This Week in Tokyo – 26 January 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: D_I_S_T_A_N_C_E; Care by Jun Oson; Happy 1st Birthday Aloha Whisky; The most Tokyo photo ever and Spicy Yakuyoke Whopper.

Featured image – D_I_S_T_A_N_C_E: Diesel Art Gallery in Shibuya continue their great work with an exhibition showcasing the works of Jun Oson, his first major solo exhibition in Japan in four years. An illustrator who works in a wide range of fields and media, Oson’s work can be found on posters, covers, book illustrations and in product design, mainly for advertising and animation.

Oson is based in Kamakura. He draws for NHK ETV’s television show, Ahare! Meisaku-kun. He’s designed tour merchandise for musician Gen Hoshino’s POP VIRUS, and continues to illustrate for TV Asahi’s Gekirea-san wo Tsuretekita.

In recent years, he has been focusing on creating original artwork and has shown work in a solo exhibition at the Moods Art Museum in Beijing.

D_I_S_T_A_N_C_E features more than 20 new paintings as well as character figurines, T-shirts, badges, and other related merchandise made specifically for the exhibition. The exhibition runs until 4 February 201.

Let’s close out with the wise words of the artist, very relevant at this time: “As the emphasis continues to be placed on the individual, I can imagine that each of our existence will feel slightly less significant. Regardless of our intentions, the distances between ourselves and others (both physically and mentally) are formed within a bigger flow.”

Care by Jun Oson: Here’s an example of Oson’s graphic design work ‘in the wild.’ He’s illustrated a number of Tokyo Metro Manners Posters for the Metro Cultural Foundation.

Happy 1st Birthday Aloha Whisky: One of my favourite whisky bars in Tokyo, Aloha Whisky, recently reached their first anniversary. To celebrate, they produced a 1st-anniversary bottling – a 4yr single cask Blair Athol bottled by Acron Limited. It’s a beautiful whisky with playful but not overpowering complexity which punches well above its age. How do I know? I am honoured to be one of the first to try this tipple, and to be lucky enough to own one of the limited 202 bottles. Congratulations to David and his team. Here’s to many more years of Aloha. We continue…

The most Tokyo photo ever: Almost 15 years living in the World’s Greatest Metropolis and this is one of the most #Tokyo photos I’ve ever taken.

I snapped it in Ikebukuro at sunset on Wednesday 20 January 2021. It resonated so much that I immediately posted it across all Maction Planet social media. It seemed to resonate with our followers too as it became one of our most liked photos of the last year across all platforms!

Spicy Yakuyoke Whopper: Our semi-regular ‘Tokyo Taste Test’ series is back and we are on fire… literally! Burger King Japan launched the Spicy Yakuyoke Whopper from 25 December 2020 to 28 January 2021. This burger features the spiciest sauce ever in the Burger King’s history, anywhere in the world! So how spicy was it? Find out, and learn why it’s called the Yakuyoke burger and how this burger wards off evil in our latest video on the Maction Planet YouTube channel!  

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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