An abandoned building in a field in the middle of nowhere might not interest too many but when I heard about this place I was keen to check it out. The fact that it was a relatively straightforward journey for me increased my desire to see it but of course it wasn’t quite that simple.
Take the Tobu Toju Line all the way north up to Ogawamachi (TJ33) in Saitama, change to the JR Hachiko Line, and Continue reading
#12. Nakano
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
“It’s a bit Marmite” is a metaphor which is often used in the UK for food items, TV shows or people that really polarise opinion. The equivalent in Japan would have to be natto (fermented soy beans) which is very divisive and something of an acquired taste.
It was only when I started living with my wife that I even really began to ate natto. I didn’t have to grow to like it as thankfully I was a fan from the off. Students are often surprised when I say I like it and eat it most days. I teach a Junior High School boy in Shibuya who loves natto as much as I do and our conversations one day got me wondering if Continue reading
When Disney+ announced in March that the Ewoks cartoon was being added to their selection of Star Wars programmes from April 2nd (2021) onwards it was quite a surprise as I thought they were kind of embarrassed by such content.
Even before that news emerged I was planning to finish what I started last year, and complete the Ewoks cartoon challenge by watching all of season two in one day. This time I had the comfort of being able to watch all of them Continue reading
Getting to Izu in Shizuoka Prefecture is usually a straightforward affair. Board the JR Tokaido Line and ride for a couple of hours from Shinagawa to Atami before changing trains. If my wife is deciding then we usually take the more expensive Shinkansen (bullet train). She got her way the last time we went to her parents house in Ito though that was mainly down to having to take our dog.
This wasn’t his first time to ride on the trains and he is getting Continue reading
Admittedly I only ever found out about this movie thanks to the title being parodied by ‘The Simpsons‘ when the dysfunctional family visited Japan way back in season ten (S10E23) of the long-running American animation comedy. The contrast between the two could not be more different though and funnily enough, the one with more on screen time in Japan is actually the cartoon!
Only about ten minutes of this overly long war drama (138 minutes!) are in Japan but they are the best and most pivotal scenes in the movie which makes sense given its title. Those two facts just about merit an inclusion in this films ‘set’ in Japan series. The bombing Continue reading
Museums don’t often get featured on Tokyo Fox as I generally find it difficult to truly appreciate them. There are always exceptions though and one such example is this art museum up in Saitama which was brought to my attention as it exhibits a prototype of one of the Nakagin capsules from the famed architectural wonder tower block in Ginza. Little did I know but the museum building was also a Continue reading
Many of the parks and children’s playgrounds in Japan, particularly in Tokyo, are quite poor compared to other countries in terms of space, surroundings and a lack of grass. However, a handful of them do tend to possess extremely creative structures and they will be explored in this series.
Nickname: Hippo Park
Location: 2-22-4 Continue reading
Much has been written about the sight of hundreds of beautiful red torii gates at the likes of Motonosumi Shrine (Yamaguchi), Takayama Inari-Jinja Shrine (Aomori) and of course the hugely popular Fushimi Inari (Kyoto). They are all absolutely awesome places but there’s something equally interesting about seeing just a solitary red torii gate amidst a stunning setting.
One such place is on the east coast of Continue reading
For many decades now, international artists have often felt the need to put pen to paper and write some lyrics about their Japanese experience, particularly visiting Tokyo. Most of the songs are far from being their greatest work but for Japanophiles they can offer an interesting insight into a culture which used to be a mystery to many people in the western world. Without further ado, here is the Tokyo Fox top ten……songs about Japan from the 2000s…
10. Harajuku Girls Continue reading
Tokyo Fox (東京狐) 