Tokyo Fox (東京狐)

This Doll Temple In Shizuoka Prefecture Is Like No Other!

Posted on October 14, 2018 by tokyofox

Everything about this temple looks pretty much like any other……except for the two six-metre tall red and blue daruma dolls sitting on the wings of the main hall. For those who don’t know, daruma is a traditional Japanese buddhist doll deemed to bring good luck when given as a gift of encouragement. I saw a large one in the far flung western part of Tokyo called Ome a few months ago, and these ones were probably of similar size.

On a Sunday morning back in August, I took the local train for a few hours to Hamamatsu Station having spent the previous night at my in-laws place (on my own) in Izu. It took about three hours to reach Hamamatsu and I quickly hopped (or jumped if you prefer! Reality is that I just stepped on to it of course!) on to the number Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel | Tagged ACT Tower Observation, Daruma Temple, dolls in Mishima, hamamatsu, Hamamatsu castle, Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments, Iwata Station to Yamaha Stadium, Jubilo Iwata, Kokuzo-ji Temple, Mishima, shizuoka prefecture, things to do in shizuoka | 6 Comments

Hidden Treasures Along The Keio Line #4 – Earth Tech Char Sub-One

Posted on October 11, 2018 by tokyofox

The Keio Line principally connects Shinjuku to the western side of Tokyo with seven different lines running through to the likes of suburban city Hachiōji and the mountainous area at Takaosanguchi. All of it’s stations actually lie within the boundaries of Tokyo and, thanks to regular free tickets, Tokyo Fox has dug deep to come up with a few places worthy of visit beyond perennial favourites like Mount Takao and Tama Zoo……

#4 – Earth Tech Char Sub-One @ 2-30-4 Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel | Tagged 2-30-4 Uehara, Earth Tech char sub-one, Hidden Treasures Along The Keio Line, Keio Line, Komabatodai-Mae Station, Shibuya-ku, Shin Takamatsu, things to do along the keio line, tokyo fox | 7 Comments

Review: Films Set In Japan – Batman Ninja (2018)

Posted on October 8, 2018 by tokyofox

It was really nice to see Batman in animated form for a colourful, witty and entertaining movie……but that’s enough about last years ‘The Lego Batman Movie‘!! This Japanese-produced film is a distant second to that though and I really do emphasise the word distant!

It’s common practice to begin films reviews with a plot synopsis but that is a little difficult to do with ‘Batman Ninja‘ as I really found it hard to work out what was actually going on for the 85 minute duration. By movie standards, it’s a Continue reading →

Posted in Review: Films Set In Japan | Tagged animation set in Japan, Batman Ninja English version, Batman Ninja Review, Director Junpei Mizusaki, films set in Japan, list of films set in Japan, list of movies set in Japan, movies set in japan | 3 Comments

An Egyptian Pyramid Amidst Japanese Forest! You Better Believe It!

Posted on October 5, 2018 by tokyofox

The most popular place in Africa for Japanese to visit is definitely Egypt with the 4,500 year old Pyramids the prime reason for them travelling there. That’s no surprise of course but very few (from the people I’ve spoken to since this trip!) seem to be aware that they need only travel as far as Tochigi prefecture to see such a wonder of the world!

Of course you can’t really compare the ancient, historical emblem of Giza with this bright yellow pyramid that appears rather abruptly in a forested area of Nasushiobara city. The techniques used for constructing the former were well beyond those of human civilisation at the time. The latter though has only been around for a small fraction of that time which basically means I have no idea when it was built!

Nishi-Nasuno is the closest station but be aware that it really is not near at all! There are buses which go in the direction of the pyramid but they are not regular and it is still a further 2.8 kilometre walk from the nearest bus stop. As a result I decided to just Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged 493-3 Niwatoko, Egyptian pyramid Japan, how to get to Pyramid Onsen, Nasushiobara, Nishi Nasuno Station, Pyramid Onsen, things to do in Tochigi prefecture, things to do in Utsunomiya, tochigi-ken | 13 Comments

A Japanese Ogre In Oga, Akita Architecture & Train Travel Tales Through Yamagata

Posted on October 2, 2018 by tokyofox

Way too much time was spent on local trains during this six day trip in the northern parts of mainland Japan but that was the basic idea of it all really! Day five began at Odate Station in Akita prefecture (with Hachiko bidding me farewell of course!) on what was to be an epic day travelling just over 400 kilometres south.

There were a couple of interesting places I wanted to see along the way before ending up in Koriyama in Fukushima prefecture at the end of the day. Namahage is a Japanese ogre tradition originating in the Oga Peninsula area of Akita Prefecture. I believe there are some daily performances but they were in places which were really difficult to get to without a car. I was just happy to see these awesome figures (below) outside Oga Tourist Information Centre.

The nearest station is actually Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged Akita Prefectural Gymnasium, Akita Station, namahage, Odate Station, Oga Tourist Information Center, Shinjo Mogami Manga Museum, Shinjo Station, things to do in Akita | 6 Comments

The Birthplace Of Shibuya’s Beloved, Faithful Dog Hachiko Is Actually In Akita Prefecture

Posted on September 29, 2018 by tokyofox

Anyone who has ever been to Shibuya will no doubt be aware of the story of Hachiko; the loyal dog who continued to wait for his master each night for many years after his master had died. The statue that sits outside the Hachiko exit of the station is one of the most famous meeting spots in all of Japan. It’s a story that has been immortalised in a few film adaptations with the most internationally famous one being ‘Hachi; A Dog’s Tale‘ (2009) starring Richard Gere albeit with the story moved to America instead.

Back in 2015, a new Hachiko statue was unveiled at the University of Tokyo in Bunkyo ward which also included his master Professor Ueno. It far better resembles the rejoice and excitement they both felt when they met after each work time. I thought this and the Shibuya one were the only statues of the famously loyal Akita dog but that’s not the case as there is another one outside Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel | Tagged Akita, Hachi; A Dog's Tale, hachiko statue, Hotel Route Odate, Odate Station, Odate Tourism Information Centre, the birthplace of Hachiko, things to do in Akita | 7 Comments

These Train Stations Have To Be Some Of The Most Interesting Looking Ones In All Of Japan

Posted on September 26, 2018 by tokyofox

There’s something alluring for me about the small, local train stations in Japan. They are a far cry from the overly crowded ones I use during my commute on a daily basis in Tokyo. The first two in this post were both visited during my six-day local train tour of the northern part of Japan’s mainland which is more commonly known as the Tohoku region.

Having already seen a uniquely decorated gas tank earlier in the day I then finished it off with a slight detour to see this station on my my journey between Hirosaki and Aomori. Kizukuri Station is just over an hour away from the former on the Gonō Line and is truly unique in appearance as it has a giant 17.3 metre clay figure nicknamed Shako-chan on the exterior. This is definitely not something you see everyday!

Shako-chan’s eyes light up when Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel, Quirky Japan | Tagged Gonō Line, Imba Nihon-idai Station, Kizukuri Station, Nukazawa Station, Shako-chan, Shakōki-dogū, things to do in Aomori, Tsugaru, Ōu Main Line | 13 Comments

On The Fox Trail……At Takayama Inari-Jinja Shrine (Aomori)

Posted on September 23, 2018 by tokyofox

If you thought that Motonosumi Inari Shrine in Yamaguchi prefecture was difficult to get to then that was nothing really compared to getting to this shrine in the north-west of Honshu; Japan’s mainland. The day began in Aomori and from there it was 75 minutes to Goshogawara via a quick change in Kawabe. There was then an 80 minute wait before the bus left at 12:30 pm and that took a further 46 minutes. Even though the bus stop was called Takayama Jinja Iriguchi mae, it was still another Continue reading →

Posted in Japan Travel | Tagged 147－2 Washinosawa Ushigata-cho, Goshogawara Station, how to get to Takayama Inari-jinja shrine, On the fox trail, retirement home for foxes, Takayama Inari-Jinja Shrine, Takayama Jinja Iriguchi mae, things to do in Aomori, Tsugaru | 10 Comments

To The Top Of Japan’s Mainland To Try The Insane Miso Milk Curry Ramen

Posted on September 20, 2018 by tokyofox

At the end of July I discovered that one of my favourite YouTubers Chris Broad of ‘Abroad In Japan‘ fame was doing a weekly podcast of the same name with Absolute Radio DJ Pete Donaldson. After one episode I was instantly hooked and worked my way through the complete back catalogue of podcasts which is perhaps surprising as someone like me is probably not the target audience for such a podcast.

One episode that really caught my interest was about an itinerary for travelling around the northern region of Japan which is where Broad is based. Most tourists tend to stick to the common Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka-Hiroshima route whilst only 1% of them venture to the area known as Tohoku.

This really opened up my eyes to a part of Japan I had always been pretty ignorant about. My original plan was to just go up to Koriyama to see the places which featured in ‘A Trio of Top Sights in The Aizu-Wakamatsu Region‘ but after hearing about all these places in Tohoku I decided to continue further north and experience a few more sights highlighted by Broad. They included some places in Hiraizumi, Morioka and Hirosaki which have been covered in previous posts.

It was nearly 9pm when I finally arrived at Aomori Station and I raced off straight away to an overly popular local restaurant called Aji no Sapporo Onishi which is famed for its miso milk curry ramen (830 yen). It closes at 9:30 pm so there wasn’t that much time to spare when I got there. As expected, it was full but I didn’t have to wait too long to be allocated a seat.

This particular ramen was absolutely fantastic and if I’d known that I Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Drink, Japan Travel | Tagged abroad in japan podcast, Aji no Sapporo Onishi, Aomori Nebuta Festival, ASPAM building, chris broad, Hakkodamaru Memorial Ship, miso milk curry ramen, Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse, things to do in Aomori | 11 Comments

Apple Curry, Hirosaki Castle & An Apt Pun-Based Name For The Local Japanese Idol Group!

Posted on September 17, 2018 by tokyofox

It wasn’t quite all local trains on this trip up north to the Tohoku area as I had to take a bus from Morioka Station to Hirosaki (3000 yen). The journey took about two hours and was the best way of getting between the two places as the train would’ve meant going on a huge detour heading eastwards, up round the coast to Aomori and then back down to Hirsosaki. Typically, the bus passed the same watermelon gas tank I’d just walked to on a two hour return trip. The fruit theme was to continue though as Hiroskai is Japan’s largest producer of apples and it’s certainly not shy about showing it!

There were a few things I wanted to do in Hirosaki but eating apple curry was my priority. This wasn’t an ordinary high street restaurant though as it’s located Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Drink, Japan Travel | Tagged Aomori, Apple Curry, Fujita Memorial Garden, Hirosaki Castle, Hirosaki Neputa Festival, Moriaka to Hirosaki bus, Ringo Stars, things to do in Aomori, where to eat apple curry in Hirosaki | 6 Comments

Tokyo Fox (東京狐)

This Doll Temple In Shizuoka Prefecture Is Like No Other!

Hidden Treasures Along The Keio Line #4 – Earth Tech Char Sub-One

An Egyptian Pyramid Amidst Japanese Forest! You Better Believe It!

A Japanese Ogre In Oga, Akita Architecture & Train Travel Tales Through Yamagata

The Birthplace Of Shibuya’s Beloved, Faithful Dog Hachiko Is Actually In Akita Prefecture

These Train Stations Have To Be Some Of The Most Interesting Looking Ones In All Of Japan

On The Fox Trail……At Takayama Inari-Jinja Shrine (Aomori)

To The Top Of Japan’s Mainland To Try The Insane Miso Milk Curry Ramen

Apple Curry, Hirosaki Castle & An Apt Pun-Based Name For The Local Japanese Idol Group!

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