This Week in Tokyo – 6 November 2018

The latest edition of This Week in Tokyo – a review of the Maction Planet week that was and a look ahead to what’s coming up in and beyond the city. Check out photos from our tours and read insights into our explorations as we get under the skin of the World’s Greatest Metropolis. This week’s edition is hosted by Mac, Founder and Lead Guide of Maction Planet. This week: Neputa in Tokyo, Celebrating 165 5-star TripAdvisor reviews, Mikocchi and the Three Tokyoteers, 350kg tuna and Toko Shinoda. 

Featured image – Neputa in Tokyo!: An incredible float from the Hirosaki Neputa Asakusa Matsuri 2018. These floats are a hallmark of festivals in the north of Japan, especially Aomori and Hirosaki. However, for those who are not travelled outside Tokyo, such as my guests Renata and Jaime (see below), there are limited opportunities to see them.  I managed to time our touring around Tokyo is intercept this incredible parade as it was weaving its way through the backstreets of Asakusa.

Maction Planet hits 165 100% 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor!: We are honoured to announce that this week Maction Planet has hit over 165 (169 at time of writing) 5* reviews on TripAdvisor. Thank you so much to all our guests who have written a review. Words cannot express how amazing it has been showing each and every one of you the city I love. Your kind words are what keep me going to deliver the very best service we can on all our Maction Planet private tours and experiences, in Tokyo and beyond! The featured photo itself come from Hanayashiki, Tokyo’s oldest theme park, which is celebrating its 165th anniversary this year! It seemed fitting that we should celebrate along with this much-loved institution!

Mikocchi and the Three Tokyoteers: Renata and Jaime were guests of Maction Planet for three days, and showing them the highlights of the World’s Greatest Metropolis was an absolute joy. We had so much fun in our time together and it is summed up by this shot of us with Mikocchi, the mascot of Tomioka Hachimangu. They are already planning their return to Tokyo and I cannot wait to show them more of the city we love!

350kg tuna!: If you have ever wondered what a 350kg tuna looks like, here is your answer. I’m not talking about the top one! Renata, Jaime and I spotted this outside the Sushizanmai Honten in the Tsukiji Outer Market.

Toko Shinoda – The Past, The Present, The Future: I was honoured to be invited to the Champagne Opening Reception for The Tolman Collection’s Tribute to Toko Shinoda. Shinoda-sensei has been an artist for almost a century and is now 105 years old. Norman Tolman has assembled this retrospective of some of Shinoda-san’s greatest works, some of which have never been shown to the public before. The amazing piece I have featured above is called ‘Between the Elements’ and was painted last year! The show is being held at the Zojoji Temple, a fitting location given it housed Shinoda-sensei’s largest work ‘The Past, The Present, The Future’ since its installation in 1974. Thank you to Norman Tolman and his team for an evening of incredible art. The exhibition is on until 11 November and I highly recommend checking it out.

Maction Planet runs bespoke Tokyo Private Tours and Experiences. To book yours, contact us on info@mactionplanet.com