inari Shrine, Itabashi-ku. More details here

2. Takeyoshi Inari Shrine, Continue reading →

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Witnessing An Historic Upset In The 102nd Emperor’s Cup Final

Posted on October 18, 2022 by tokyofox

New Years Day signals new beginning but the Emperor’s Cup Final on January 1st usually brings the curtain down on the previous years domestic Japanese football season. However, this years semi-finals and final dates were much earlier due to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar taking place in the Winter. Presumably Japan National Stadium was booked out so Nissan Stadium in Yokohama was the venue for the final for the first time since 2014.

Against the odds, J2 team Ventforet Kofu overcame Kashima Antlers away from home in the semi final to make it to their first elite cup final. They were set to face Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the showpiece final and the fact that it was those two teams facing off against each other meant it was Continue reading →

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A Whirlwind Tour Of 7 Prefectures In 4 Days!

Posted on October 15, 2022 by tokyofox

Kyoto Station pretty much marked the end of this whirlwind four day trip but it wasn’t the happiest of endings as the bullet trains were all delayed and so I had to wait for over an hour till they were running again. Still, it did give me some time to Continue reading →

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Retrospective Alphabet Dating In Greater Tokyo S00E03: J-M

Posted on October 12, 2022 by tokyofox

 

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 →

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Watching My First Football Match At The National Stadium In Tokyo

Posted on October 9, 2022 by tokyofox

Suzuka was very much the centre of attention for sport this afternoon with the most eye-catching event being Round 18 of the 2022 Formula One championship. However, 400 kilometres away the local football team, known as Suzuka Point-Getters, were playing a match against Shinjuku Criacao at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo.

 

This stadium has been open for nearly three years now and I finally got to go inside it but not for a cup final or an international match! Teams occasionally decide to play a home match at the stadium (FC Tokyo and Shimizu S-Pulse have done so already this season) and this time the hosts were Continue reading →

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TF Top 10……Star Wars Events In Japan Since The Disney Takeover A Decade Ago

Posted on October 6, 2022 by tokyofox

 

It’s been ten years since Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion. It was certainly a news story I didn’t see coming but I’ve never had any problem with the takeover  although I really wasn’t so keen for the films to continue beyond Episode VI. As someone who remembers the lean years when there was barely any new Star Wars content out there, it has been wonderful to have a constant flow of films and TV shows released. To date, there has been the three sequel movies, two stand-alone films, Rebels, Resistance, The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, The Mandalorian, Visions, The Book of Boba Fett, Andor and more!

To celebrate the last decade I have Continue reading →

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