This Week in Tokyo – 4 January 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: The first sunrise of 2022; No one in Noge; It’s always snowing in Tachikawa; Kanpai Planet’s 2021 and Contact S.

Featured image – The first sunrise of 2022: We’ve highlighted New Year traditions in past editions of ‘This Week in Tokyo.’ One of these is waking up (or staying up all night) and catching the first sunrise.

That’s exactly what I did this year, snapping this photo as the sun was coming up over Shibuya-ku. Hopefully this sunrise brings with it a return of tourism to Japan as early in 2022 as possible. I can’t wait to show you the city I love.

No one in Noge: The backstreets of Noge in Yokohama are home to a vibrant bar and restaurant. New Year brings with it some changes to regular proceedings, as many independent restauranteurs and bar owners close up for the New Year holiday, heading back to their hometowns or just putting their feet up for a few days. Combine that with the COVID-related restraint that is still being shown in some areas, and you get photos like this.

It’s always snowing in Tachikawa: It rarely snows in Tokyo – when it does, it’s pretty epic. The folks in Tachikawa, in the western part of Tokyo Prefecture, have you covered though. I don’t think I need to say much more than that!

Kanpai Planet’s 2021: The obligatory Top 9 most liked shots on the Kanpai Planet Instagram! Each one tells a story about the growth of the platform… When I started Kanpai Planet in February 2021, I had no conception of the journey I was beginning. Almost a year on I’ve put out over 30 videos on the Kanpai Planet YouTube, which is now at over 2000 subscribers.

I’ve interviewed Presidents and Master Blenders, become a Certified Sake Professional, been involved in two major drinks-related travel consulting projects, written for a number of publications including the world’s biggest whisky blog, Malt, been quoted in Tonic Magazine, featured on my favourite YouTube channels and co-hosted an entire vPub with Aquvavitae… amongst other incredible highlights.

2022 is already shaping up to be a blockbuster year for Kanpai Planet. No spoilers, but if you have any interest in the world of Japan’s drinks, you’re going to want to be following along. Thank you to each and every one of you for your support. We continue… and KANPAI!

Contact S: Regardless of the fact it was the last week of the year, there’s no stopping Kanpai Planet. I am proud to present one of the world’s first reviews of the third general release from the Shizuoka Distillery: Contact S. Released on 27 November 2021, it follows the first two bottles from the Shizuoka Distillery: Prologue K and Prologue W. What does it taste like, and should you buy it? Find out as we make contact with Contact S!

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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