TF Top 10……Countries I’ve Spent The Least Amount of Time In!

Posted on May 21, 2025 by tokyofox

Without any international travel since the global pandemic, my passport actually expired in August 2023 and I didn’t even realise it till many months later! I finally got round to getting a new one recently but there are no still plans to go overseas. I’d love to do a quick trip to Seoul or Taipei but finding a convenient time to do that (as well as the money!) is not so easy. It did get me thinking about the shortest times I’ve spent in countries though so, of all the countries I have visited, these are the ten which were very much in ‘n out jobs…

10. Myanmar (December 2013) – The original idea was for us to stay for about a week Continue reading →

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TF Flashback: Road Trippin’ In Hokkaido With My #1 American Friend!

Posted on May 17, 2025 by tokyofox

Prior to this trip to Hokkaido I was told time and time again that the end of June was the best time to visit as there was no rainy season there. That may have been true but it certainly didn’t mean there was no rain. Far from it as it rained in part on most days of our five night stay in Japan’s most northern main island. Thankfully it wasn’t heavy enough to ruin the trip in any way and my number one American friend and I enjoyed a busy six days of mountain climbing, local delicacies, sightseeing, and drinking in a number of places dotted around the island. This is the (condensed) diary of our six day road trip to Hokkaido…

Day 1: Less than a month after visiting him in Seoul and I was again with Ethan having met up at New Chitose Airport early afternoon. We were soon Continue reading →

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This Year’s “May The 4th Be With You” Festivities In Tokyo Were The Best Yet!

Posted on May 13, 2025 by tokyofox

As if three days of Star Wars Celebration Japan (SWCJ) 2025 wasn’t enough there’s also been the second seasons of both ‘Andor’ and ‘Light & Magic‘ as well as the ‘Tales of the Underworld‘ animation shorts. On top of that were the Star Wars Day events for May the 4th in Yokohama and Shibuya, and part of that included one cinema in Tokyo showing all nine of the Skywalker saga films on rotation for 12 days. It’s been one hell of a busy month for us Star Wars fans and, as tired as I am, I have absolutely loved it all.

Work, family and travel commitments meant I Continue reading →

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A Great Atmosphere For My 1st Time Inside Japan’s Newest Top Flight Stadium

Posted on May 9, 2025 by tokyofox

In recent years, Kyoto Sanga (2020) and Gamba Osaka (2015) have moved into new and modern football-only stadiums thereby joining the likes of Kashiwa Reysol, Shimizu S-Pulse, Nagoya Grampus, Vissel Kobe, Avispa Fukuoka, Kashima Antlers and Cerzeo Osaka who don’t have pitches with athletics tracks surrounding them. One more top-flight club recently ditched their far-flung ground in favour of a centrally-located stadium and last weekend I watched a match there for the first time.

The latest side to move away from the municipal style all-sports stadia was Continue reading →

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Interesting Japanese Playground Structures #46 – Octopus Slide

Posted on May 6, 2025 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: Tako Park

Location: Continue reading →

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Modern Architecture Outside of Tokyo #9 – Osaka (Part 1)

Posted on May 2, 2025 by tokyofox

 

For over a decade Tokyo Fox has focused on the modern architecture of Tokyo with a long-running ten part series featuring over 100 interesting-looking buildings. During that time I have also taken photos of some unique structures outside of the capital city but had no place to showcase them until now. This is Volume 9 which includes some weird and wonderful buildings in Osaka.

5. Oppai House @ Continue reading →

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Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 Day 3: Exploring The Galaxy Far Away For Real, Free Swag, More Cosplayers & The Vegetable God’s Given The Recognition He Deserves!

Posted on April 29, 2025 by tokyofox

Ever since purchasing my three-day pass for Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 (SWCJ2025) in May last year I had been a little apprehensive about how overwhelming I’d find it all as I’d only ever done single days of such conventions. Despite a serious lack of sleep over the long weekend I was thankfully running on adrenaline at the start of the third day as I made my two hour journey to Makuhari Messe in Chiba for the final time.

On the opening day I’d gone late to avoid the entrance lines. The first half of my second day was spent queuing to get into the merchandise store and for Day 3 I decided to Continue reading →

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Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 Day 2: The Ridiculously Long Wait For Merchandise, A Trio of Entertaining Panels & Meeting Some Fan Community Favourites

Posted on April 25, 2025 by tokyofox

The interesting thing about Star Wars Celebration events is that every attendee will have a unique and different experience. The likes of cosplaying, panels, photo opps, signings, merchandise and talking to other people are just some of the many reasons why Star Wars fans love Celebration so much. For the middle day I decided to Continue reading →

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Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 Day 1: Ryan Gosling & Sigourney Weaver Up Close, Animation & 90s Panels, Cuteness Overload, Cosplayers & Meeting A Fan Favourite

Posted on April 22, 2025 by tokyofox

For the first time in nearly two decades, Star Wars Celebration was held in Japan at Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba Prefecture. That event in 2008 really ignited my fandom but I honestly thought the language barrier would mean it stays predominantly in the USA with the occasional UK-based ones. “Star Wars is for everyone” is a well-used phrase but it certainly does favour the English-speaking audience so it would be interesting to see how things would work in the modern day compared to 17 years ago.

Very few tourists ever really came to Japan in 2008 and that Celebration event was very much a Japanese one for local fans of the franchise. Since re-opening its doors to international visitors a few years ago the country has seen a massive influx of international visitors. Being far more open to people from overseas and the growth in popularity of Continue reading →

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TF Top 10……Places In Tokyo Metropolis Taking You To Another World!

Posted on April 18, 2025 by tokyofox

 

For the thousands and thousands of inbound tourists coming to Japan from the western world in the last couple of years, Japan can be a bit like a fairytale land that is just so different to their own country. Once you’ve been here for a while though you might be in  need of a break from all things Japanese so here are some suggestions of places in the Tokyo Metropolis area that can take you to another world. They are listed in no particular order.

1. Sakura Furusato Square @ Sakura, Continue reading →

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