This Month on Maction Planet – August 2025

It can now be revealed that I have spent August 2025 in the UK and Ireland. I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of ‘Japan’ everywhere – art, culture, food… Japan’s soft cultural power is at an all-time high. Here is a selection of curated highlights of things that caught my eye. We continue…

Featured image: Yoshitomo Nara x Mac at the Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, London, UK!

From 10 June – 31 August 2025 the Hayward Galler dove into the captivating, creative world of Yoshitomo Nara in the largest European retrospective of one of Japan’s most celebrated artists. It was devastatingly good.

This is Sleepless Night (Sitting) 1997. Clothed in a hooded onesie, with animal ears and a cat- like mouth, this figure is wide eyed in the darkness, waiting patiently but defiantly as if sitting out the long, sleepless night. In Japanese folklore, cunning or even malevolent spirits often take the form of animals such as raccoons or foxes. With its mischievous expression, this character is reminiscent of such a shape-shifting trickster and suggests the possibility of magical transformation under the cover of darkness.

Before we dive into future UK adventures… 4 August 2025 marked my 19th Japanniversary! As usual, I posted a… err… post capturing my thoughts on this poignant day, which you can read here!

There is an Aoyama Flower Market in Selfridges!

The money making machine that is Takashi Murakami and Kaikai Kiki was behind Ohana Hatake at the Selfridges Corner Shop from 4 August – 24 August 2025. This pop-up sold various moulded plastic shoes – think premium Crocs.

Kokeshi dolls in the window of a store in Soho

Many visitors to Japan become obsessed with the country’s fruit sandwiches. Marks and Spencer have got in on the act with these Strawberry & Creme sandwiches from M&S Food.

It’s always great to visit Kanpai London, the UK’s best sake brewery. Even better when I’m joined by the one and only Chris Hughes, sake educator, advocate and legend. See you back in Tokyo for more pours.

On 7 August I joined drinkwhisy and other guests as we stepped into the vPub, whilst regular host Roy enjoyed his summer holidays! If you were asked by a newbie to the whisky world, to select 4 bottles for them, with a £200 budget, what would you go for? That’s the challenge ahead tonight. Would I be able to stick to my Kanpai Planet brand. Watch to find out!

Holland Park is small and not very Kyoto-y, but it has a nice waterfall!

The Chokushi-Mon (Gatewayof the Imperial Messenger) is a replica (four-fifths actual size) of the Karamon of Nishi Hongan-ji Temple in Kyoto, which was created for the Japan-British Exhibition held in London in 1910. After the exhibition closed, the replica gateway was moved and reconstructed here.

The gateway is made of hinoki wood (Japanese cypress Chamaecyparis obtusa), with a traditional copper roof (replacing the original made of cedar bark). There are magnificent carvings on the panels and transoms and metal ornamentation over the whole gateway.

After 80 years, the gateway had deteriorated to such an extent that a full restoration was initiated in October 1994 and completed in November 1995. Using combination of traditional Japanese skills and newly developed techniques, the gateway has been returned to its former glory once again.

I was suprised to spot some Japanese wine at The Mount Vineyard – a 2023 Chateau Mercian Koshu Gris de Gris no less!

On 11 August I heard up to Edinburgh to spend one week enjoying the delights of the various festivals which occupy every piece of the city’s real estate during August.

Edinburgh had, like the rest of the world, developed a taste for ramen. Here are two of her stores.

Ikigai is an interesting concept. I hope you find your life’s purpose if you eat here…

In case you have been to Japan and miss your flavoured KitKats, just pop into Forbidden Planet Edinburgh. I was especially surprise to see the collaboration with Sugar Butter Tree! 

20 August 2025 Is a day that will forever different free in my head as an impossible day that I first met face To face David from drinks whisky. The lad comes across while on camera but I can tell you that he is an absolute legend in person.

We spent the day collaborating, Creating some devastatingly good Content if I do say so myself. The fruits of our labours can already be seen on the drinkswhisky whisky YouTube channel (see below) and on Kanpai Planet very soon. 

Great to see the greatest book about Japanese whisky every written, Whisky Rising by Stefan van Eycken, represented at The Whisky Exchange’s store in Covent Garden!

Absolutely love this Kakigori T-shirt I spotted at SuperSuperFicial!

I was very excited to Spot stuff every execiate another should Books for Cooks in Notting Hill. Why? Because it was written by former Maction Planet tour guest Marc Luber!

As a lover of House and Trance music, the Technics 1210s are my forever decks, abs the Design Museum agrees. I was inspired to go to the Design Museum after visiting the Terence Conran exhibition such was held at the Tokyo Station Gallery. 

The V&A East Storehouse is an absolute must-visit for visitors to London. It’s a jaw dropping museum cum warehouse cun awesome experience as you wider around exploring a percentage of the V&As extraordinary collection.

This beautiful plate caught my eye, and when I dug into it I found out it was from Japan- a lovely piece by Tokuda Yasokichi!

On the recommendation of David from drinkswhisky I popped into Swift Soho, a great cocktail bar with a not-so-secret secret whisky bar in the basement to try his favourite Irish Coffee in London. He was, as always correct.

Along side that, I bought a dram of a 43 year old whisky for 12GBP! Called Oishii (delicious) Whisky, it was bottles for the Highlander inn Craigallache and, ironically, it was not tasty. Nonetheless, a fun time was had by me.

Great to see the team at 3 Greek Sreet again. I was there in Summer 2024 for a Nikka Whisky tasting. 

3 Greek Street is one of the best whisky shops in London. I went in to check out the solid Japanese drinks collection and ended up chatting to the lads for 45 minutes about all things whisky… and planning future collaborations!

Further down Greek Street there is a Japanese Knife Company store! What an age we live in.

And finally… I was honoured to make another appearance on the drinkswhisky YouTube channel. In this video, David and I have a free-form conversation which is part interview, part life advice, part rant and part luck much more! 

Speaking of parts, Part 2 to come. Stay tuned!

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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