This Week in Tokyo – 31 January 2023

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 Majesty of Mount Fuji; 2023 Maction continues; Karen, Patrick and Mac; Sake to Sakana to Paul to Masako to Mac and Maoi Metamorphosis.

Featured image – The Majesty of Mount Fuji: A devastatingly good shot of Mount Fuji taken on Sunday by former Maction Planet guest and pilot extraordinaire Stu. ‘Nuff said!

2023 Maction continues: It has been a busy January for Maction Planet with tours running all over the country. Case in point: it was an honour to host Jacob and Sam in Tokyo and Kyoto. I was already booked during the period they were in Japan, but never fear – our team of hand-picked, highly trained guides (in this case the incredible Ineko) are ready to make sure you have the perfect, personalised experience in Tokyo, and beyond.

Karen, Patrick and Mac: We operate on a first-come, first-served basis and Karen and Patrick from Singapore had booked me back in September 2022. We spent two evenings together enjoying a mix of food, drink, history, culture, gardens and more. It was a privilege to be their guide and I look forward to their return to the World’s Greatest Metropolis!

Sake to Sakana to Paul to Masako to Mac: It was great to finally meet the legendary Namazake Paul, founder of Namazake Paul Imports, If you are in the US, check out his site for the finest hand-selected unpasteurized craft Japanese sake.

Of course, a meeting this momentous had to take place at an appropriately epic venue, and Sake to Sakana delivered, in no small part thanks to the ever-knowledgable and passionate Masako dropping sake bomb after sake bomb – the right kind, no beers involved!

Maoi Metamorphosis: Once upon a time, Hokkaido was home to Nikka’s Yoichi Distillery… and that was it when it came to whisky makers in Japan’s northernmost prefecture. Now, a new wave of craft distillers are following in the footsteps of Nikka founder Masataka Taketsuru and basing themselves in the Japanese climate that Taketsuru considered most similar to Scotland.

One of the most recently established distilleries is Maoi. I managed to grab a bottle of “The Origin” – their single malt new born. I tried some of it at Whisky Lovers Nagoya 2023 and was impressed. I look forward to following their progress. Kanpai!

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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