This Week in Tokyo – 1 February 2022

Welcome to ‘This Week in Tokyo’, a review of the Maction Planet week that was and a look ahead to what’s coming up in the city. Hosted by Mac, our Founder and Lead Guide, you can check out photos from our tours and read insights into our explorations as we get under the skin of the World’s Greatest Metropolis, and beyond! This week: Happy Lunar New Year 2002; Plum beginnings; Reacting to the reaction; Kanpai Planet achievement unlocked and Tsunuki 2022.

Happy Lunar New Year 2022: May the Year of the Tiger bring you roaring success!

This incredible art celebrating the Year of the Tiger is by superstar artist and photographer Yayu Wang of Yayaland Studio. Head there and check out her incredible work, and join a Tokyo Photography Tour with her when you visit the World’s Greatest Metropolis!

Plum beginnings: It’s that time of year again, and Okurayama Park’s plum blossoms are getting ready to explode.

I wrote extensively about the history and cultural significance of Plum Blossom season in my ‘Ode to Ume‘, so head there to find out more about the importance of this most beautiful of blossoms.

Reacting to the reaction: Chef Koji and I are blown away by the reaction to our reaction video reacting to our appearance in the Trash Taste Cooking Special. It’s received a staggering 140,000 views in its first week of release. We never conceived it would be popular and are humbled by all the lovely supportive comments on the video and are honoured to be a part of Trash Taste lore.

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Kanpai Planet achievement unlocked: When it comes to hitting your goals, late always beats never.

On 8 September 2021 Kanpai Planet, our Japan drinks content platform, hit 1000 subscribers. At that point, I set two ambitious goals: 2500 subscribers by the end of the year AND to have one video reach 10,000 views.

Both of these goals are partly out of my hands, so I did what I always do – controlled the process. I doubled down on making the best content I possibly could, and hoped that word-of-mouth and the YouTube algorithm would spread the word about Kanpai Planet. One month into 2022, and I’ve hit those goals.

Why were those metrics important to me? I make videos and I want them to be watched by as many people as possible, so I am thrilled that one of them now has 10,000 views. It really means a lot. If you are one of my wonderful viewers, ARIGATOU!

Despite its flaws, subscriber count still serves as a headline metric to demonstrate a channel’s popularity. This helps open doors, which then allows me to bring even more exclusive content to you, which then helps the channel grow, you get better content… and so on… a virtuous cycle. Subscribing does not guarantee you’ll see a creator’s content in your feed unless you click that bell icon and set it to All Notifications. So, if you are subbed and want to keep on top of what’s new on Kanpai Planet, please feel free to go ahead and do that!

Thank you to everyone who has visited Kanpai Planet. 2022 will feature even more never-before-seen content from the world of Japan’s drinks. If you’re not already, I’d love you to be part of the journey. Until next time… KANPAI!

Tsunuki 2022: Kanpai Planet is proud to present one of the world’s first reviews of the third general release from the Mars Tsunuki Distillery: Tsunuki 2022 Edition.

But this video is much more than a review of Tsunuki 2022. It includes a look behind-the-scenes at the Tsunuki Distillery and an exclusive interview with Distillery Manager and Blender Tatsuro Kusano. I believe it’s the most comprehensive review ever of a Mars whisky in any language, in any medium. Watch it to find out for yourself!

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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