This Month on Maction Planet – October 2024

I’m back. ‘Nuff said.

Featured image: I landed on the morning of 1 October, and this was to prove the only day that I would not be guiding in the entirety of October!

I was back in action on 2 October, guiding Creaghan and Peter on a 10-hour tour. We squeezed in some shaved ice, which I had missed during my two months in Europe! Needless to say, it was a blast hosting them!

If you follow Kanpai Planet, you will know that I am a dual-certified sake sommelier. If you didn’t, then 1) Go and subscribe to Kanpai Planet, and 2) Now you do. It comes in handy, as the above photo with guests John and Brigitte demonstrates!

“But I thought the Toyosu Fish Market was off-limits to tourists?!” This was the first photo I took of Nick and Monique. I was honoured to plan their honeymoon and guide them for 9 days of it in Tokyo, Kyoto, Himeji and Hiroshima.

This was the final photo I took of me, Nick and Monique, in the lobby of the Marufukuro where they stayed in Kyoto. It makes me very emotional looking back on it now. Never the end. We continue…

They’re back! And this time, Jaime and Renata shopping for table tennis bats. No request too random for Maction Planet! Cannot wait to be reunited with them in November!

October truly was the month of returns. Dudley and Morgan came back and enlisted me to plan and execute an epic nine-day adventure going north of Tokyo. When people say they want ‘off-the-beaten-track’ Japan, this is it! Of course, no reason why that track cannot be visited in Gran Class, JR East’s premier carriage!

I could fill a year’s worth of This Month on Maction Planets with photos from our trip – below are a smattering of highlights.

First stop – Sendai to say hello to legendary daimyo Date Masamune!

We spent an incredible day in Kessenuma, culminating in a visit to Black Tide Brewing. If you get a chance, snap up as many cans of their Oktoberfest 2024 Marzen as you can. I know I have!

One of Japan’s top three night views – Hakodate!

The most relaxing way to see Otaru!

Tadao Ando’s spectacular Hill of the Buddha on the outskirts of Sapporo City.

Dudley, Morgan and I flew out of Sapporo at 14:30. We landed in Tokyo at 16:15, and I was in the lobby of the Prince Gallery Kioicho meeting Tracy and Larry at 17:20 for a night tour – the start of 4 days together. Here we are on camera at the top of Takeshita Dori.

Tracy got interviewed in Ginza on TV Asashi.

I truly have the most incredible guests. Larry is the owner of a hat!

The hat worn by the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 classic, the Wizard of Oz. This hat – along with the shoes next to it worn by Judy Garland – will be auctioned soon, but before that it is on display on the 1F of Mitsukoshi Ginza from 28 October – 3 November.

Finally – here are two new videos for you this month, one on Kanpai Planet itself and one on another awesome WhiskyTube platform!

monA YouTube world-first as I put the ultimate Japanese Whisky flight – Yamazaki 25 vs Hakushu 25 vs Hibiki 30 – to the test on Kanpai Planet!

PLUS… ANOTHER @nononsensewhisky x @kanpaiplanet collab as we crack open two 21-year-old “Japanese” blended whiskies for an epic review. Big thanks to @masterofmalt and @boutiqueywhisky for supplying the bottles!

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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