This Week in Tokyo – 18 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: Kaiju Cat; Nishi-Nippori Roof Camel; Piplup Postbox; No Scribbling and Shochu X.

Kaiju Cat: The Cross Shinjuku Vision Billboard is a relatively new landmark at the East Exit of Shinjuku Station. Spanning three floors, it features a curved 4K LED screen and bombastic speakers, creating a 3D effect with great sound. To introduce the new technology to the World’s Greatest Metropolis, a giant calico cat was teased in July 2021. Making increasingly more frequent appearances, the cat’s ‘Neko Vision’ (Neko means cat) has proved extremely popular. I love that there is a Cat Cafe in the building opposite!

Nishi-Nippori Roof Camel: Another aerial animal – yes, it’s the ‘famous’ Nishi-Nippori Roof Camel. Not a phrase I thought I would ever find myself typing in ‘This Week in Tokyo’, but here we are. Always pays to look up in the World’s Greatest Metropolis.

Piplup Postbox: Japan Post launched Pokémon-themed stamps in July 2021 and followed that up with three Pokémon-themed postboxes, designed to look like Pokéballs, installed around Yokohama. You can find Piplup (featured) at Yokohama Sakuragicho Post Office but only until 30 June 2022. Gotta catch ’em etc!

No Scribbling: ‘Nuff said.

Shochu X: Kanpai Planet, our Japan Drinks Platform, brings you the world’s first comprehensive review of the entire Shochu X lineup! Shochu X was founded by Keisuke Hashimoto in 2020, with the goal of transforming shochu, Japan’s indigenous spirit. One of the ways they have done that is by marketing aged shochu, which should appeal more to whisky drinkers, in beautiful bottles and presentation, which should appeal to everybody! In this video, I explain what shochu is, do a drill down into Barely Shochu and take a look at their entire product lineup: Kizuna, Kiraboshi and Rinwa.

I was originally apprehensive about releasing a video about Shochu, wondering if my viewers would be interested in content about Japan’s indigenous spirit. However, the video received 500 views in its first 24 hours of life – that’s Yamazaki 18 levels – and a plethora of inspiring and motivating comments on the video itself. I feel validated! A large ARIGATO from Tokyo!

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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