This Week in Tokyo – 4 April 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!

Header image: The magnificence of the Meguro River Cherry Blossoms illuminated at night.

Featured image: It’s not just the human residents of and visitors to Tokyo that are enjoying the Cherry Blossoms! Ai-chan the cat was also having it large in Ueno Park when me and my tour guests bumped into her.

Speaking of having it large… Friday 31 March was the Opening Night of the 2023 NPB Baseball Season, and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows were at home, and me and my tour guests – Mary and family – joined them! Amazing seats, a great atmosphere, a Munetaka Murakami home run in his first at-bat and a 4-0 victory for the Swallows were our rewards for attending!

Mary and her family enjoyed a variety of experiences over the three days we spent together. An evening tour on Sunday took us to four neighbourhoods, including Shibuya, where Hachiko was asking people if they knew what day 2 April commemorates around the world. The answer is, of course, World Autism Awareness Day!

I snapped the photo of Jacob and Eva with my new phone, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, which I was testing out that evening. I am very glad it was able to take this devastatingly good shot!

Meeting guests in the morning at their various accommodations means that I get to see all the ikebana arrangements in the lobbies of the city’s top hotels! This is one of my favourites, hailing from The Okura! It’s the work of ikebanaist Seiho Okudaira from the Sekisouryuu school and features Yoshino Sakura and Youkou Sakura! Absolutely breathtaking!

It was with a heavy heart that I bid farewell to Dudley and Morgan after eight days of touring together. A devastatingly good time was had by all as we navigated inclement weather and seasonal crowds to enjoy a diverse selection of Maction Planet-curated experiences. Cannot wait until Dudley is back in May for another 5 days of Maction. Until then, Kanpai, and We continue…

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

You can subscribe to the Maction Planet newsletter below, and follow all our adventures on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Mixcloud and YouTube.