This Week in Tokyo – 22 June 2021

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: Loki is watching Shibuya; Iwate Meijo W; Japanese Summer Drinks 2021 Limited Edition; Futako Lovers and Kanpai Puppetry.

Loki is watching Shibuya: The God of Mischief is starring right now in his own series on Disney+. Those guys have quite the budget, which allows his to stare down at you as you navigate Hachiko Square outside Shibuya Station!

Iwate Meijo W: My first review for Sake Geek put two sake from the Iwate Meijo brewery under the Kanpai Planet microscope: a special bottling of two of the brewery’s award-winning sake:  Iwate Honmare ‘W’. The W is a classic Japanese play-on-words. ‘Double-u’ and ‘double’ are pronounced (almost) the same in Japanese, so ‘W’ is often used as a shorthand for double, in this case referring to the double recognition – 1st and 3rd prize in the Iwate Governor’s Sake Awards. Find out more here.

Japanese Summer Drinks 2021 Limited Edition: My latest for Tokyo Weekender looks at this year’s hottest summer drinks! Year-round, companies in Japan release unique, limited-edition beverages. Featuring a mix of seasonal fruits and anniversary tie-ins, here’s a selection of nine of my favourites.

Futako Lovers: Futako Lovers celebrates the 10th anniversary of Futako Tamagawa Rise, the retail, high-rise apartments and cultural space near the Futako-Tamagawa Station. This oft-overlooked suburb of Tokyo is a great place to hang out with amazing cultural sites, restaurants, bars and much more… if you know where to look…

Kanpai Puppetry: Last week I posed the question “Which Japanese whiskies (or indeed, any Japan-related drinks) do you want me to review next on Kanpai Planet?” across all Kanpai Planet social media. The response was fantastic and all the suggestions will shape the future of the channel. Head to the Kanpai Planet Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn to join the debate!

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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