Tokyo Daytripper: A Temple Dedicated To Japanese Tumbling Dolls

Posted on September 30, 2021 by tokyofox

Japan has many symbols of luck and good fortunes such as the maneki neko cat figurines,  omamori (protective amulets) and omikuji (paper fortunes) but one of the more interesting ones is the tumbling doll known as daruma. These colourful wooden dolls originate from Gunma Prefecture and about 80% of the national production is accounted for in this region of Japan which is just a couple of hours north of Tokyo.

The city of Takasaki is the proclaimed birthplace of the Daruma doll, and there is a quirky temple which holds an annual Daruma Doll Festival attended by over Continue reading →

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A Wet Walk Around The Rugged Volcanic Rock Shore In Izu

Posted on September 27, 2021 by tokyofox

 

Back in August, my wife and I spent six days in Izu but the weather was so sh*t that we did very little outside of the house. However, there was a brief respite one afternoon so, desperate to get out, I headed off to the nearest station in Ito to head a short distance south for some hiking.

Within minutes though it began to Continue reading →

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All The James Bond Movies Ranked From Worst To Best

Posted on September 24, 2021 by tokyofox

 

Covid-19 running rampant around the world gave many of us time to slow down and look back at what we have rather than seeking out new material all the time. With that in mind,  it was the ideal opportunity to start a complete re-watch of all the James Bond films,  including the two non-Eon releases.

My 007 DVD collection began around 12-13 years ago so I had watched them all at least once before. However, other than the modern-era Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig ones I hadn’t watched the older films so much apart from those which needed viewing before and after movie locations trips.

The complete re-watch began Continue reading →

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Tokyo Daytripper: The Giant White Kannon Statue Keeping An Eye On It`s Residents

Posted on September 21, 2021 by tokyofox

A giant white-robed goddess of mercy standing tall and overlooking Japanese towns and cities is something that always grabs my attention. This one is located a couple of hours north of Tokyo and as soon as I found out about it at the start of the year I was keen to check it out and see it up close.

Once I was finished at the sacred underground palace I walked through Kannonyama Park and it ended up taking about 40 minutes to reach Byakue Dai-kannon (2710-1 Ishiharamachi, Takasaki, Gunma-ken) although that duration time is higher than reality as I Continue reading →

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Review: Films Set In Japan – Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021)

Posted on September 18, 2021 by tokyofox

Over the years there have been about a dozen G.I. Joe movies and animated TV shows as well as a series of video games and comics and I have consumed none of them so went into this origins film with absolutely zero knowledge.

How the two previous G.I. Joe films completely bypassed me I really don’t know. I was recently listening, as ever, to the BBC Radio 5 Live Kermode and Mayo film review podcast when my ears pricked up at the mention of Tokyo. I wound back to the start of that particular review and that is how I found out about this film and the two previous ones in the franchise.

Consequently, my judgement here is purely about this story as a standalone film which is basically the equivalent of someone reviewing the final Harry Potter movie when they’ve never seen or heard anything about what has gone on before it! Go easy on me G.I. Joe fans!!

Admittedly, when I Continue reading →

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Another Abandoned Building On The Shores Of Lake Ippeki And The Regular Visit To Komuroyama

Posted on September 15, 2021 by tokyofox

A few years ago I wrote about the abandoned ruins of a lakeside hotel close to the shores of Lake Ippeki-ko in Ito but little did I know that there were more nearby! Another hotel too.

 

Usually such derelict buildings, known as haikyo in Japanese, are fenced off in some way with one needing to climb over, under or through it to enter the place. This one though sits just Continue reading →

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Foxed In The Head: Cycling To All Inari Shrines In Tokyo’s 23 Wards – #15 Chiyoda

Posted on September 12, 2021 by tokyofox

#15. Chiyoda

Cycling may be something that I love to do but I’m not really one who goes for a ride without some kind of aim whether it be to a restaurant, a sight or just my workplace. With that in mind, and desperate to get out on my new bike, I decided to cycle round ALL the Inari Shrines in Tokyo taking each of the 23 wards one at a time.

Inspired by recent interest in tiny shrines, this idea seemed like a good way of Continue reading →

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Tokyo Daytripper: The Sacred Underground Palace North Of Tokyo

Posted on September 9, 2021 by tokyofox

“A spiritual cave beneath a Japanese garden” was enough to get me interested in this 400 meter-long underground tunnel north of Tokyo.

 

On my previous visit to Takasaki at the start of this year I picked up a free map at the information desk about a few sights in the area but didn`t look at it until I had returned to Tokyo. There are a fair few places of interest in reasonably close vicinity of each other so I travelled up to Gunma Prefecture again. That may seem quite far but Continue reading →

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The Station Just Over The Border From Tokyo Which Has No Trains At All For 8 Hours…In The Daytime!

Posted on September 6, 2021 by tokyofox

 

The beauty of taking trains in and around Tokyo is that you never have to wait too long if you miss your intended train. That is definitely not the case though at this station just over the border from Tokyo where very few trains arrive and depart each day.

It is said that any nearby residents arriving at this station in Kawasaki at 9am probably have to give up on reaching civilisation that day. Whilst there`s an Continue reading →

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TF Top 10……James Bond Filming Locations From The Daniel Craig Era

Posted on September 3, 2021 by tokyofox

After multiple delays due to Covid_19 it seems like the 25th Eon-produced James Bond film is finally ready (I won’t believe it until I’m watching it in the cinema!) to see the light of day having been finished and ready for about 18 months now. In terms of duration, Daniel Craig has played 007 for longer than any of the other actors but he is adamant that this will be his fifth and final time as the double agent.

In terms of Bond filming locations, Norway and the Faroe Islands make their debut appearances whilst England, Italy, Scotland and Jamaica return. Since ‘Casino Royale’ (2006), locales have included Czech Republic, Italy, Bahamas, England, Austria, Chile, Panama, Turkey Scotland and Mexico. I’ve not quite visited them all but have done a more than a fair few. Here, in no particular order, are my favourite ten locales from the last four 007 films…

1. Bond earns Continue reading →

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