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

Posted on October 18, 2019 by tokyofox

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)

Posted on October 15, 2019 by tokyofox

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)

Posted on October 11, 2019 by tokyofox

“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

Posted on October 7, 2019 by tokyofox

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

Posted on October 4, 2019 by tokyofox

 

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

Posted on October 1, 2019 by tokyofox

 

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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Manic Street Preachers Live In Tokyo 2019

Posted on September 28, 2019 by tokyofox

Following tours marking two decades since the release of ‘The Holy Bible‘ (1994) and ‘Everything Must Go‘ (1996) it was perhaps inevitable that the the Manic Street Preachers would do the same for ‘This Is my Truth Tell Me Yours‘ (1998). Now technically it’s 21 years since their biggest selling album was released but the Welsh trio were in Tokyo to play a couple of gigs in the build up to seeing their beloved Wales play against Australia in the Rugby World Cup.

Yes I know I’ve got the flag the wrong way round!

Toyosu Pit is a 3000 capacity venue about 15 minutes on foot from Toyosu Station on the Yurakucho Line. It was my debut at this place and also my first proper music concert for Continue reading →

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A Long & Steep Ride To Check Out The Cycle Racing Track Which Will Be Used At Tokyo 2020

Posted on September 26, 2019 by tokyofox

 

Tokyo may be the host city for next Summer’s Olympic Games but there are a few events taking place in other prefectures of Japan such as:

Shooting – Asaka (Saitama); Golf – Kasumigaseki Country Club (Saitama); Surfing – Tsurigasaki (Chiba); Fencing & Taekwondo – Makuhari Messe (Chiba); Sailing – Enoshima Yacht Harbour (Kanagawa); Baseball – Yokohama & Fukushima; Football – Sapporo, Sendai, Kashima, Saitama & Yokohama; Cycling – Fuji Speedway & Izu Velodrome (Shizuoka)

The latter is where I’ll be for some of the track cycling action assuming I can actually get there! I say that as this really is a difficult place to get to without a car. No train stations are close to the Velodrome so Continue reading →

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The Highs & Lows Of Watching England’s First Match At The Rugby World Cup In Sapporo

Posted on September 23, 2019 by tokyofox

 

In November 2003 it was only my second day in Japan when England beat Australia to win the Rugby World Cup Final. That night out in Roppongi proved to be a hugely memorable night. 16 years on and I now have another unforgettable experience of watching England in Japan but this time I was there to see it unfold in person in the same stadium where Beckham’s penalty defeated Argentina in 2002.

I really didn’t think Sapporo Dome was the kind of place I’d ever go to twice but after failing so often to get tickets in the pre-tournament ballots I had to set my sights much further afield. First I got a ticket for a later group match in Shizuoka and then I realised that it wouldn’t actually cost too much more to Continue reading →

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One Of Japan’s Most Beautiful Beaches Plus A Dilapidated Castle, A Loop Road & Shizuoka Cola

Posted on September 20, 2019 by tokyofox

 

The weather forecast for the August Obon holiday was rather unpredictable to say the least. Pretty much everyday was meant to be rainy or stormy if you believe what the apps tell you! I had to basically just wake up and see what it was like each day and then make a decision.

It was baking hot one morning so I decided to head down the line to Izukyu-Shimoda Station. There were a couple of places I wanted to see but as the sun was shining so brightly I thought it would be nice to spend a bit of time at what is often regarded as one of Japan’s most beautiful beaches.

Typically as the bus moved down the coast Continue reading →

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