This Week in Tokyo – 8 September 2020

Welcome to another edition of ‘This Week in Tokyo’! ‘This Week in Tokyo’ is a review of the Maction Planet week that was and a look ahead to what’s coming up in the city. Check out photos from our adventures and read insights into our explorations as we get under the skin of the World’s Greatest Metropolis, and beyond. This week’s edition is hosted by Mac, our Founder and Lead Guide. This week: Hello Kitty COVID-19 Edition; Rising Dragon; Cutie1; Maction Mask Prototype and Chirashi Sushi Cooking Class success!

Featured image – Hello Kitty COVID-19 Edition: Even the world’s most famous cat-headed person needs to protect herself and others during the current global pandemic. Good to see her pal My Melody doing the same.

Rising Dragon: I absolutely love this statue by Tetsuya Nakamura. Called ‘Rising Dragon’ (2020) it can be found at the new GREEN SPRINGS multi-use complex near Showa Kinen Koen. Born in 1968, Tetsuya Nakamura graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Fine Arts (Department of Urushi-Art [Japanese Lacquer]) in 1994. He is a former member of the legendary studio ‘Studio Shokudo’  which was based in Tachikawa from 1994-2000. The studio produced contemporary artists such as Yoshihiro Suda and Nakayama Daisuke and is deeply connected to Tachikawa. Nakamura now resides in Nagano Prefecture. He has a large public artwork on display at Narita International Airport, and his works are also stored in the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, The Japan Foundation, Takamatsu City Museum of Art, Toyota City Museum of Art and others. He has also worked on a wide range of projects including designing the Luge Japan National Team’s official wear for Vancouver Olympics and Sochi Olympics.

Cutie1: The Cutie1 store opened in Harajuku on August 2020. What is a Cutie1? It is the latest series of soft vinyl collectables from maestro modelmakers Prime1. Is it a stuffed animal?! Is it an Action Figure?! The intention is to blend both, with buttons, zips, stitching patterns and extreme attention to detail in the texture. They retail at just under ¥4000 per figure. The shop alone is worth the visit. I loved the window display featuring the Cutie1 take on Batman, the Joker and Harley Quinn. Good luck to our friends at Prime1 as they launch this fun, kawaii venture.

Maction Mask Prototype: I have been working with Tim (pictured) to develop a Maction Planet Mask prototype. We love it, but do you? Let us know what you think!

Chirashi Sushi Cooking Class success: On Sunday 6 September we held an online, interactive cooking class where a sell-out crowd of participants from around the world joined us to learn how to make Chirashi Sushi, with a special focus on making sushi rice. Here’s me, near the end of the session, chatting to everyone as we serve up our delicious meal, say ‘itadakimasu‘ together and chat about Japanese culture and life in Tokyo.

To sign up for these events, email info@mactionplanet.com

Should you join our upcoming online experiences? Well yes. But don’t listen to us. Listen to Karen. Thank you so much to her for this wonderful review of the Chirashi Sushi class!

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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