TF Recipes #5 – Red Caviar On Toast

Posted on March 12, 2020 by tokyofox

The least regular series is back on Tokyo Fox for the first time in six years, and a decade on from the inaugural TF Recipes post! I actually had the idea to do this particular “dish” many, many years ago now but then forgot all about it until very recently.

No need to go to a galaxy far, far away to find these ingredients!

Red caviar a.k.a. salmon roe (ikura in Japanese – a word which is also used to ask how much something is which leads to a whole host of hilarious jokes every time the word is used!) is one of the more commonly less appealing types of sushi for those from abroad. I just hated it’s appearance during my initial years in Japan. I had tasted it a few times and did think it was ok but was just put-off by the look of it. Many years on and I Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Drink, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Nostalgic Outing Of Sorts To Bradgate Park In Leicester And My Local Town’s Hottest Healthy Food Cafe

Posted on March 9, 2020 by tokyofox

One of the first ever school excursions I have a vague memory of going on was to this vast park in the north-west of Leicestershire. That was way back in the mid-eighties (* a couple of photos are included at the bottom of this post!) but other than climbing over some rocks there’s very little else I can tell you about that day trip to Bradgate Park. However, I can remember some stuff from my return there earlier this year…

 

Usually I don’t go into Leicester too much but on this trip back to the UK I went four times including three consecutive days with this trip the meat in the sandwich of the Leicester City FA Cup match and appearing on BBC Radio Leicester to talk about it a couple of days later. In a way it’s actually down to Continue reading →

Posted in Family | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

TF Top 5……Watergates Within Day Trips From Tokyo!

Posted on March 6, 2020 by tokyofox

This really is happening! All killer and no-filler here as Tokyo Fox presents some truly original content. Over the last few years I’ve gradually seen more and more of these constructions. There really is very little, if nothing, on the internet (in English) about watergates in Japan. That is probably for good reason as surely no one else is interested in such things! Only one way to find out so lets see how this fares. Do NOT expect this to be featured in the ‘TF Top 20……Tokyo Fox Hits of 2020’ post which will appear on January 1st next year!

1. Tamatsukuri Sluice Gate @ 3768 Tamatsukuri, Kumagaya, Saitama – Built in 2001 to prevent the floods from flowing back into the Arakawa and Yoshino Rivers, this water gate is 23.5 metres wide and 11.3 metres high making it one of the largest in all of Japan. It’s dome shaped roof, with three metallic balls on top, is supposed to look like floating balls or dango (a Japanese dumpling and sweet) when seen from distance. More details here

 

2. Rokugō Watergate Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Tokyo Daytripper: Free Moomin Park Less Than An Hour From Tokyo!

Posted on March 3, 2020 by tokyofox

 

Whilst looking at places to see Winter illuminations last Christmas I came across Moominvalley Park in Hanno City which is about 40 kilometers northwest of Tokyo. It actually only opened last March but I was a little put off by the entrance price. It’s not ridiculously expensive but for someone with very little knowledge of the Moomin universe I didn’t feel it was worth it.

However, in my research I came across another Moomin Park not so far from the main one. It’s called Continue reading →

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

London Pt III: The Vagina Museum, A Phallic Building, The Famous Cock & A String Of Filming Locales

Posted on February 29, 2020 by tokyofox

With Rina having returned to Japan for work I was left to my own devices for a day and a bit in London. Camden Town was one of the areas I wanted to revisit as I’d come across a couple of quirky places whilst navigating my maps app. Camden is a cool and funky place but it is very touristy.

 

Amongst the loud, in-your-face, and slightly tacky High Street shop facades is the Stables Market which is a great place for street-food, and it was also a shooting location for Continue reading →

Posted in Euro Travel, Family, Food & Drink, James Bond | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

London Pt II: Capital Sights, The New Years Day Parade, Phone Box Art & Quirky Platforms!

Posted on February 26, 2020 by tokyofox

It was a very early start to 2020 for me as I took a walk down to Canary Wharf Station and some other places before my wife got up. After checking out, we headed to the Tower Bridge area as that was the destination of our DLR Line and we didn’t really have much idea what to do on a day when most places were closed. In a way it was quite nice as places were nowhere near as busy as usual but that’s not to say the areas we went were deserted! There was still a few people milling around and some were enjoying the temporary ice-rink set up to the side of the Tower of London.

 

The nearby Tower Bridge (below) is one of the landmarks of London but so often Continue reading →

Posted in Euro Travel, London Film Locations | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

London Pt I: Balancing Time With My Wife & Hunting Down Filming Locations!

Posted on February 23, 2020 by tokyofox

As we took a taxi direct from Heathrow Airport to my parents house in Leicestershire just before Christmas we didn’t actually see anything of London until we returned there for the New Years period. Due to maintenance work though it wasn’t quite so simple to get to London as we had to first take a bus to Bedford before changing to the train to St Pancras.

Rina’s main desire was to visit the British Museum but motion-sickness on the bus put paid to that idea and so once we got to our hotel near Blackwall Station in East London we didn’t rush back out as originally planned. She booked our hotel and I was very happy with the location as I am …(nerd alert!) … a fan of the driverless DLR Line which it’s on.

 

Piccadilly Circus (and not Piccadilly Circle as Rina said!) was our Continue reading →

Posted in Euro Travel, London Film Locations | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Complete List Of James Bond Filming Locations

Posted on February 20, 2020 by tokyofox

Bond #25 is on the horizon as ‘No Time To Die‘ is set to hit cinemas this Spring with Daniel Craig appearing for the final time as the British secret service agent. Norway and the Faroe Islands make their debut appearances whilst England, Italy, Scotland and Jamaica return having all featured in previous James Bond movies. Ever since 1962, the 007 franchise has taken viewers on jaunts to all corners of the globe and here is a full and comprehensive list of which countries were used for filming. Please note that the country filmed in may have doubled up as another country or two at times.

#1. Dr No (1962)

England (London), Jamaica

#2. From Russia With Love (1963)

Scotland, Turkey Continue reading →

Posted in James Bond, Japan Filming Locations, London Film Locations | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

TF Top 10…… J1 League Stadiums You Should Visit This Season

Posted on February 17, 2020 by tokyofox

The new J-League season is just round the corner with games kicking off over the weekend starting March 21st. In anticipation, Tokyo Fox has compiled a list of ten grounds which any fan of the beautiful game should visit when in Japan. It should be stressed that this is a personal choice and that every stadium experience is basically what you make of it.

10. Yokohama F. Marinos @ Nissan Stadium (72.327), Kanagawa Prefecture – If it wasn’t for the fact that it hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup final, I would not have included this stadium as it’s got a running track around the pitch which means that you’re always quite far from the action. Still, it’s not too bad a place to be when full but all too often the attendance is less than a third of it’s capacity. More details here

 

9. Nagoya Grampus @ Continue reading →

Posted in Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Review: Films Set In Japan – Sayonara (1957)

Posted on February 14, 2020 by tokyofox

“Don’t you think you’re taking a risk marrying a Japanese girl?’

They were not words of advice given to me ahead of my wedding in 2014 but the question posed by US Air Force fighter Major Lloyd Gruver (Marlon Brando) to his fellow airman Joe Kelly (Red Buttons), who is set to wed a Japanese woman despite the disapproval of US military authorities who do not recognise such an inter-racial marriage as it’s generally illegal under American law.

Warning: Contains Spoilers!

Gruver resolutely supports the military’s opposition to such multicultural romances and, having failed to talk Kelly out of getting married, agrees to be his best man and before you know it Continue reading →

Posted in Review: Films Set In Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments