The A-Z Of Tokyo Fox Celebrating 15 Years of Blogging (Part 1)

Posted on February 20, 2021 by tokyofox

 

15 years of Tokyo Fox! Who’d have thought that would happen?! Not I! It began in February 2006 as a fun pun-based place to keep an online journal to let friends and family back home know what things were like for me living and working in Japan. It really has been a labour of love at times to have kept this site going for 15 years given that so many others have come and gone in that time. Furthermore, this blogging business all started in an era before social media and YouTube had become the beasts they are today.

It’s probably fair to say that the randomness of the Tokyo Fox blog hasn’t helped it grow as much as it would have had the focus been on just one of two of the topics covered in this A-Z post. That’s all down to the Continue reading →

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15 Years Of Tokyo Fox: The Posts With The “Most” Hits For Each Year

Posted on February 17, 2021 by tokyofox

Fifteen years! How the hell did that happen!! There’s not much more to say than what I wrote in my ‘10 Years of Tokyo Fox‘ post five years ago about how it all began and the journey so far. Instead of regurgitating all that again lets just take a look at the biggest hit for each year from 2006 till 2020.

If you feel this post is too pretentious then don’t worry as ‘the posts with the “least” hits for each year’ is coming very soon! It should be noted that these are NOT the 15 posts with the most hits but the biggest hit from each of the 15 individual years which Tokyo Fox has been around so, for example, the 10th most successful post of 2016 may have done better than the top one from 2007 or whenever.

* From over 1600 posts, these statistics date back to 2010 after the switch from the amateur MSN spaces blog of old to WordPress. Anything from before then is completely unknown! Data is correct as of 5th January 2021.

2006 Tokyo Daytripper: Life’s A Beach In Onjuku (50,470 hits)

This beautiful 2km long white sand beach on the Continue reading →

Posted in Africa Travel, Food & Drink, Japan Filming Locations, Japan Travel, Movie Locations, Music, Quirky Japan, Star Wars, Star Wars Filming Locations, Tokyo Daytripper:, TV Shows | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

TF Top 10……Private Parts Places In Japan!

Posted on February 14, 2021 by tokyofox

 

This may come across as a quite perverted tour of Japan but it should be noted that many of the places cobbled together in the list below are around for serious reasons like fertility and AIDS prevention. That is of course the only reason I’ve visited such places and not at all because I have the humour of a young teenage boy!! Here, in no particular order, are ten places (plus a bonus!) where you can get your fix of private parts……without having to enter an adult shop or go on PornHub!

1. Enkyoji, Futtsu (Chiba Prefecture) – Details about this temple are rather sketchy but what I can work out is that a husband and wife died and a full naked statue Continue reading →

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The Big Stone Buddha Face Carved Into A Rocky Cliff-Face

Posted on February 11, 2021 by tokyofox

There was a time a couple of years back when it seemed like I was posting about an interesting buddha statue quite regularly. That even led to a TF Top 10……alternative big Buddha statues in Japan post during the slightly lean lockdown months last year when content was a little sparse! This one will just have to wait till the follow-up list!!

Back in the very early days of January, I headed on up to Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel, Tokyo Daytripper: | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

It’s 20 Years To The Day Since My Travel Days Began But Are They Now Over?

Posted on February 9, 2021 by tokyofox

It’s now been exactly two decades since a British guy set off with just a backpack to his name on a journey that would make and shape him for many years thereafter. Many countries were ticked off in the wake of that but it was this date 20 years ago when it all began.

That person was of course me and the picture above shows a young me at Heathrow Airport (my dad’s choice of background!) about to head off on an around-the-world travel adventure for over a year. Other than a couple of solo trips to Continue reading →

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Foxed In The Head: Cycling To All Inari Shrines In Tokyo’s 23 Wards – #9 Meguro

Posted on February 7, 2021 by tokyofox

#9. Meguro

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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Dining Out: Japan’s Smelliest & Stickiest Ramen?

Posted on February 4, 2021 by tokyofox

When it comes to ramen, there are many tastes and regional variations whether it be shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), tonkotsu (pork bone broth) in Kyushu or miso ramen which is served up in Hokkaido. On top of that come the crazy novelty ones which include things like cheese, coffee, ice-cream, tequila, kiwi, ham, pizza, sake, pineapple and so on. The kind of things that the true ramen masters would most definitely turn their nose up at!

Back in the UK, the phrase “…is a bit Marmite” is a metaphor often used for very divisive food items or people that are something of an acquired taste. The Japanese equivalent to the sticky, dark brown paste with a distinctive, salty, powerful flavour (in terms of polarising opinion) is probably Continue reading →

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TF Top 10……Songs About Japan From The 1990s

Posted on February 1, 2021 by tokyofox

  

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 1990s…

10. Tokyo Eye – Sonic Youth (1994) – It may have Tokyo in the title but Osaka and Kansai actually get referenced more in this song which features towards the rear end of the 1994 album ‘Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star’. The vocals don’t really do it for me but the ferocious guitar sound around the half-way point is a highlight.
Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Life, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Recreating McDonalds China’s Spam Oreo Burger (+ Matcha Beer, Green Tea Sandwiches & Jelly Drinks Which Look Like Sick Bags!)

Posted on January 29, 2021 by tokyofox

There have been all kinds of burger creations over the years from the fast-food chains but this not many have created such a buzz as this one.

It was only available as a limited release in selected McDonalds locations in China for one day on 21st December 2020, and most of them had gone by lunchtime as they proved to be incredibly popular. Sad at missing out on such burger science many Continue reading →

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Interesting Japanese Playground Structures #31 – Mushroom Park

Posted on January 25, 2021 by tokyofox

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: Mushroom Park 

Location: Kasumigasekihigashi Continue reading →

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