Tokyo Filming Locations #17 – Shin Godzilla (2016)

Posted on May 25, 2019 by tokyofox

It’s probably taken longer than expected but finally the sequel to the Gareth Edwards-directed ‘Godzilla‘ (2014) is going to see the light of day. ‘Godzilla: King Of The Monsters‘ is the 35th film in the Godzilla franchise, and the third Hollywood produced one. Although there’s been a trilogy of animated Godzilla movies in the last couple of years this is the first live-action one since way back in 2016!! To mark this new release, Tokyo Fox has brought together all the filming locations from that 2016 Japanese film and compiled them into a solitary picture-special post.

Please note that the time codes given may be slightly different to the DVD or blu-ray versions.

1 minute – Tokyo Bay Aqua Line, Aqua Bridge, Kisarazu (Chiba). More details here

    Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Filming Locations | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Tallest Arch Style Tower In Asia, A Beautiful Castle Location & A Free Foot Spa

Posted on May 22, 2019 by tokyofox

Gifu is one of those prefectures that has always been something of a mystery to me. I have travelled through it a few times on journeys between Nagoya and Osaka but never done anything more than transit at Ogaki Station. At the start of January, when I did my 16 hour trip on local trains between Tokyo and Hiroshima, I passed through Gifu amidst some beautiful scenery with mountains fringing the city. I was really impressed.

Another sight that I noticed from the train window in the past was a huge giant white construction which I later found out is called 138 Tower Park (21-3 Komyoji Urasaki Ichinomiya-Shi, Aichi). It’s actually in Aichi prefecture and I thought I’d stop off to get a photo en-route to my day in Gifu.

 

I knew in advance that it was 43 minutes away on foot but I thought I’d Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Another Giant Buddha But This One Is Made Of A Very Unique Material!

Posted on May 19, 2019 by tokyofox

Regular Tokyo Fox readers will probably be aware that I love a buddha statue and the bigger the better. This particular one is 13.63 metres in height which is impressive in itself but it’s not just the size of this one which makes it appealing.

  

This buddha can be found at Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

A Football Stadium Amidst Stunning Surroundings? I Give You FC Gifu!

Posted on May 16, 2019 by tokyofox

Since 2015 I have always attended at least one football match in the Golden Week holiday in Japan. Previous grounds have included Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Vi$$el Kobe,Shimizu S-Pulse, Fujieda MYFC and Gamba Osaka. Just because of my occasional Twitter interaction with a couple of FC Gifu fans, their stadium has long been on my list of places to go so whilst in Nagoya I saw it as a good opportunity to add another Japanese stadium to my list. Fact is that it’s probably easier to get to the Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium from Nagoya than it is to get to the home of Nagoya Grampus itself!

Twitter often gets a bad rap for its more sinister side but for a nobody like me it’s been a very useful tool for making contacts, especially within the fairly niche community of native English-speakers passionate about Japanese football. One such person is Continue reading →

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

Tokyo Daytripper: A Uniquely Designed Observation Platform & WWII Ruins

Posted on May 13, 2019 by tokyofox

When going in search of any sight (including world famous ones) one has to be aware that it may not quite be the picture postcard perfect moment you envisaged due to the weather, people or vehicles obstructing it, construction work and so on. The latter was sadly the case here for this strange-looking observation deck in a remote part of Chiba prefecture.

Whilst perusing a Japanese website Chiba a few years ago I came across this 21.8 metre observation tower which was originally constructed in 1971 and consists of a set of interlinked platforms. Known as the Meiji 100 Years Memorial Observation Tower, it juts out into Tokyo Bay and is 100 minutes walk away on foot. I have walked such distances before but thankfully it could be reached by bus so once I was done at the temple in the cliff in Tateyama, I went about 50 kilometres back up the coast to Aohori Station on the Uchibō Line. From there it was a 12 minute journey on the Nitto bus to my drop-off point at Futtsu Park.

There was a map there but I didn’t need it as I knew it was an undeviating 2.1 kilometre walk that would take about 25 minutes. Little did I know that I would be Continue reading →

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

Tokyo Daytripper: A Temple Built On The Side Of A Mountain

Posted on May 10, 2019 by tokyofox

Back on New Years Day I happened to catch the news on Japanese TV which was showing the different ways people mark the occasion. One of the places that featured was a temple in a cliff where some people had congregated to watch the first sunrise of the year. I was impressed by it’s beauty and immediately asked my wife where it was as I couldn’t read all of the kanji on screen.

Expecting the answer to be some far flung place, I was quite surprised to discover that it was in one of Tokyo’s bordering prefectures. Last Summer I went to a similar-looking place in Iwate prefecture called Hiraizumi which is 450 kilometres north of Japan’s capital. Little did I know that there was such a place Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan, Tokyo Daytripper: | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Interesting Japanese Playground Structures #18 – Big Dog Playground

Posted on May 7, 2019 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: Big Dog Building

Location: Continue reading →

Posted in Quirky Japan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Sunwolves Take Wind Out Of The Hurricanes (In The First Half!)

Posted on May 4, 2019 by tokyofox

With the ninth Rugby World Cup on the horizon, it’s a big year for the sport in Japan this year as the country plays host. It’s the first time it’s been held outside of the traditional rugby hotbeds and so will be the inaugural Asian-based tournament. The final will take place at International Stadium Yokohama on November 2nd but the original idea was that the new Olympic Stadium would host it. Sadly, those plans were shelved when it became evident that it wouldn’t be ready in time. The development seems to be progressing nicely though when I took a look before the game of rugger I’d come to see.

    Continue reading →

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

Australia 2019 Pt XII: Dining Out Down Under!

Posted on April 30, 2019 by tokyofox

A diet of very basic noodles, pasta and sandwiches got me through the majority of my year travelling around Australia in 2001. Fast forward eighteen years and it’s fair to say that my eating habits have changed. That’s not just due to having lived in Japan for so long but also because of the inspirational Anthony Bourdain TV shows and subsequent rise in prominence of food-based travel thanks to the likes of social media and YouTube.

This trip was the first time that I would make an effort to enjoy a few delicacies that Melbourne (or Sydney) had to offer whilst also enjoying the kind of western food that I rarely, if ever, get to experience in Japan. Whilst food has already featured in previous posts in this Australia 2019 series, it has only appeared as background to the main focus. There are plenty of never-seen-before photos to accompany pictures which have already appeared on Tokyo Fox recently but of course there may be some overlap.

 

Research on YouTube ahead of my trip brought to the first place to my attention. It is Continue reading →

Posted in Australasia Travel, Family, Food & Drink | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Australia 2019 Pt XI: You Can Take The Man Out Of Japan But…

Posted on April 27, 2019 by tokyofox

Writing about non Japan-related things on this site usually sees a notable dip in hits but I remain stubborn to my philosophy that posts should mostly be about what I’ve done or where I’ve been rather than what I think will get the most clicks. After ten consecutive Australia posts this one is actually about Japanese things but I warn you now that some of these are fairly suspect!

Precious moments on this trip to Melbourne were spent with my nephews and nieces and I was quite surprised to hear that they are all studying Japanese. That’s got nothing to do with me or my wife but it seems it’s actually quite common to learn it in Australia. As soon as I was able to, I went with the kids to see their school. My sister said she’d see if I could watch one of their Japanese lessons but as a non-Japanese person I didn’t feel too comfortable doing that. Also, I didn’t want to intrude on the teacher’s space as I find it quite annoying when people come to watch my lessons. I was more than happy to see the Japanese classroom though which my youngest niece showed me. The best part of it was the giant red circular rug in the middle of the room which resembles the Japanese flag.

  

What was very noticeable to me this time in the Melbourne CBD was the number of Japanese Continue reading →

Posted in Australasia Travel, Family, Food & Drink, Japan Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments