Nov. 7, 2021

Mac Salman: Discovering the World of Japanese Adult Beverages and Customized Tours

Mac Salman: Discovering the World of Japanese Adult Beverages and Customized Tours

The phrase "Do what you love and you never have to work another day in your life" fits Mac Salman perfectly. Mac left the finance  industry and pursued his passions - Travel, Japan, and tasty spirits. We discuss his customized tour business Maction Planet where he has never conducted the same itinerary twice. Then his pivot to Kanpai Planet when the pandemic halted Japan tourism. We discuss these two businesses and life in Tokyo while we sample three "Japan Related" tequilas.  Mac is an inimitable and articulate British gentleman who does his homework. He brings insider knowledge and back stories to Shizuku,  Cascahuin, and Don Suenos tequilas and their fascinating Japan connections. Even if you are not a big fan of whiskey or tequila, Mac's stories and insight make for a very lively and enjoyable conversation.  Other topics we discuss: 

  • Leaving the lucrative  finance industry and pursuing his passion for travel
  • The philosophy of changing tour guiding from a "commodity to a profession"
  • Maction Planet's 99.6% rating on Trip Advisor and why its not 100%
  • 25 straight years of whisky consumption decline in Japan. That all changed in 2008
  • Why he can be found at Jingu Stadium up to 50 times a year
  • How Kanpai Planet was born, the current USP's and future plans
  • Sample the Blanco and Reposado from Shizuku and discover its ties to Fukuoka
  • Mac's amazing Sake knowledge and how he applies it to tequila tasting 
  • Mac's hierarchy of needs and the 5 reasons Tokyo is the "Greatest Metropolis on Earth"
  • Taste test the Blanco and an Extra Anejo from Cascahuin created by Japanese "Tetsu" Kageda
  • Overcoming  bureaucratic challenges foreigners face in Japan
  • The background of the only Tequila brand owned by a Japanese woman - we try the Reposado and Anejo from Don Suenos 

Maction Planet: https://www.mactionplanet.com/
Trip Advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com
Kanpai Planet: https://www.youtube.com

More Now and Zen Japan episodes: https://www.nowandzen.jp/

Grow website traffic = Zo Digital: https://www.zodigital.jp/
Great Sleep Starts Here = gugu Sleep Company: https://gugu.jp
Japan Adventures via Camper Van = Dream Drive: https://www.dreamdrive.life

  • Use the code word "ZEN" to receive discounts