Tokyo Daytripper: Big Golden Buddha & Sandy Red Monkey Temples Plus A Non-Scandalous Watergate!

Pretty much no stone has been unturned in Tokyo by the many, many YouTubers (and some bloggers too!) who either live in the capital or come to visit from further afield. Bordering prefectures have been covered far less though, especially Saitama to the north which gets something of a bad rep and is often called DaSai-tama which is a blending of the word for dull (dasai) and the place name itself.

Tokyo Fox is always keen to share (vaguely) interesting places from those prefectures and this post profiles a few largely unknown sights. Before taking in the Rugby World Cup warm-up match between Japan and South Africa in Kumagaya, I spent the daytime in some places just south of there. First up was Konosu Station which is just 50 minutes north of Ikebukuro. Outside the station I hopped on to a bus and took a 15 minute ride to find a golden god statue (3443-1 Kamitanadare, Kazo-Shi) which seemed like some kind of extension of the seven gods of Saitama trail I did a year ago.

After disembarking from the bus there was still the matter of a kilometre to walk on what was a hot day. The rear of it eventually came into sight and I wondered if it was even open to the public as it just looked like it was someone’s home in this peaceful rural area.

  

I couldn’t find a path leading to the temple so ended up Continue reading

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Interesting Japanese Playground Structures #22 – Devil Park

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: Devil Park

Location: Nishiki Continue reading

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Cycling In Izu #3 – A Giant Kannon Structure In The Mountains & A Religious Cult Building

My bicycle was taken on this trip to Izu with the idea in mind of doing some rides on future weekends but I was quite keen to get this particular one out of the way in the knowledge that I’d have a couple of recovery days afterwards. Plus I didn’t quite know when I would next be in town.

An interesting exterior for a very dull place!

Whilst my other two major cycle rides on this trip had started by heading south, this one was going northwards. Route 135 took me to Continue reading

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Cycling In Izu #2 – Route 135 Sights In Ito City

A few days after I’d done the ‘Cycling In Izu #1‘ ride and I was itching to get out on my bike again. This post is all about what can be found along a particular stretch of Route 135, the main road which runs down the east coast of the Izu Peninsula. Of course I could have just gone straight down this road and then come back up but that’d be a bit boring so I turned off at the same point that I did for going to the Jogasaki Coast.

This time though I didn’t quite go as far as there but could just enjoy a quiet country road with hardly any other vehicles in sight. At the junction for Route 135 the plan was to basically turn right and just work my way back towards my in-law’s house stopping at points of note along the way.

However, there was a quick two kilometre detour in the other direction first. When travelling by car up and down this road I had noticed a tall kannon statue but had no idea where it was. I managed to locate it using Google Maps, and as it wasn’t too far beyond my original starting point I decided to head down to see it.

 

It’s called Continue reading

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Cycling In Izu #1 – The Stunning Jogasaki Coast Plus Teddy Bear & Cat Museums

Having made such an effort to get my bicycle to my parents-in-law’s house via local trains I was keen to get out on it at some point. The weather forecast for almost every day of the holiday in August was stormy and rainy though there would always be some sunshine too. It was just very unpredictable and one had to just take something of a risk when going out. My thought was that if I got rained on at some point then so be it.

The main focal point for this particular afternoon was to be Jogasaki Kaigan Coast which I had actually visited before but on that occasion it was quite overcast. This time it turned out to be a glorious day and getting to my first port of call was fairly simple. There was even a nice green cycling path for much of it that was clearly separated from the road. There were also some lovely Continue reading

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Australia Filming Locations #9 – Ghost Rider (2007)

Popular comic book character Ghost Rider was given the big screen treatment in early 2007 with Nicholas Cage cast as the flaming-skull-headed biker. Cage already had a tattoo of the anti-hero on his arm but had to cover it up for filming as it would be pretty weird to have a tattoo of yourself wouldn’t it!!

It would be natural to assume that it was filmed in the States (or Canada) but it was pretty much all shot in and around Melbourne. None of the locations featured here are easily noticeable as being in the Australian city. It’s rather apt that the first filming location is now known as the Marvel Stadium although at the time of filming it went by a different name. Since it opened in the Docklands area in 2000 it has been called Colonial Stadium, Telstra Dome and the Etihad Stadium.

 

On screen it’s called the SoBe Dome and it is where Cage’s character Johnny Blaze performs a Continue reading

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In Loving Memory Of “Momiji”: A Tribute To Our Beloved Family Dog (Video)

“She’s the glue that binds the family together”

That quote above is something I said a few years back as she really did do so much to heal and bring the family together. Some people will probably roll their eyes at such statements but those who have or have had pets will understand the sentiment behind this post.

My wife has long credited Momiji as saving her family. Continue reading

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Over 5 Hours Of Local Train Travel To Shizuoka Stadium For South Africa vs Italy At The Rugby World Cup

Having failed to win any tickets in the ballots for matches in Tokyo or Yokohama I had no choice but to look further afield for matches that would fit in with my working schedule. Shizuoka was my first choice as I had never been to Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa. I’m slowly visiting every stadium used at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and this particular one hosted three matches in that tournament; Cameroon vs Germany, Belgium vs Russia and the quarter final match between England and Brazil which was decided by Ronaldinho lobbing Seaman from 40 yards.

When thinking of South Africa it is the Clint Eastwood-directed film ‘Invictus‘ (2009) which sadly comes to my mind first. (*) It tells the story of South Africa’s historical World Cup win on home soil in 1995 which helped President Nelson Mandela unite a previously divided nation. It has to be said though that some of the match-action shots are awful and ridden with mistakes.

South Africa against Italy was a match that stuck out on my list of possible games to attend although to be honest it probably was something of a Continue reading

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#ForceFridayIII – The Journey Towards ‘The Rise Of Skywalker’ Has Begun

 

The story of a generation comes to an end this December. The final film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy will bring the curtain down on the Skywalker saga which has enthralled fans ever since 1977.  Mind you, I did think it was the end in 2005 and in the mid eighties too so who knows if it will ever be continued!

Toys ‘R’ Us (Yes, these stores do still exist in Japan!) in Ikebukuro had a midnight event again and Tokyo Fox was there to see the launch of the new products for episode IX. As ever on such occasions, my friend Ben was by my side for an event that has been heavily hyped in the Star Wars community. This one was actually a Continue reading

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A Manic Sunday As Wales & Australia Met At The Rugby World Cup

 

The group stages of the Rugby World Cup throw up a mix of predictable one-sided games, some mammoth clashes and a few surprises too. Rugby giants New Zealand faced off against South Africa on the opening weekend, England will play France in the final Group C match and then there was this particular one between Australia and Wales.

This game was of course much bigger than the one I went to in Sapporo but I was probably less excited about it all in advance just because it was such a local match. They met last Sunday (29th September) at Tokyo Stadium, more commonly known as Ajinomoto Stadium when sponsorship is allowed to be used. It’s primarily used as a football ground for FC Tokyo and Tokyo Verdy but it has hosted rugby before. Indeed, I was there to see Continue reading

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