This Week in Tokyo – 20 October 2020
Welcome to another edition of ‘This Week in Tokyo’! ‘This Week in Tokyo’ is a review of the Maction Planet week that was and a look ahead to what’s coming up in the city. Check out photos from our adventures and read insights into our explorations as we get under the skin of the World’s Greatest Metropolis, and beyond. This week’s edition encompasses some Yokohama adventures and is hosted by Mac, our Founder and Lead Guide. This week: At last, The Last Tea Bowl Thief, MANGA⇔TOKYO; Sukiyaki Udon Cooking Class; Running a Travel Business with No Tourists and Godzilla Halloween.
Featured and Header image – At last, The Last Tea Bowl Thief: Finally, the long wait is over. Jonelle Patrick’s new book, The Last Tea Bowl Thief, comes out today. Jonelle is an author of Japan-based mystery novels and a former Mac on Tokyo interviewee. Her latest novel is not set in the continuity of her previous ‘Only in Tokyo’ mysteries. It is a stand-alone, time-jumping tale that also delivers deep takes on obligation, loyalty, commitment, learning and love.
I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of The Last Tea Bowl Thief way back in April and was hooked. It was so gripping that I finished the whole book in 4 days. I wrote a review for the Tokyo Authority website which should serve to get you super-excited. Jonelle was kind enough to mention me and my small contribution to fact-checking the novel in the acknowledgements. You can order your copy of ‘The Last Tea Bowl Thief’ right here!
MANGA⇔TOKYO: The National Art Center, Tokyo has been putting a great deal of effort into its outreach programs for Japanese culture. In 2018, as part of “Japonismes 2018: les âmes en resonance”, they held the MANGA⇔TOKYO exhibition (29 November – 30 December, 2018) in Paris. which attracted over 30,000 visitors. This summer they brought a renewed version of the exhibition back to Tokyo. Held from 12 August – 3 November, it was a comprehensive overview of the World’s Greatest Metropolis’ reciprocal relationship with anime, manga, kaiju and tokusatsu works. This is what greeted you as you entered. A magnificent 1/1000 scale model of Tokyo. At the back, a video wall showcasing the representation of different parts of the city in the various anime. My favourite of all the featured productions was Katsuhiro’s Otomo’s Akira, so I waited to snap this shot. Sometimes it feels like I’m living in Neo-Tokyo.
Sukiyaki Udon Cooking Class: Ever wanted to learn how to make delicious Udon noodles, wherever you are in the world? Who hasn’t. Now is your chance! Mac and Nahoko will teach you how in their latest online interactive cooking class! Cook along with your teachers live from Tokyo as you make Sukiyaki Udon together. Join an incredible community of foodies and Japan enthusiasts. You’ll learn how to make this mouthwatering dish AND fascinating tidbits about Japanese cuisine which will place your experience in a cultural context. When: 15 November at 09:00 and 19:00 JST.
More info here. Email
info@mactionplanet.com to sign up!
Running a Travel Business with No Tourists: I was honoured to be invited by Toyo University’s Department of International Tourism Management to give a presentation to their students as part of their guest lecturer series. Originally scheduled for April, a certain global pandemic derailed that plan and required a shift from Live to Online. It also gave me some inspiration… why not present to the students about what I have been up to for the last 6 months? The pivots, the focus shifts, the relationship building, the resilience, the motivation and the ups and downs. That’s how “Running a Travel Business with No Tourists” was born. It was delivered on Wednesday. Thank you to the team at Toyo University for their support. We continue…
