Tokyo Fox’s World Cup 2018 Overview

Posted on July 16, 2018 by tokyofox

This was my ninth World Cup but it was one I went into with the least anticipation and excitement but once it all began in Russia it was business as usual for me. Watching all those films set in Russia beforehand for ‘On Screen #9‘ actually helped me to get in the mood even if the locals were presented in a negative fashion for the majority of them!

After 64 games, the tournament concluded with France beating Croatia in the final which they seemed to reach without really getting into top gear other than for patches against Argentina in the second round (or Round of 16 as people tend to call it these days!) in what was one of the best matches thanks to Kylian Mbappe (one of the players of the tournament) terrorising the defences with his pace. Even in the final they were fortunate to go ahead when Croatia seemed in control. They then got lucky with the VAR penalty decision in their favour before taking control in the second half and romping to a 4-2 win.

  

Past World Cup’s have usually only had one representative (at best) of Leicester City but this time there were Continue reading →

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On The Trail Of Shin Godzilla #5 – Ota Ward

Posted on July 12, 2018 by tokyofox

The second part in this series really put Ōta ward on the map and this can only strengthen it as we go deeper into Tokyo’s most southerly ward. I’ve said a few times now that there’s more to this ward than just the airport in Haneda but that is from where the shots of the Tokyo Monorail in the first minute are taken.

N.B. The time codes given are approximate and may be slightly different to the DVD or blu-ray versions.

 

There are two little bridges to feature in the opening fifteen minutes of the film. The first one to appear on screen is Continue reading →

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Tokyo Daytripper: Hakone-yumoto

Posted on July 9, 2018 by tokyofox

Hakone in Kanagawa is arguably one of the most popular day trip destinations for Tokyoites wanting to get out of the city for a brief fix of nature and/or hot springs. I’ve been to Hakone three times though all of them were well over a decade ago! On those occasions I did the conveyor-belt style tourism loop in the vicinity of Lake Ashi which included a boat, a gondola, a ropeway and so on. This time though I did it all on foot as I wanted to explore the area around Hakone-yumoto Station.

 

Hakone Daitengusan-jinja Shrine (293-3 Sukumogawa, Hakonemachi) is nearly one hour on foot from Hakone-yumoto Station but that was my priority for this trip which I have included this under the Tokyo Daytripper banner as it’s doable in a day from Tokyo. However, I actually dropped by the area on my Continue reading →

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Another Trip To Izu

Posted on July 6, 2018 by tokyofox

The family home in Izu may have been the base for my Golden Week holidays this year (over two months ago now!) but I didn’t actually spend so much time there. After just a night there I went off on my own to spend a few days in Osaka, Kyoto and Nagoya whilst my wife was back in Tokyo working for a couple of days.

  

After such a busy and hectic schedule in the first half of the holidays I was longing for a day or two of doing nothing and I got my wish. However, one day was later spent at Lake Ippeki-ko with my wife, sister-in-law, nephew, mother-in-law and Momiji. I blogged about this place back in January but it really was much Continue reading →

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Tokyo Daytripper: Before And After Ome

Posted on July 3, 2018 by tokyofox

Tokyo may be one of the smallest prefectures in Japan yet it does have some far flung places. The Izu and Ogasawara Islands are obviously the most extreme ones as they extend as far as 1,850 kilometres south of central Tokyo. By contrast, Okutama on the Ome Line is a modest 70+ kilometres from downtown Tokyo and can take between 90 and 120 minutes to get there.

 

I’ve been out to this part of Tokyo a few times but they have always been to Mitake in the name of climbing Mount Mitake. Despite being so close, I’ve still never been to Okutama itself but that will happen one day I’m sure. Shiromaru Dam Fish Ladder was my destination on a busy day which started early as I left the Tokyo Fox Global Operations Centre just after 7am. It’s pretty much equidistant (under 15 minutes on foot) between Continue reading →

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Tokyo Daytripper: Ome

Posted on June 30, 2018 by tokyofox

When it comes to day trips from Tokyo most people usually think of Nikko, Kamakura, or Hakone but there is one very nice place about 90 minutes away from Shinjuku and unbelievably it is still in Tokyo! Ōme Station is located in the Okutama Mountains of western Tokyo and the city is famed for some retro museums (aren’t most museums retro?!) and the streets and shops are decorated with some beautiful vintage Continue reading →

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Tokyo Daytripper: Kamakura (2018)

Posted on June 27, 2018 by tokyofox

Despite going to Kamakura with the idea of seeing another side of it to what it’s famed for, I still ended up going to a few temples but they weren’t immediate on this trip. When I left home at 7:00 am back in April I wasn’t aware that it was going to be such a blazing hot day so I had no hat, glasses or sunscreen with me. Consequently I ended up getting a British tan! Or sunburned as most other people say!

 

Inamuragaseki station was my first port of call after a short ride on the Enoden Line from Kamakura station. The cape was my destination and from there I Continue reading →

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On The Fox Trail……At Tokyo’s Most Hidden Shrine!

Posted on June 24, 2018 by tokyofox

About four years ago I was talking to an older student about strange and interesting shrines in and around Tokyo and he mentioned that there was a kind of secret shrine in Akihabara somewhere but I completely forgot about it and didn’t think anything of it until last year when popular Tokyo-based YouTuber ‘Only In Japan Go‘ did a live stream from this place. You can watch it here. I assume that this is the one my student was on about but you can never be too sure in Japan where there are shrines hidden away in all kinds of places.

Ever since I saw the aforementioned video I have wanted to check out this place and so I recently cycled to Akihabara (and Ueno too) which was the first time I’ve properly cycled through Tokyo since I got knocked off my bike back in February. The shrine is now on google maps so it’s not exactly hidden anymore. It’s located very close to the Don Quixote store, about five minutes away from Akihabara Station. Find the Sadatei Building and just to the left of the shop is the tightest of alleys but it’s certainly not visible until right up close.

    Continue reading →

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Day Trip To The Toyota Stadium!

Posted on June 21, 2018 by tokyofox

Nagoya Grampus Eight (as they were known back then) were the first team I knew of in the J-League back in the early 90’s when Leicester’s favourite son Gary Lineker announced he was moving to Japan. A few years later the team name was heard yet again in England when Arsene Wenger left them to become the new Arsenal manager.

When I first arrived in Japan I even thought I might support Grampus but things never quite panned out like that and I ended up becoming a fan of Kashiwa Reysol who were my local team back then. However, visiting the home stadium of Grampus (a different one to where Lineker played at) was still something I wanted to do and for a long time it’s been on my Japan bucket list.

Over the last few years I’ve been to many grounds around the country (including some very far flung ones) but Nagoya has always eluded me. The trip to see Gamba Osaka at the end of April reignited my interest in going to some of the further bigger stadiums and so I scanned the fixture list to see when was good for Nagoya. Continue reading →

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On Screen #9 – Russia

Posted on June 17, 2018 by tokyofox

With Russia hosting this years FIFA World Cup there is a lot of focus on the nation which is famed for vodka, bears, mineral fuels, matryoshka (stacking dolls) and drugs! A fair few international productions have taken place in Russia with the vast majority of them including Moscow Airport scenes and Red Square footage. Countless TV productions of Leo Tolstoy classics like ‘War & Peace‘ and ‘Anna Karenina‘ have been set in Russia but this particular On Screen post will focus on how the country has been portrayed in film whether it be real, or faked somewhere cheaper and easier.

  

A whole host of action movies have been played out in the world’s biggest country and pretty much all of them have featured Russians as the baddies! That’s certainly been the case in James Bond films where there have been numerous Russian antagonists. Put Russia and James Bond together and most minds will probably think of ‘From Russia With Love‘ (1963) but that Continue reading →

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