This Month on Maction Planet – December 2025

December marks the end of an extraordinary 2025 for Maction Planet – our busiest ever! We welcomed more guests than we’ve ever had the privilege of hosting, with experiences ranging from intimate whisky evenings to epic two-week journeys across Japan. Plus, we welcomed more repeat guests than ever – amazing people who have toured with us two, three, four… even six or seven times!

Before diving into this month’s adventures, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who explored Japan with us in 2025. Word-of-mouth recommendations yet again drove the lion’s share of our bookings, and there’s no greater gift you could give us this holiday season. We continue… and Kanpai!

Featured image: Festive Greetings from Godzilla and Hedorah.

December 2025 began in neighbouring Chiba prefecture, experiencing the majesty of Katori Jingu, one of Japan’s most prestigious Shinto shrines and the head shrine for hundreds of Katori shrines across the country. Located near the historic town of Sawara, this remarkable shrine may date back as far as the 7th century BC. It is dedicated to Futsunushi no Mikoto, the god of blades and war. Known as a major “power spot” offering blessings for everything from family harmony and business prosperity to traffic safety and matchmaking, Katori Jingu delivers a breathtaking combination of spiritual gravitas and stunning beauty.

On 2 December, I was honoured to be the first person to drink this year’s iteration of Tama Chocolate Orange Porter, the greatest beer brewed by my friends at Sakamichi Brewing. I managed to claim the same honour last year, and the year before that too. It is, once again, same same but different – nuanced tweaks on the now tried-and-tested base, but the same sessionability and deliciousness. Stay tuned for something very special involving this beer in 2026!

On 3 December, I visited the 30th Anniversary Exhibition “ALL OF EVANGELION” (14 November 2025 – 12 January 2026) with world-famous Transformers (and so much more) artist Andrew Griffith. The exhibition opens with a breathtaking display – a massive EVA-01 figure set against the spectacular view from the observation deck, immediately setting the tone for what’s to come. What makes this exhibition truly special is the unprecedented scale of production materials on show: original drawings from the new film series, settings from the animated TV series, and the foundational materials that reveal the origins of this iconic franchise, offering a fascinating glimpse into how Hideaki Anno and his team constructed Evangelion’s complex world. It was a privilege to experience it alongside Andrew, whose own expertise in creating iconic characters for one of pop culture’s biggest franchises made for brilliant conversation throughout.

After Evangelion-ing, I caught the opening day of ‘Roppongi Crossing 2025: What Passes Is Time. We Are Eternal.’ (3 December 2025 – 29 March 2026) at Mori Art Museum. Among the twenty-one artists showcased in this eighth edition of the triennial survey of Japanese contemporary art, the work of ZUGAKOUSAKU & KURIEITO (artists Kishikawa Nozomu and Okamoto Waki) was a highlight. For over fifteen years, this duo has been meticulously recreating ordinary environments entirely from cardboard, and here they’ve turned their childlike creativity to the grimy streets of Roppongi itself. Their reproduction of this Roppongi Station entrance creates an off-kilter world hiding deep meaning beneath the playful surface: their cardboard patchwork quietly evokes the awareness that our world is as ephemeral as cardboard itself, and that everyday emotions and memories are easily lost… and all the more precious for it.

Leaving Roppongi Crossing, who should I bump into while crossing Roppongi but the one and only Chris Nilghe, the TDR Explorer himself! He was on his way to the KFC Christmas Restaurant, and the king of social media created a wonderful reel about his experience there.

24 hours later, I was enjoying the KFC Christmas Restaurant myself. I think Chris chose the wrong items from the menu. I very much enjoyed the pasta dishes and chilling with the Colonel.

I’ve been in communication with Blair Bowman, whisky consultant and legend, pretty much since I started Kanpai Planet in February 2021, but what you are seeing here is the very first IRL meeting, and photo, of the two of us together. He’s holding a bottle of Kaze Founder’s Reserve Legacy, a wonderful whisky which honours the work and memory of the late Shunsuke Koike, the founder of Tenkyo Distillery, established in 2018 in Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

5 December 2025 was one of those days. It began in Makuhari Messe at Tokyo Comic Con with, amonst many other fun encounters, chatting at length to legendary artist Bob Layton!

On 5 December, I attended an extraordinary media preview at SUIGIAN, the sophisticated cultural venue beneath Fukutoku Shrine in Nihonbashi. Proprietor Hidetomo Kimura unveiled his ambitious new “Japan-born nighttime culture” concept – a weekend-only experience launching in February 2026 that harmonises traditional performing arts with contemporary music, fashion, and art. The evening featured an impressive line-up of collaborative performances on SUIGIAN’s authentic Edo-period Noh stage: globally respected hip-hop pioneer DJ KRUSH, techno legend Ken Ishii (known in Europe as the ‘Techno God of the East’), Noh performers from the Komparu and Hosho schools including Living National Treasure Manjiro Tatsumi, jazz-club fusion band BLU-SWING, and the female artist collective Momokawa Geinagon. This preview offered a glimpse of how traditional Japanese performing arts can evolve without losing their essence – a bridge between centuries-old cultural practice and cutting-edge contemporary expression.

After a couple of hours of old meets news, I headed to meet Blair Bowman and some of the Tenkyo Distillery crew for a couple of rounds of Kaze highballs and cocktails.

And that, I jumped in a cab to Okachimachi for my final engagement of the night – a meeting of the Tokyo chapter of Drammers United. It was a great end to an incredible day, and always great to connect with fans of Kanpai Planet. Thanks to Michael ‘Whisky’ Pang (left) got organising.

Speaking of fans of Kanpai Planet… I did not expect one of them to be Whisky LEGEND Ian Chang. For those unfamiliar, Ian is the man who built Taiwan’s Kavalan Distillery into the global powerhouse it is today, and his work establishing Kavalan’s reputation for quality and innovation earned him a place among the industry’s most influential figures. Now, Ian has brought his considerable expertise to Japan, where he’s working at Komoro Distillery in Nagano Prefecture. Running into him and discovering I didn’t need to introduce myself was an unexpected honour.

We meet again, Chiitan! Like a London bus, this is our third photo together in 18 months, after meetings in Miyajima and Yokohama!

On Sunday, 7 December, I was back at Tokyo Comic Con, bumping into, you guessed, Chris Nilghe again. So great to be able to get this photo with three of my favourite people on Earth. Two you know from previous paragraphs in this post. The gentleman at the back is the one and only Livio Ramondelli, creator of The Kill Lock. Remember those words!

Jaime and Renata back, and this time, they’ve brought friends!

It wouldn’t be a Tokyo Comic Con without a Golden Gai pub crawl – from L to R: Mac, Ryan Miller, Joel Gomez and Livio Ramondelli!

It was an absolute honour to spend three days with the Oshana family. Here we are on Day 1 recreating what has become a traditional Maction Planet shot! They are absolutely amazing and I think they had as much fun during out time together as I did!

On Day 3, we headed to Kamakura and Enoshima and were gifted a rare sighting of Mount Fuji.

After dark, we enjoyed this year’s Enoshima Illuminations!

On 16 December, I had the privilege of meeting legendary graphic designer Norio Nakamura at his exhibition “Norio Nakamura on graphic” at ginza graphic gallery (9 December 2025 – 31 January 2026). Two decades after his debut exhibition at ggg, this show presents a stunning collection of Nakamura’s work – from his iconic graphics for art unit Maywa Denki and the PlayStation game I.Q (Intelligent Qube) to brand new pieces created specifically for this exhibition. What strikes you immediately about Nakamura’s work is the paradox at its heart: designs so boldly pared down to the absolute minimum that they somehow awaken the mind and rapidly expand the imagination. His minimalist approach isn’t simplistic – it’s about conveying the essence of a message in condensed form, demonstrating profound mastery through restraint. Walking through the exhibition with past and new works interspersed randomly revealed how his simple, consistent graphic art has evolved over the years, and meeting the man behind these inspiring visual worlds was a genuine honour.

This summer, I was at the Black Lodge in London, the home of David from @drinkswhisky to film an epic head-to-head: Suntory Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve versus Nikka Single Malt Yoichi. These two bottles represent the fascinating split at the very origins of Japanese whisky – over a century ago, Masataka Taketsuru and Shinjiro Torii parted ways, founding the Yoichi and Yamazaki distilleries respectively, creating a rivalry that shaped the entire industry. We explored which bottle makes a better first purchase for someone new to Japanese whisky, tackling the peat question head-on (is Yoichi’s boldness prohibitive for beginners?) and dissecting what each brings to the table. David and I debated which we’d reach for and why, creating a genuinely useful guide for anyone trying to navigate these iconic expressions. The Black Lodge proved to be the perfect setting for this showdown, and collaborating with David brought a fresh perspective to two whiskies I know intimately. Watch now or watch again!

Ari, Rachel and Brandon are amazing tour guests. ‘Nuff said.

Another former Maction Planet tour guest was back in town. Great to see you again Martin!

The Greenspoons are in town! A trip almost a year in the making – it’s an honour to welcome Gerry, Ellen and family to the Land of the Rising Sun for an epic, two-week adventure.

Ritz-Carlton

My favourite Sumo photo of 2025, snapped on 23 December!

Kanpai Planet celebrates its 5th anniversary on 9 February 2026. To mark this milestone, I’m asking the community to help define the channel’s greatest moments – the reviews, stories, and conversations that have shaped our journey through Japan’s drinks culture.

I’ve selected 17 key videos from the 95 I’ve published. Your mission: choose your Top 3. Can’t find your favourite? Add it yourself. You’ll also get the chance to Ask Me Anything about Kanpai Planet. Your submissions will shape two upcoming videos: The Definitive Top 5 Kanpai Planet Moments and an AMA Episode.

I’m also exploring membership options to help sustain the channel, and I’d love your thoughts on what you’d want from a Patreon-style programme.

Almost five years down. Let’s document the journey and shape the future of Kanpai Planet. I truly value your input. The form will be open until 9 January 2026. Click here: https://forms.gle/S74USRTeyjodY2xC8

We continue… and Kanpai!

Maction Planet runs bespoke Private Tours and Experiences in Tokyo, and beyond. To book yours, or to purchase a gift card, contact us at info@mactionplanet.com

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