Magazine of the Marco polo club4Quarter 2010

4Quarter 2010

24 Hours IN TokyoSUCCESS STOREYSbengaluru saves itsheritage buildings

The Club is published by Cathay Pacific Loyalty Programmes Ltd. (CPLP) Cathay Pacific – The Marco Polo Club, PO Box 1024, Tsuen Wan Post Office, Hong Kong. Tel +852 2747 5500 Fax +852 2537 9900. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of CPLP Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright 2010 by CPLP Ltd. Opinions in The Club are the writers’ and not necessarily endorsed by CPLP Ltd. Manuscripts, photographs, drawings and other materials will not be returned unless they are accompanied by a self-addressed envelope and appropriate international postal coupons. The Club cannot be held responsible for unsolicited material.

Editorial advisory BoardGrace Poon Mun Wong Ella Young Mandy Chau

FEATurEs

ON THE WiNG

DEPArTMENTs

44 INSIDE CX A hydropower

project in rural China helps us to FLY greener

48 CX NEwS Asia Miles award,

new amenity kits, flights increase, and more news

18 EXpErt aDvICE Does the shape and

type of glass alter the taste and quality

of fine wine?

24 pErSpECtIvE What makes a city liveable? Vienna might top the lists but would you want to live there?

30 24 HourS A day in the life of

Tokyo, from Asakusa’s ancients temples to Zen gardens

38 travEl Bengaluru preserves

its heritage colonial buildings and the trees that make it The Garden City of India

06 MESSagE froM tHE Club

08 EXplorE HoNg KoNg Great coffee and

chocolate, bikes and kayaks, and a new map

12 EXplorE tHE worlD Drive through China,

slide in Singapore and study in Bangkok

Phot

os. M

eiji

shrin

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arde

ns: M

artin

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– D

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sley

/Get

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14 wHat’S oN Tennis in Hong Kong,

China treasures at the Met, and Phuket sailing

16 CHoICE Speakers that sound

impeccable and look sculptural

PuBlishEd By aCP MagazinEs asia liMitEdunit 604-5, 6/F, 625 King’s road, Quarry Bay, Hong KongTel +852 3921 7000 Fax +852 3921 7099 Website www.acpmagazines.com.hk Email cathay@acpmagazines.com.hk

Chief Executive Officer Julie Sherborn • Publishing Manager Alky Cheung • Editor in Chief William Fraser • Chief Sub Editor Andy Gilbert • Sub Editors Ellen Wong, Yam Yim-lan, Kathy Wang, John Cramer, Ling Ka-wai • Art Director Shaun Horrocks • Designer Sepfry Ng • Photo Editors Elisa Fu, Ester Wensing • Production Director Jimmy Tse • Assistant Production Manager Chris Wong

advErtising EnquiriEsasian in-flight MEdia liMitEdManaging Director Peter Jeffery +852 2850 4013 peterjeffery@asianimedia.comHong Kong, Advertisement Director (Cathay Pacific) Teresa Ngai +852 3106 8133 teresa@asianimedia.com

Printer: Paramount Printing Company Limited

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30

Co N tE N t S

I t is always nice to be the bearer of good news and we have plenty of glad tidings for the members of The Marco Polo Club as we approach

the festive season. Cathay Pacific’s interim results,

announced in August, showed a healthy profit of HKD6,840 million for the first six months of 2010. As business continues to return, we have announced our com-mitment to investing in new aircraft and upgrades to our products and services.

In September Cathay Pacific concluded a purchase agreement with Airbus for the delivery of 30 new A350-900 aircraft, representing our biggest single aircraft purchase. The new acquisitions are valued at HKD60.84 billion at list price. Deliveries will begin in 2016 and are scheduled to stretch over a three-year period.

Also in September, we signed an agree-ment with The Boeing Company to exercise purchase rights for six more of the manu-facturer’s B777-300ER (Extended Range) aircraft with an estimated value of HKD12.5 billion at list price. These additional aircraft will swell the airline’s total order for the aircraft type to 36 and will be delivered in 2013 and 2014.

In October, our brand new First and Business Class departure lounge at Hong Kong International Airport opened. The Cabin is located by Gate 23 and covers 1,339 square meters with 200 seats. High-speed Wi-Fi access, 11 PCs, six iMacs and a video-conference suite allow you to stay informed, in touch and entertained. You can also use one of 20 Wi-Fi enabled iPads pre-loaded with the latest apps including newspapers, magazines and games. Don’t

forget to try the innovative and unique Cathay Solus Chair. In addition we will be renovating The Wing, on a rolling basis to ensure as little disruption as possible to our members.

We are also restoring passenger capacity as strong demand returns. Cathay Pacific has added additional flights to Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Cairns, Auckland, Toronto, Osaka and Paris. Dragonair, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, has resumed flights to Fukuoka and Hong-qiao International Airport in Shanghai, both daily services.

Finally, Asia Miles was honoured to be named “Best Frequent Flyer Programme” for the sixth consecutive year at the 2010 Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Travel Awards in September.

Thank you all for your support!

A new lounge, new planes, more flightsKatie Rowen, Manager The Marco Polo Club

.

6 the club

m e ssag e from th e clu b

Like a lazy susan, Busy Suzie is round and the centre of a lot of action. The circular Japanese robatayaki restaurant in the Heritage 1881 complex is the brainchild of dragon-i founder Gilbert Yeung. French designers Patrick Gilles and Dorothée Boissier – responsible for Buddakan in New York and Cha Cha Moon in London – created the interiors that add to the buzzy atmosphere. No detail has been overlooked – Joseph Li designed uniforms for the staff, who even have consultants for their hair and sneakers. The robata chefs pass the food from the grills to diners on wooden paddles – not on a lazy susan. www.busysuzie.com

Made to measureStylish menswear designer Tom

Ford recently opened a store in

Hong Kong’s IFC Mall and has

just added made-to-measure

tailoring to its services. Clients

can select from 217 fabrics for

suiting and 130 for shirting.

www.tomford.com

HONG KONG

Test your chocolate palate

A new model

Ford

Stick around for a buzzy time

In appraisal of chocolateTaste 13 different types of top-quality raw and pure dark chocolate

from 10 countries at Belgium chocolatier Goossens, which recently

opened its first store in Hong Kong. Many of the samples are

single origin and single estate. The informative tastings take a stroll

through chocolate’s history from the time cocoa was first discovered

in 2000BC to modern processing. Tastings cost HKD50 per person

and take place at the shop in Happy Valley, or can be arranged at

corporate venues.

www.goossens.com.hk

8 the club

E XPLO R E

Sha Tong Hau Arch on Bluff

Island, part of the Geopark

The action revolves around

the Japanese-style robatayaki

grill at Busy Suzie

Discover the art galleries

and creative places that

Hong Kong designers

love with the help of a

new design- and culture-

focused map compiled

using recommendations

from some of the city’s

experts. Creative City is

a pocket-sized map that

folds out into six different

districts with recommen-

dations for more than

150 locations from art

galleries to architectural

landmarks and quirky

design-led shops.

Available from major

book stores.

www.creativecity.hk

Wheel lifeNeil Pryde is best known as

Hong Kong’s slick manufacturer

of sailing and sail-boarding

equipment, and wetsuits. Now

the company has added bicycles

to its repertoire with the launch

of two high-performance road

bikes, the Alize and the Diablo,

developed with BMW Group

subsidiary DesignworksUSA. The

bikes combine peak performance

with sophisticated aesthetics and

can be bought online.

www.neilprydebikes.com Outdoor pursuitsDiscover Hong Kong’s wild side by exploring the Geopark at Sai Kung

in the New Territories with a mix of kayaking and hiking trips led by

experts. Options include kayaking and snorkelling around the area’s

geological wonders, hiking through the area’s beautiful country park

or a mixture of all three. Expect to see the area’s stunning volcanic

coastline and explore sea caves and arches. If that sounds too

strenuous, a powerboat can whizz visitors to the beautiful beaches

and clear seas of Tai Long Wan in minutes.

www.kayak-and-hike.com

All mapped out

9 the club

Barista Jam With its polished concrete floors,

minimalist interior and devotion

to the art of coffee-making, this

little gem in Sheung Wan is a

tiny taste of Australia on lively

Jervois Street. Wedged between

dry cleaners, florists, carpenters

and Chinese medicine shops,

Barista Jam serves excellent

coffee (using a changing selec-

tion of single-origin beans) and

a small selection of sandwiches

and salads.

www.baristajam.com.hk

Café Punta del Cielo On the corner of Wellington and

Lyndhurst Streets, the slick black-

and-white interior is cool and calm.

Coffee is supplied by a Mexican

chain devoted to coffee-making in

all its stages and forms.

www.puntadelcielo.com.mx

FuelTucked away on the top floor

of the IFC Mall, this is Fuel’s first

venture outside New Zealand.

The coffee is blended in Trieste,

roasted in Wellington and served

to an enthusiastic customer base

in Hong Kong. Choose from a

menu of 12 coffees including

espresso macchiato and a

delicious café mocha.

www.fuelespresso.co.nz

Holly Brown The spacious interior sets Holly

Brown apart. The main counter

is dominated by two enormous

shiny Victoria Arduino espresso

machines and the coffee is freshly

roasted on site by Italian master

roaster Domenico Spadaccini.

There’s a gelato bar and an

enticing selection of cupcakes.

www.hollybrowncoffee.com

Bean huntersHong Kong’s coffee culture

has long been dominated

by the big chains but a

growing band of good

independent coffee shops

has hit town.

Domenico Spadaccini and the Holly Brown coffee team

Terms and conditions1. A minimum stay of 2 consecutive nights is required.2. Spa or food and beverage

credit is not applicable to the purchase of merchandise. credit must be used per stay and is non-cumulative.

Terms and conditions1. Stock is subject to availability.2. In case of any dispute, the

decision of Ponti Food & Wine cellar ltd. shall be final.

Enjoy a complimentary room upgrade and spending credit at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

Enjoy a 15% discount on selected wines from Ponti Wine Cellars

From 16 November 2010 to 15 February 2011, members of The Marco Polo Club who stay at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong for a minimum of two consecutive nights can enjoy a range of benefits, including:

• ComplimentaryupgradefromGrand Room to Grand Harbour View Room upon reservation• SpendingcreditofUSD120inPlateau Spa or restaurants and bars during stay

To enjoy this offer, quote your membership number and promotion code “MP731” when making your reservation, and present your membership card upon check-in.

From 16 November 2010 to 15 February 2011, members of The Marco Polo Club will receive a 15% discount on purchases of selected festive wines from Ponti Wine Cellars. This quarter’s featured wines are:

Bruno Paillard Champagne Assemblage • Brut 1999

Chateau Daugay 2005, Saint-Emilion • Grand Cru

Faiveley Chablis 1er Cru “Fourchaume” 2007•Neyen Espiritu de Apalta 2005•Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco 2006•Duckhorn Napa Valley Merlot 2007•

Established since 1988, Ponti Wine Cellars source exceptional wines direct from Europe and around the world for the enjoyment of wine lovers – embracing

P A r T n E r O F F E r S

Telephone: +852 2584 7038 (Reservation)Email: hongkong.grand@hyatt.comWebsite: hongkong.grand.hyatt.com

Website: www.pontiwinecellars.com

every opportunity to share their passion and enthusiasm for wine with their customers.

To enjoy the offer, present your membership card when making your purchase.

10 the club

THE WORLD

Cultural affairsKyoto, Bangkok and Chiang Mai Learn Asian arts from calligraphy

to preparing a Japanese tea

ceremony with Origin. Founded

by Alex Kerr, an author, cultural

explorer and long-time resident

of Japan and Thailand, the aim is

to teach the traditional cultures by

experiencing them first hand.

The lessons are taught in

traditional buildings in Kyoto,

Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

http://origin-asia.com

Made in ChinaShanghaiChina’s first high-end luxury

brand, Shang Xia, is a joint venture

between French marque Hermés

and designer Jiang Qiong Er, who

has a passion for the traditional

crafts of China. The first boutique,

opened in Shanghai, was

designed by Japanese architect

Kento Kuma and the stock reflects

Jiang’s modernist take on the

traditional craftsmanship with

elegant zitan wood furniture,

cashmere clothing and fine

porcelain homewares

www.shang-xia.com

Fruits of the loomBaliVisitors to Bali should take the trip to the charming village of Tenganan

near Candidasa, one of the few places in the world where double ikat

woven fabric is produced. The elaborately designed ikat weave cloth is

known as gringsing and can take months to complete. Ikat is a style of

weaving that uses a tie-dye process on either the warp or weft before

the threads are woven to create a pattern or design. With the double

ikat method, both the warp and the weft are tie-dyed before weaving to

create patterns. The colours are limited to yellow, red and indigo and the

dyes are derived from plants.

www.balitourismboard.org

Fine craftsmanship in Shang Xia’s zitan furniture and cashmere clothing

Complex and rare double ikat produced in Tenganan, in Bali

Kanok, the ubiquitous Thai flame motif

Hit the roadMainland ChinaFancy a driving holiday through China – the easy way? On the Road in China guides you through the backblocks and some of the most scenic regions of China in a convoy of SUV vehicles on tours of five to 14 days. A lead vehicle guides a maxi-mum of four other Toyota Prado SUVs with pre-programmed GPS and walkie-talkies. On the Road in China arranges the logistics, accommodation, organises a Chinese driving licence and insur-ance and locates good restaurants. Itineraries include From Kunming to Lhasa (14 days), Best of Yunnan on Back Roads (eight days), and Escape to Shangri-La (five days). www.ontheroadinchina.com

Pho

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Esc

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12 ThE CLUB

E XPLO R E

Enjoy the rideSingapore First came the Balinese-themed

swimming pool and now

Singapore’s Changi Airport has

added a 12-metre (four-storey)

twister slide to its list of attractions.

For every SGD10 (about HKD60)

spent in the airport, shoppers

receive one token for a ride on

the slide at Terminal 3. Choose

between two speeds.

www.changiairport.com/at-changi/

entertainment-lifestyle

Game planLondonTake a tour to glimpse London’s

2012 Olympic Games venues,

which are rapidly taking shape in

the 200-hectare Olympic Park in

East London. From viewing points,

see the 80,000-seat Olympic

Stadium, which will host the

opening and closing ceremonies,

the spectacular wave-shaped roof

of the Aquatics Centre, designed

by architect Zaha Hadid, and the

Olympic Village. The tour also

shows how this area is being

transformed into a green corridor

with five kilometres of parkland,

transforming it into one of the

largest new urban parks in Europe

in 150 years. The aim is to have

everything finished by mid 2011 to

allow for time for test runs. Tours

depart at 11am every day from

Bromley-by-Bow underground

station. Bookings are essential.

www.olympictourguides2012.com

On the airport fast trackTokyo and BangkokTravel times from airport to the city centre of both Tokyo and Bangkok

have been dramatically reduced thanks to new train services travelling

at speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour.

The journey from Narita International Airport to central Tokyo has

been shaved by 15 minutes and now takes 36 minutes on the new

Narita Sky Access line. The new Skyliner train has spacious seats, a

light, airy cabin and extra room for baggage. In Bangkok the long-

awaited rail link has opened, providing a smooth 15-minute ride from

Suvarnabhumi to the city centre.

www.narita-airport.jp/en/whats_new/100409_skyaccess.html

www.bangkokairporttrain.com

New twist to transit time

London’s Olympic basketball arena

The road to Tiger Leaping Gorge

on the Escape to Shangri-La tour

13 ThE CLUB

WINTEREvENTs

NOVEMBER18-21 November UBS Hong Kong Open Hong Kong Golf Club, Fanling, Hong KongTitle holder, French golfer

Grégory Bourdy, meets

Graham McDowell, who

clinched the Ryder Cup

for Europe.

www.ubshongkongopen.com

29 November – 4 December Business of Design Week Various venues, Hong KongThe best of the inter-

national design world

comes to Hong Kong to

focus on the vital links

between creativity

and commercialism.

www.bodw.com/2010/eng

DECEMBER2-5 DecemberArt Basel Miami BeachMiami, FloridaThe most important art

show in the United states

attended by international

artists and all major

commercial art galleries.

www.artbaselmiami

beach.com

4-11 December Phuket King’s Cup Regatta PhuketThis major Asian blue-

water sailing tournament

has evolved into a “big

boat”, ocean-going event.

www.kingscup.com

12 December Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races Sha Tin, Hong KongFour international races

with total prize money

of HKD64 million – the

highlight of the Hong

Kong racing calendar.

www.cxhkir.com

14-20 December Olympia: The London International Horse Show West Kensington, LondonOne of the world’s major

equestrian events.

www.olympiahorseshow.com

Blue water, big boats in

Phuket

Vision D’etat wins the

2009 Hong Kong Cup

Phot

os. R

aces

: Bob

by Y

ip –

Reu

ters

. Ph

uket

: Dub

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kaya

.

14 THe CLub

what ’s o n

Portrait of the Qianlong Emperor

1 February – 1 May 2011

The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures fromthe Forbidden CityThe Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkThe Qianlong emperor ruled from 1736 to 1795 when the Qing Dynasty was at its peak. The emperor took a personal interest in the arts and had a one-hectare private retreat built within the Forbidden City. The exhibition includes paintings, decorative works and architectural details from this imperial residence. www.metmuseum.org

D A N C E E V E N T S

18-20, 24-27 November and 2-4 December: Woolf Phrase / N.N.N.N. / a new work by William Forsythe, The Forsythe Company, Frankfurt am Main, www.theforsythecompany.com19-28 November, Taipei; 4-5 December, Taichung; 11-12 December, Kaohsiung; 17-19 December, Chiayi County: Water Stains on the Wall, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan www.cloudgate.org.tw3-22 December: Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker, The Australian ballet, Sydney, www.australianballet.com.au12, 17, 19, 30, 31 December: The Nutcracker, bolshoi ballet, Moscow www.bolshoi.ru/en17-27 December: The Nutcracker, The Hong Kong ballet, Hong Kong http://hkballet.com1-7 February 2011: Hong Kong Salsa Festival, Hong Kong, www.hksalsafestival.com

5-8 January 2011Hong Kong Tennis Classic 2011 Victoria Park Tennis Stadium, Hong KongEurope, Russia, The

Americas and Asia Pacific

compete in the World

Team Challenge.

www.hongkongtennis

classic.com

26 January 2011 Republic Day ParadeNew DelhiIndia shows off its ethnic

and cultural diversity.

http://festivals.iloveindia.com

FEBRUARY3 February 2011Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade Hong KongDon’t miss the fun of

welcoming in the

Year of the Rabbit.

www.discoverhongkong.

com/festivehk2010/eng/cny/

highlight_celebrations.jsp

7-13 February 2011Sapporo Snow Festival SapporoA winter wonderland

of ice sculptures and

snowy activities.

www.snowfes.com/

english/index.html

17-18 January 2011Asian Financial Forum Hong Kong Convention and exhibition CentreHear influential members

of the global financial

and business community

discuss developments

and trends in Asia. A

discount for members of

The Marco Polo Club is

available on registration.

For details, log in to your

Marco Polo Club account

at www.cathaypacific.com

www.asianfinancialforum.com

Art, culture and fun at the Sydney Festival

JANUARY8-30 January 2011Sydney FestivalVarious venues, SydneyHave fun on the opening

night when the streets

become a party venue.

http://corporate.sydney

festival.org.auPhot

os. E

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ror:

The

Pala

ce M

useu

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Balle

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Pers

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Tenn

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FP P

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Maria Sharapova at the 2010 Hong Kong

Tennis Classic

15 THe CLub

sound investment

Anthony GalloAnthony Gallo claims

that spherical speakers

eliminate distortion.

the Reference 3 offers

300-degree dispersion

and the cast-aluminium

frame houses a 10-inch

woofer.

www.anthonygallo.co.uk

Qurvethe Qurve e200 bespoke floor-standing speakers incorporate full-range drivers

and the cabinet amplifies the bass tones for depth and volume. the speakers

are assembled and hand finished from machine-cut craftwood and can be

natural wood or painted to specified colours.

www.qurve.co.uk

It’s not enough for speakers merely to produce impeccable sound, they must look good and suit your décor. These sculptural sound systems score high on the scales of both looks and performance.

Thielthe thiel Cs3.7 is a floor-

standing model with a domed

tower. the speakers are made

in Kentucky with laminated

hardwood housing and a rigid

aluminium front.

www.thielaudio.com

16 The club

ch o i ce

Meridianno need for cables with the

meridian dsP7200 digital Active

Loudspeakers as everything is

housed in the cabinet. Available

in black, graphite or silver gloss

finish in metal and glass.

www.meridian-audio.com

Mythosthe mythos st supertower is a

sleek hand-polished extruded

aluminium shaft mounted on

a polished granite base, with

a built-in subwoofer.

www.definitivetech.com

Harman KardonClarity of sound gets

new meaning with the

transparent Harman

Kardon soundsticks ii

system, which is in

the collection of the

museum of modern

Art in new York.

soundsticks ii is com-

patible with most

multimedia devices.

www.harmankardon.com

Zikmu Parrot by S+arckthe Philippe starck-designed

wireless hi-fi speakers have an

iPhone and iPod docking station.

Have them delivered in Hong

Kong through the Cathay Pacific

Home delivery service.

www.cathaypacific.com/dutyfreePhot

o. m

erid

ian:

Cam

eo P

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grap

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17 The club

Glassyaffair

By Andre A L i

The shape of the glass can accentuate or dull the flavours of wine

Tokyo Temptation Burgundy glass from Lucaris

18 the club

e xpe r t adv i ce

icolas deneux, Chief Sommelier at

SPOOn, Michelin-star chef Alain ducasse’s

restaurant in Hong Kong, recently went

against the grain by advising a customer

that it would be a mistake to decant an

expensive bottle of Bordeaux because

the 1986 vintage had been a weak one.

His advice dispelled the myth shared

by many of the city’s wine enthusiasts

that all expensive red wines should be

decanted and consumed out of elaborate glassware as part

of an extravagant spectacle.

“When someone orders an expensive wine, they want the

sommelier to work at it,” explains deneux. “They expect a

big show, the big glasses and the crystal decanter. This, too,

used to be trendy in France but people are beginning to

understand it is not necessary all the time. At the end of the

day, it is not about how much the wine costs, but rather, the

style of wine you are consuming.”

Fueled by the removal of wine duty in 2008, Hong Kong

is rapidly becoming a premier wine hub with wine imports

surging and auction sales reaching record levels. Wine glass-

ware has also been flying off store shelves as wine drinkers

are increasingly demanding the best conditions in which to

drink their wines. After all, the right wine glass can showcase

the maximum potential in a wine.

Although the wide variety of wine glassware and the avail-

ability of all shapes, sizes and price points may baffle and

intimidate buyers, experts say the consumer should not be

distracted from what is most important: in choosing the right

glass, what matters most is its shape and size of the bowl.

“The glass shape is very important because it affects the

way we receive the aromas and flavours of the wine, and

therefore our perception of the wine,” says Master of Wine

debra Meiburg, a widely respected wine judge.

At the most rudimentary level, red-wine glasses are

broader in shape to give the fuller bodied grape vari-

etals more surface room to oxidise. A large bowl shape

also allows the wine to swirl easily, releasing the aromas

and opening up the rich velvety finish in wines such as

cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

White-wine glasses are typically smaller and narrower

in shape, often sporting a thinner rim, to enable the

delicate and fruity smells to funnel up to the top of the

glass so the drinker can enjoy the flavours immediately. A

champagne flute is taller, thinner and tapered. The narrow

glass provides a smaller surface area that slows the escape

of bubbles and captures the subtle nuances of the grapes.

“The right glass can enhance all the components from

aromas to tannin, and complexity of mineral flavours of a

good wine, but will, at the same time, also heighten the flaws

of a bad wine,” says Frantz dumey, President of Sales in Asia

for riedel, a major glassware manufacturer.

Too large or broad a bowl shape, for example, would cause

the flavours of a delicate fruity wine such as sauvignon blanc

to dissipate, while too straight a glass angle would hinder the

unique aromas from travelling upwards.

Another crucial point to note is the diameter of the rim and

the thinness of the glass. A narrower rim and thinner glass can

help direct the flow of liquid to the right part of your palette.

“The tongue has four key senses: sweetness, saltiness, acid-

ity and bitterness,” says dumey. “The rim of the glass, the size

and bowl shape can dictate the flow of liquid to a specific part

of your tongue. Glasses are designed in such a way that you

unconsciously tilt the glass at a certain angle thus directing

the wine to the right part of your tongue. The aim ultimately

is to achieve a balance of flavours.”

riedel’s leading market position is testament to its

focus on going beyond the science of glassware manu-

facturing. each glass is developed following rounds of

Bangkok Bliss chardonnay glass from Lucaris

19 the club

wine tastings with wine professionals, from tasters to produc-

ers from every part of the globe, giving feedback on how

each aspect of the wine glass can optimise the potential

of a wine.

Though riedel is often regarded as one of the leading

glassware manufacturers (the brand currently has a total

of 12 lines covering various grape varietals and regions),

other european brands such as Spiegelau and Schott

Zwiesel have also launched extensive portfolios of glass-

ware. in Asia, Lucaris is working with expert glassware-maker

Toyo-Sasaki Glass of Japan, Thailand’s Ocean Glass and Ger-

man designer Martin Ballendat, to create crystal stemware

of international quality.

Premium glassware, made predominately of delicate lead

crystal, provides greater transparency, better light refraction,

sparkling brilliance and makes beautiful sounds at toasting. But

in the orbit of functionality, it is a luxury, not a necessity.

“expensive glassware does add incrementally to the

pleasure,” says Meiburg. “it is the difference between having

a Porsche with leather seats versus one with vinyl seats.”

Simon Tam, director of the independent Wine Centre, says

Etched bowls of the Spiegelau

Renaissance glasses

Master of Wine Debra Meiburg says premium glassware adds to the pleasure

it is important not to get bogged down in the dynamics of

the nitty gritty. “For most people, a few white and red wine

glasses and a handful of flutes is all you need at home,” he

says. “if you have the means and the luxury of space then

by all means go for the whole nine yards. But it is important

for people to know that you don’t need to have all the right

glasses before embarking on the journey of wine.”

even a restaurant such as SPOOn uses only about five types

of wine glasses. Anything more, says deneux, would be for

show more than practicality.

The variety of glassware and wine paraphernalia can indeed

be overwhelming to the novice drinker particularly as glass

styles tend to vary between brands.

“The range can be intimidating to someone who has not

grown up in a wine culture,” says Meiburg. “There is a lot of

apprehension around how to do things right. it would be like

a westerner participating in a Japanese tea ceremony.”

20 the club

e xpe r t adv i ce

G L a S S c a R E

• Use a microfibre cloth to polish glasses• Wrap cloth around your fingers then rotate around the inside of the bowl• Hold the glassware firmly by the bowl, not the stem• Rinse the glass with cold water after use• Lipstick stains can be removed by using warm water• Use of detergent is not recommended• Store in a clean, odourless environment• To rid the glass of smell, rinse first in cold water before polishing

Lucaris Shanghai Soul Champagne and Bordeaux glasses are available for Home Delivery to Hong Kong residents. Please see Discover The Shop – Beyond Duty Free or you can refer to: www.cathaypacific.com/dutyfree

She assures consumers, however, that this need not be a

nerve-racking endeavour. Meiburg, who judges between

six to eight wine competitions every year, says judges use a

generic wine glass, similar to a chardonnay glass, to ensure a

fair and consistent outcome that the public can appreciate.

“it isn’t so much a case of what glass we use in the competi-

tion that is important, but that they are all the same,” she says.

“We use an ordinary wine glass on the assumption that not

everyone will have an extensive range of glassware at home,

and since we are influencing the public’s buying decision, it

is important to use a general wine glass.”

For an all-purpose classic wine glass, Tam recommends

a chianti glass. Straddling the glass shapes of Bordeaux and

chardonnay, this type is versatile enough to pinpoint the

aromatics of both red and white wines.

in some quarters, however, sceptics such as Tam feel the

importance placed on glassware has been taken to the

extreme. While he recognises the value that glasses bring

to the drinking experience, he believes first and foremost in

the power of a good wine.

“if the wine is good, it will taste good regardless of whether

it is in a cup, a glass or wine glass. With even wine producers

making their own tailored glassware, i beg to differ whether it

is really necessary to have all this glassware and theatrics.”

indeed, in a new and flourishing wine market such as Asia’s,

the temptation of having all the right drinking tools can at times

overshadow what is practical or immediately relevant.

“Wine is still very new to people in this part of the world and

it takes time to recognise quality wine,” says Tam. “it is natural for

novice drinkers to be swept up in buying the best of everything

including glasses to help them complete the experience.”

it is important to note that glasses alone do not define the

drinking experience, says Tam. “remember that glassware is only

one component to getting the most out of your wine. Other

aspects of wine service like the temperature of the wine, how it

is served, whether or not it is decanted are just as important.”

Riedel Black Tie collection has a black stem or base

Nicolas Deneux, chief Sommelier at SPOON, which uses a limited number of wine glasses

22 the club

e xpe r t adv i ce

Wish you were here?By A ARON PE A SLE y

London

Vienna

ParisNew York

Surveys that rank cities often provide a snapshot of the good life elsewhere, but they can overlook what really draws us to where we live

hat is the formula for the perfect

city? Some of us may envision sus-

tainable enclaves with plentiful

green space. Others may emphasise

a high-density urban environment,

complete with round-the-clock

cultural offerings. An effortless

five-minute commute to the airport

may be essential to some, while a

city’s natural beauty may be the trade-off for hellish traffic in

another. One thing is certain: the concept of the perfect city

is not something we’re all likely to agree on. By their very defi-

nition cities are imperfect, dynamic and ever changing, and

each comes with a unique set of challenges and charms.

In recent years, the concept of liveability, a word invented

to define the quality of life a city provides, has gained wider

use. Each year, two major reports, the Mercer Quality of Liv-

ing Survey and The Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global

Liveability Report, set out to rank the world’s cities – from

Vancouver to Vilnius, Baghdad to Boston – according to their

living conditions. Necessitated by an increasingly globalised

economy, they are used primarily by international corpora-

tions to measure the living conditions in cities where they

plan to relocate staff or operations.

Liveability and concepts of “quality of life” differ from infor-

mation on standard of living in that they measure much more

than just income and living costs. While a brief look at either Phot

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Wish you were here?

Hong Kong

Zurich

Vancouver

25 the club

Pe r sPec tiv e

survey proves that the flow of money is a key component –

Swiss cities, for instance, which always feature prominently,

have long been established centres of wealth creation. But

they also examine a range of factors spanning everything

from the quality of a city’s medical care, urban environment,

political climate, and civil liberties to whether a city is prone

to natural disasters or outbreaks of disease.

Jon Copestake, Editor of EIU’s study, explains the group’s

methodology, a list of criteria that encompasses 30 qualita-

tive and quantitative factors across five categories. “When it

comes to liveability, we seek to assess conditions in terms of

the problems a location can present to someone’s lifestyle,”

he says. “We have correspondents based in each city and they

rate indicators that we see as influencing liveability which we

vet and weight to create an overall score.” The survey ulti-

mately issues each city with a score out of 100, and this year

selected Vancouver as the world’s most liveable metropolis

with a mark of 98 percent.

Mercer’s survey ranked Vienna as the world’s most liveable

city, followed by the Swiss cities Zurich and Geneva. Rebecca

Powers, one of Mercer’s San Francisco-based consultants,

explained the process: “Mid-density European cities always

tend to dominate, largely due to their great health care,

efficient transport and established economies.”

Mercer’s methodology ranks cities based on a point-

scoring index, with cities compared to New york City,

which has a base index score of 100. “It’s really like split-

ting hairs at the top end of the survey,” says Powers.

“When I saw that Vienna had come at the top this year,

I laughed that it must have been due to the excellent

quality of its symphony.”

When we think of the world’s most glorified cities,

we tend to think of places such as London, Hong Kong,

New york or Paris – complex, historically rich, pulsat-

ing monuments to human ambition. Clamorous, and often

hard to navigate, they contain those ineffable qualities that

make a city truly great. But when compiling these surveys,

Vancouver and Vienna were

ranked the world’s most

liveable cities in two separate

surveys

Vancouver

Vienna

26 the club

Pe r sPec tiv e

“if we were all alike then perhaps we all would be happy living in vienna”

researchers don’t take into account the emotional dynam-

ics, the intangible elements that separate great cities from

merely good ones. They don’t tend to note spectacular

natural settings (sorry, Rio), cutting-edge architecture

(Shanghai, you’re out of luck) or round-the-clock nightlife

(too bad, Madrid).

One wonders what the late urbanist Jane Jacobs would

have made of liveability surveys. In her book, The Death

and Life of American Cities, she stresses the importance of

small, navigable neighbourhoods, and while she promoted

preservation she espoused that cities should retain their

historic character, faults and all. By contrast, these indices

value urban environments that are highly efficient, financially

robust and easy to navigate. But is it possible they can be just

a bit unexciting? After all, efficiency, that quintessentially Swiss

of traits, will never be perceived as sexy.

Grant Thatcher, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Luxe City

Guides, believes quality-of-life studies should be viewed with

just a little scepticism. “While I think liveability surveys can

be used as a basic index or benchmark, they always fail to

take into account the most important factor of the human

condition – individuality,” he says. “If we were all alike then

perhaps we all would be happy living in Vienna – as it is some

of us need adventure, danger, dirt, challenges and, let’s face

it, we all love to moan about the weather.”

Indeed, while both Vienna and Vancouver are undoubt-

edly pleasant places to live, neither tends to lead the way

when it comes to shaping the spirit of the times. “If this was

a measure of hipness, we would probably have a completely

different list,” says Powers, “but we are here to calibrate the

real quantifiable factors that influence a place.”

The sweet life: critics say city surveys don’t take individual tastes into account

Paris

27 the club

EIU’s Copestake says such subjectivity has no place in the

reviews. “Boredom, for instance, is a pretty subjective factor.

We cannot capture a buzz that a city gives off and in many

cases the big-city buzz or vibrancy is caused by the ’edge’ a

city has, which can imply shortfalls in liveability.”

Ed Brea, the General Manager of the Shangri-La Hotel

Vancouver, who has lived all over the world, believes true

liveability is all in the mix. “Vancouver is pretty hard to beat,”

he says. “The city is a very clean and green urban place that

is culturally and ethnically diverse. It has a very creative side

and the sushi is to die for! The public transport system works

[and there are] lots of bike lanes for people like me who do

not drive.”

Neither survey sees large fluctuations from year to year,

but both are keeping an eye on the developing world as

companies become more eager to move into those markets.

In some cases, however, a lot can change in a year.

Neil Smith, Managing Director Research Serv-

ices, Fitch Solutions, who regularly relocates

staff, says these types of intelligence tools are

becoming more important as global corpo-

rations move operations into lesser-known

capitals. “We are finding that factors can

change incredibly swiftly,” says Smith. “In

some parts of the world, Africa and parts

of Asia, for instance, we are seeing a rapidly

changing political climate with incidents of

terrorism and political unrest. We need to

monitor these factors constantly.”

In recent years, liveability surveys have

gained broader appeal. Lifestyle magazine

Monocle launched its “Quality of Life” survey in 2007 and other

liveability survey findings often appear in the media.

“I’m often called by radio stations in the US demanding

New York

Pe r sPec tiv e

T o u g h m o V e s

Rather than pinpointing the most alluring cities for potential expatriates, liveability indices are grounded in quite the opposite – the idea of hardship.

Donna DiGiovanni, Director of Global Mobility Services for crown Relocations, a company that helps companies relocate employees, says many of her clients study the surveys. “Our corporate clients who tend to be interested in the global liveability surveys are those companies who are either opening, or considering opening, opera-tions in regions commonly associated with risk or hardship,” she says. “Sometimes the

reports are used to debunk myths about certain areas or to understand where the risk or hardship lies and to what degree.“

In cases where hardship is assessed, com-panies pay a premium – often an additional five percent or more of an employee’s base salary – to staff that relocate to cities where living conditions are considered difficult.

language barriers or notable cultural chal-lenges are taken into account. but experts suggest that hardship allowances in some cities, such as hong Kong, may be becoming less frequent as companies shift their focus towards less expensive local hires.

to know why the cities didn’t come out top,” says Mercer’s

Powers. Governments have also become more interested,

monitoring their performance and comparing it to other capi-

tals. As urban centres have moved towards private enterprise,

many governments are now using these surveys to encourage

private investment.

Perhaps, as Swiss writer and theorist Alain De Botton has

suggested, a truly liveable city is like a well-designed piece

of furniture: functional, rather simple and perhaps just a little

unexciting. But don’t say that to Luxe City Guide’s Thatcher,

or passionate residents of other capitals that fail to impress

liveability researchers.

“Having lived in New york, Hong Kong and Bangkok, I can

safely say that variety is very definitely the spice of life,” says

Thatcher. “It’s all about deciding what you want, what you

need, deciding what you’re willing to forgo, if anything, and

then getting off your butt to make it happen.”

New York and hong Kong

have a vibrancy that’s hard

to beat

Hong Kong

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Explore the gardens of the Meiji Shrine

3pm

Start in Style as soon as you touch

down. Instead of struggling onto a train

or bus into Tokyo – buses and taxis are

prone to the traffic jams that clog the

roads into the city from Narita Interna-

tional Airport – hop aboard a Hermès-

branded chopper as soon as you clear

customs for the transfer. The seats are

leather and cabin walls bear the brand’s

signature Toile H fabric, also used on its

leather goods. The Mori Building City

Air Services Eurocopter takes a mere 15

minutes – compared to one hour, on a

good day, by surface transport – and

there is no more impressive way to get

a first glimpse of Tokyo, particularly as

the lights begin to flicker on.

3:30pm

after landing, the service includes

a limousine transfer to the nearby

By JulIAN RyAll

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Sample sushi at the fish market, shop for traditional works of art, sip some superb sake and drift away on a boat cruise. And that’s just a taste of what the city has to offer…

24

TokyoHOURS

Grand Hyatt Tokyo, a part of the Rop-

pongi Hills complex that has so impres-

sively changed the skyline in this part

of the city. Check out the beautifully

appointed rooms and the incredible

views across Tokyo.

4pm

to prepare for the indulgences that

lie ahead, the mind and spirit must be in

harmony. The monks of Seishoji Temple –

31 the club

24 h o u r S

a walled compound that is an oasis of

tranquility in the heart of this frantic city –

teach those in search of zen enlight-

enment the most appropriate posture,

how to breathe deeply and slowly and,

in time, how to settle the mind. Monks

can hold their pose and empty their

minds for hours on end. The rest of us

can usually manage about 20 minutes

before the mind wanders and the back

begins to ache. Time for some therapy

of a different kind.

5:30pm

loverS of Japanese art can take

home some of the ukiyo-e woodblock

prints on display at one of the most

famous galleries in the traditional print-

ing quarter of Jimbocho. Pictures of the

“floating world” are a uniquely Japanese

art form that depict the traditions and

lives of people – geisha, samurai and

kabuki actors – from a bygone era. Mita

Arts Gallery has dealt in ukiyo-e since the

early 1960s and its stock ranges from very

affordable to museum-quality pieces.

7pm

one of the most famous prints by

ukiyo-e artist utagawa Hiroshige

depicted Tokyo’s famous yakatabune

– which literally means “roof-shaped

party boat” – beneath a summer fire-

works display on the Sumida River more

than 200 years ago. Tokyo residents still

have the urge to escape the city and

the party boats continue to ply the

rivers and city canals, as well as pass-

ing beneath modern landmarks, such

as Tokyo’s Rainbow Bridge. yakatabune

Harumiya has been in the party-boat

business for 60 years and operates five

vessels that depart from different piers

around the city. A two-hour cruise

from the Asashio Pier incorporates an

eight-course meal of seasonal dishes

including the traditional yakatabune

fare of seafood and vegetable tempura

deep-fried in sesame seed oil. Eat as the

lights of Tokyo float by and geisha in full

regalia perform musical numbers and

act out short dramas.

10pm

on the Southern fringes of Ginza,

where it meets the more proletarian

Shimbashi district, is a street dedicated

solely to bars and restaurants. Down a

short flight of steps at the Shimbashi

Woodblock prints depict a bygone era

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end of the street is the Ginza Saka Bar,

a small and dimly lit place that really

knows its sake and shochu. The décor

features dark panelling and the deep

red-brown counter is hewn from a

500-year-old tree. The drinks are served

in cut-glass tumblers and flutes and the

staff are immaculately turned out.

For anyone who is unsure of Japa-

nese spirits, put yourself in the hands

of the barman. The dry Kaishun is

from Shimane Prefecture and comes

in a glass containing a generous cube

of ice. Awamori, from the southern

islands of Okinawa, is always a good

bet, along with some of the simple

black-sugar or potato-based shochus.

A personal favourite is the sake made

from the yuzu citrus fruit from Saitama

Prefecture, served cloudy with the pith

settling in the glass. It’s tangy, with a

taste that lingers. But don’t have too

many as tomorrow starts very early.

5am

While the rest of the city still slum-

bers, take a taxi (because the subway is

not running yet) to the largest whole-

sale fish market in the world. Tsukiji’s

popularity with visitors to Tokyo has

forced the operators to limit numbers,

but it’s still a remarkable place to

witness in action. Phot

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Try sake or shochu flavoured with black sugar or yuzu citrus

Grand Hyatt Tokyo in Roppongi Hills

terms and conditionsblackout dates from 23 to 25 and 31 December 2010, and 1 January 2011 apply.

Enjoy exciting benefits at Mandarin Oriental, TokyoBook and stay at Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo in a Deluxe Room at the Best Available Rate between 16 November 2010 and 15 February 2011, and you’ll enjoy a range of exciting benefits, including:

Complimentary upgrade to the next room category • at time of reservation

Choice of early check-in from 11am, or late check-out at 4pm•Complimentary Internet access•Welcome amenity (refreshment served upon arrival)•Double Asia Miles•

For reservations, please contact Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo Reservations and quote your Marco Polo Club membership number.

Telephone: +81 3 3270 8950 Fax: +81 3 3270 8886 E-mail: motyo-reservations@mohg.com

p a R T n E R O f f E R

33 the club

6:30am

after Watching all that fish being

hauled around, there is no better way

to prepare for the day ahead than with a

sushi breakfast. Sushi Daiwa, within the

Tsukiji complex, is a local favourite. Por-

tions here seem more generous than

other sushi restaurants in the city and

the two white-clad chefs behind the

counter hand over a steady stream of

tuna, salmon, crab and other delicacies

to locals and tourists alike.

7:30am

With the SubWay now running, use

the time it takes to return to the hotel to

digest breakfast. But in the suite, don’t

get comfy yet. Slip those running shoes

into a backpack and hit the streets. Peo-

ple have been using the five-kilometre

path that circumnavigates the Imperial

Palace as a jogging track for years. In

spring, much of the pathway passes

beneath cherry trees in full bloom; in

autumn, the grounds of the palace take

on the colours of the season. Authori-

ties recently constructed changing and

showering facilities along the route, so

freshen up after your jog before you

go shopping.

9:30am

JuSt a couple of blocks east of the

palace moat, past the imposing new

In good hands at Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo Ph

otos

. Im

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ace:

Fra

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Cranes lift tuna carcasses caught in

the waters off Mexico or the south-

ern Pacific from the vessels’ holds.

Elsewhere on the dock, stevedores

unload crates of hamachi (yellowtail)

hirame (flounder) or kampachi (greater

amberjack) that seem to smoke as the

ice hits the warmer air. Smaller vessels

that have plied waters much closer to

Japan return with an array of shellfish,

sea urchins, squid and dozens of varie-

ties of seaweed.

Tsukiji – the Metropolitan Wholesale

Central Market – covers 23 hectares on

the bay, handling 700,000 tonnes of sea

products, vegetables and fruit a year,

worth about JPy600 billion (HKD56 billion).

More than 90 percent of the fish served

in Tokyo restaurants and nearby Kanto

region passes through this market.

34 the club

24 h o u r S

11:30am

after Such an early breakfast, an

early lunch will be required.

In business for 97 years, Genyadana

Hamadaya is a chic ryotei restaurant

in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi-Ningyocho

district named after a geisha house. It

was awarded two Michelin stars in the

latest edition of the food-lovers’ bible.

Designed to reflect the grace of the

267 years of the Edo era, until 1867, the

restaurant’s dishes aim to please all the

senses. Attention to detail, from the set-

ting to presentation, lacquerware bowls

and the food is exquisite.

Steamed Spanish mackerel is served

in season, wrapped in soba and sea-

weed, while the duck dumpling with

grated daikon radish, sesame tofu

and yuzu served in a clear broth is a

must. Another favourite is angler fish

liver with ponzu sauce or the yellowtail

teriyaki and vinegared lotus root.

edifice of The Peninsula Tokyo, is Ginza.

These streets boast flagship stores of

major international luxury brands. But

try to buy something uniquely Japa-

nese. Traditional stores and art galleries

line many of Ginza’s backstreets, with

window displays of kimono, traditional

washi paper, toys, lacquerware items or

works of calligraphy art in black ink.

Tenshodo has been associated with

Ginza for 130 years and the statue of a

naked angel pulling back a miniature

bow is a local landmark. The store has

an array of beautiful timepieces on

display – incorporating the newest

technology with time-honoured design

values – with the watches constructed

by the company’s mastercraftsmen.

Ginza Tanagokoro sells charcoal

products called binchotan, a crystalline

material made by baking oak branches

at up to 800 degrees Celsius for as long

as five days. Charcoal is used to absorb

odours in the air to help purify a room.

Jog around the Imperial palace

The world’s major luxury

brands grace the streets of Ginza

terms and conditions1. the room rate is subject to a 10% service charge, 5% government tax and accommodation tax.2. blackout dates apply from 31 December 2010 to 2 January 2011.

Enjoy a complimentary room upgrade and more at Shangri-La Hotel TokyoFrom 16 November 2010 to 15 February 2011, members of The Marco Polo Club who stay at Shangri-la Hotel Tokyo at the Best Available Rate for two consecutive nights will enjoy a range of benefits, including:

Complimentary upgrade to the next room • category at time of booking for Deluxe, Deluxe Bay View, Premier Room

late check-out until 3pm•Complimentary afternoon tea for 2 at •

The lobby lounge

To enjoy this offer, quote your Marco Polo Club membership number and promotion code “MPO” when making your reservation, and present your membership card upon check-in.

Telephone: +813 6739 7878 (Hotel Reservations)+852 2331 6688 (Worldwide Reservation Center)Fax: +813 6739 7879Email: reservation.slty@shangri-la.com

p a R T n E R O f f E R

35 the club

STaYGrand Hyatt Tokyo +81 3 4333 1234 www.tokyo.grand.hyatt.comThe peninsula Tokyo+81 3 6270 2888 www.peninsula.com/Tokyo/en/default.aspx

EaT & DRInKGenyadana Hamadaya +81 3 3661 5940 www.hamadaya.info/pc/english/index.htmlGinza Saka Bar+81 3 6228 5108www.gnavi.co.jp/enKaikaya+81 3 3770 0878 www.kaikaya.comMaruyama nori www.maruyamanori.com (no English)Sushi Daiwa tsukiji Market, part 6 building, 5-2-1 tsukiji, chuo-ku +81 3 3547 6807 Sushi Kaiseki nogawa+81 3 6228 4407www.sushinogawa.jp/enYakatabune Harumiya +81 3 3644 1344 www.harumiya.co.jp/e

SHOpGinza Tanagokoro +81 3 3538 6555

www.tanagokoro.com/english/index.htmlIto-ya +81 3 3561 8311 (ginza)www.ito-ya.co.jp (no English)Iwai Tsuzura +81 3 3668 6464www.tokyochuo.net/issue/traditional/2004/06/english.htmlMita arts Gallery+81 3 3294 4554www.mita-arts.com/default.php?language=enTenshodo Watches +81 3 3562 0023 (ginza)www.ginza-tenshodo.com

SpaMandarin Oriental Tokyo Spa+81 3 3270 8300 www.mandarinoriental.com/tokyo/spaOedo Onsen Monogatari+31 3 5500 1126www.ooedoonsen.jp/higaeri/english

VISITHakonewww.hakone.or.jp/englishImperial palacehttp://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/english/guide/koukyo.htmlKappabashiwww.kappabashi.or.jp/enMeiji Jinguwww.meijijingu.or.jp/english

Senso-ji Templewww.senso-ji.jp/about/index_e.htmlSeishoji (Meditation lessons)+81 3 3431 3733www5.ocn.ne.jp/~seishoji/zazennframe.htmlTokyo Towerwww.tokyotower.co.jp/englishTsukiji Marketwww.tsukiji-market.or.jp

TRaVELMori Building City air Services+81 3 3568 2474 www.mcas.co.jp

InfORMaTIOnWeekender Japanwww.weekenderjapan.com

1pm

there iS JuSt time to make one

more shopping stop for lacquerware

at the nearby Iwai Tsuzura store. Baskets

wrapped in layers of rice paper, coated

with a base of persimmon and tannin

and with a further covering of cashew

lacquer used to be in great demand for

storing kimono. Few of the artisans of

these works of functioning art remain

today – just two in Tokyo.

2pm

if you’re feeling tired, rejuvenate

both mind and body. The Spa at the

Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo has windows

that look out over the city from the 37th

floor. Drift away as the therapists get to

work on those aching muscles.

fresh octopus at Tsukiji Market

Japanese stationery makes a great souvenir

Phot

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24 h o u r S

Sumiyo HosokawaCathay Pacific Marketing Communications Manager Japan

Take in the expanse of the city from Tokyo Tower

Seafood of all sorts is served widely in

Japan and the famous Tsukiji Market is

one of my favourite places. But you can

eat high-quality seafood in many places

in Tokyo.

Sushi Nogawa, in Ginza, serves fine

Japanese kaiseki cuisine with fresh sushi

from Tsukiji. Kaikaya restaurant in Shibuya

serves fresh seafood sourced by the

owner and chef, Tange, prepared in a

fusion of Eastern and Western cuisines.

I usually buy dried seaweed at Maru-

yama Nori. Its nori is used at famous

sushi restaurants and the shop also has

very nice Japanese tea and tea sweets

as well as tea tastings.

Bathing in an onsen in natural hot

spring water is a quintessential Japanese

experience. Oedo Onsen Monogatari

is located in the popular Tokyo water-

front area of Odaiba. When you check in

you will receive a yukata, a light cotton

kimono, to wear and choose an onsen

from those on offer. An Edo-period

street has been created to add to the

atmosphere and you can spend a full

day here and even book into a hotel.

Hakone is a popular spot for overnight

stays in the many onsen ryokans. Many

of them allow visitors to use the onsen

at a reasonable price without staying in

the ryokan. Apart from lake Ashi and

views of Mount Fuji, visitors can see

gardens and the volcanic landscape of

Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.

Keen cooks should head to Kappa-

bashi, near Asakusa, where the restau-

rant equipment shops sell pots, utensils,

china, fake food samples, napkins and

related items at reasonable prices.

Also in Asakusa is Senso-ji, the old-

est temple in Tokyo, visited by some

30 million people a year. large red lan-

terns mark the Kaminarimon Gate, the

entrance to Nakamise Street which leads

to the temple. Along this street you can

find souvenirs, sweets and freshly made

delicious rice crackers.

Japanese stationery stores are a rev-

elation and Ito-ya is the shop of shops

with nine floors of paper, cards (fold-out

and pop-up ones in particular), brushes

and painting equipment.

Shibuya and Harajuku are dense

areas teeming with young people and

packed with shops, lights and video

screens. In stark contrast nearby is Meiji

Jingu, the enormous forest and Shinto

shrine created some 90 years ago. This

refuge from the urban crush has natural

forest, beautiful gardens and elegant

traditional shrine buildings.

To get an idea of the expanse of

Tokyo, visit the 333-metre-high Tokyo

Tower, one of the great landmarks that

is visible day and night.

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37 the club

Successphotos nama s bhojani

Bengaluru’s beautiful heritage buildings have escaped the wrecking ball thanks to some passionate preservationists

storeysby shoba nar ayan

Rishad minocher calls himself a hospitality

consultant, but he is really an epicurean

who enjoys single malts, fine wine, good

food and heritage buildings. he happens

to live in one: a 175-year-old gem situated

in the centre of bengaluru on Cunningham

road. Called hatworks boulevard, the half-hectare property

has been converted into a series of high-end boutiques and

retail outlets. minocher and his wife, anna, live at the back

with their two daughters.

“my grandfather rented it from the original owner, a british

man, and then bought it after World War ii,” says minocher.

“after my parents passed, we five siblings were left with a

choice: should we give it to real-estate developers who would

tear it down and construct a high-rise in its place or figure

out another way? We chose the other way.”

minocher and his wife travelled all over asia and saw Chi-

nese shop-houses being used as retail outlets in singapore,

malaysia and thailand. they decided to do the same with

their home with an iron-clad contract for all prospective ten-

ants. no major structural changes were allowed and several

architectural features could not be touched: the heritage

flooring, mud-brick walls, lime plaster, curlicues above the

entrance arch reflecting the family’s parsi heritage, and the

burma-teak false ceiling all had to be handled with care by

the tenants. Even fixtures such as air-conditioning units had

to be inserted tastefully and not “be stuck here and there so

that they are an eyesore”, says minocher.

several years into the exercise, minocher says that the family

are happy with their decision. “We have the home to enjoy

and leave for future generations. it is a great way to keep these

old structures going. Even financially, the rents we are getting

[are] commensurate with the rentals in the area,” he says.

heritage preservation in bengaluru, formerly known as

Reflected glory: The National

Gallery of Modern Art in Bengaluru

39 the club

tr av e l

bangalore, has finally come to the fore thanks to an unusual

confluence of visionary architects, civic activists and a young

workforce that has become wealthy due to the software boom.

this resolutely modern city, known more for its call centres

and it companies, has large tracts of army land and several

buildings from the colonial era. Winston Churchill served as a

young army officer in bengaluru in 1896, and had outstanding

dues at the beautifully preserved bangalore Club, founded in

1868 by a cadre of british officers. When prince Charles visited

bengaluru a few years ago and saw an entry in the displayed

ledger book of the club from june 1899, in which “Lt. WLs

Churchill” was one of the 17 defaulters, he offered to settle

the dues on Churchill’s behalf but the club refused.

in the 1980s, this city of five million people started to expand

and thrive thanks to a nascent software industry. homeowners

who lived in old bungalows with their characteristic monkey-

top windows and slanting tiled roofs were forced to make a

choice. as the land they lived on became more expensive,

many sold to real-estate developers who tore down old bun-

galows and built high-rise buildings in their place.

a few homeowners, however, chose what architects call

“adaptive reuse” and transformed their homes into offices,

shops and, in one case, the national Gallery of modern art

(nGma). the nGma building used to be the home of raja

manickavelu mudaliar. the mudaliars are an indian “forward-

caste” community with extensive land holdings in bengaluru.

they came from neighbouring tamilnadu during the colonial

era to service the british army cantonments with leather and

Hatworks Boulevard was transformed from a bungalow to an up-market shopping precinct

40 the club

tr av e l

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p A R T N e R o f f e R

oil goods – they could touch leather while their brahmin coun-

terparts couldn’t – and never left. two of the nicest homes

on mahatma Gandhi road (mG road) in bengaluru are still

owned by people in the mudaliar community. arun pai talks

about them as he takes tourists and locals on the Victorian

bangalore Walk that he conducts every weekend (bangalore

Walks, www.bangalorewalks.com).

the Velu family remains prominent and one of their homes

is now a luxury boutique called raintree. their main home

is now the national Gallery of modern art. the patriarch,

raja manickavelu, used to live in this sprawling mansion on

palace road. minocher remembers stories from his mother

who used to visit the mansion for dinner parties served with

the family’s exquisite gold dinner-set. in the 1960s, the state

Anokhi in RainTree

sells quality traditional

Indian crafts

The Burma-teak ceilings in Hatworks Boulevard were preserved (above)

41 the club

government acquired the mansion and, in 2000, decided to

house indian art there. architectural firms were invited to

bid for the complex project involving landscaped gardens, a

crumbling colonial mansion and painstaking restoration. the

architect who won the project was narasimhan naresh.

naresh shepherded the controversial and complicated

project through to completion in 2009 when the gallery

was finally open to the public. since that landmark project,

naresh has developed his passion for restoration and become

a spokesperson for the city’s architectural heritage. his father,

also an architect, was involved in bengaluru’s first heritage

preservation project. the city wanted to tear down the fire-

engine red attara Kacheri landmark building. naresh says

his father and his colleagues did something rather smart.

they invited the prominent English conservation architect

sir bernard Feilden, who had advised on the restoring of british

cathedrals, the taj mahal and the Great Wall of China, to come

in and speak to the city officials. “Feilden persuaded them to

let the building stay, thankfully,” naresh says. “it was a great

victory for the conservation lobby in those days.” today, the

attara Kacheri building houses the Karnataka high Court.

but such public heritage buildings are rare in bengaluru.

“maybe we have too much of history in india and therefore

very little respect for it,” says naresh. “historical buildings are

seen as old-fashioned and out of date. there is no appreciation

of the physicality of buildings; no understanding that unless

these buildings are preserved the history of the city and the

continuation of its fabric is lost. india’s old buildings are seen

as archeology, not history; and there is a difference.”

recently, there has been some cause for hope. a team of

Central Library of Karnataka State in Cubbon park (left)

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42 the club

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locals has been working together with bengaluru’s govern-

ment on what has come to be known as abiDe (agenda for

bengalore infrastructure and Development task Force). they

have been pushing for better conservation and restoration of

the city’s heritage. ashwin mahesh, a professor at the indian

institute of management (iim) and a member of abiDe, says

the state government has announced the establishment of

a “heritage cell” within the municipal corporation that would

look into three areas: built heritage, natural heritage and cul-

tural heritage. such a move would be lauded by naturalists

and ornithologists such as m.b. Krishna.

Krishna, who also was involved in bengaluru’s urban lakes

conservation plan, says that one-third of the tree cover that

earned bengaluru its title of “Garden City” has disappeared

in the past three years, mostly to make way for development.

RainTree houses luxury boutiques

a city-wide train system called the bangalore metro rail is

being built and naturalists are angry about the number of trees

that have been cut to accommodate trains and stations. “the

largest landowner in bengaluru is the government and, thanks

to poor governmental policy, we are losing a large number of

old trees to road widening and other work,” says Krishna.

bengaluru is one of india’s few cities that has large lakes

such as Ulsoor and hesaraghatta, popular spots for wind-

surfers. if implemented, the government’s heritage cell will

look to preserve not just old buildings but also bengaluru’s

lakes, its traditional and scenic neighbourhoods such as

malleshwaram and basavangudi, and its parks. Lalbagh

and Cubbon park are bengaluru’s two large green spaces.

Designed by German horticulturist Gustav Krumbiegel under

the auspices of the mysore maharajah, both parks have a

profusion of flowering trees such as the bright yellow tabebuia,

millingtonia, jacaranda, laburnum and flaming red gulmohar.

these serially flowering trees scent bengaluru’s boulevards.

Krishna believes multinationals should get involved in

preserving bengaluru’s green heritage. he believes that

companies such as ibm, bausch and Carrefour “could use

native trees which would not only grow quickly and flour-

ish in bengaluru’s climate but also reduce their landscaping

costs as well. Carrying the argument further, they could try to

incorporate architectural elements such as cross ventilation

and lattice work that are more suited to a tropical climate

instead of building glass-and-steel towers that use more

energy and electricity.”

the good news for bengaluru is that a dedicated band

of naturalists, architects, and civic planners are making a

concerted effort to not only influence the government but

also gain public support.

“the real challenge is to educate people that old buildings

are not bad buildings and they just need some tLC [tender

loving care],” says naresh. “We need to come up with a way

to make them relevant to modern use.”

The flame-red gulmohar tree (Delonix regia), also known as the poinciana or flamboyant tree

43 the club

Natural wonder

ph otos By dav i d G . m ci n t y r e

Using the natural flow and elevation drop of a river, the cleanly generated power

from a “run-of-river” hydropower station in Guangdong creates carbon credits to help

offset emissions from air travel

Green living: Crop yields have

increased for farmers such as Liao Mei Lan

Hong Kong, population seven

million, has vital links with the

town of Lankou, population

about 10,000, in Guangdong

Province. It’s a four-hour drive

to Lankou and the Meihe

Expressway snakes alongside

the Dongjiang River, an east-

ern tributary of the Pearl River

and the source of an estimated

70 percent of Hong Kong’s water supply.

Weave through the narrow streets of the town, cross a

narrow bridge above plots of carrots, daikon, spring onions,

green vegetables and rice, and follow the raised concrete

road that leads to a project across the Dongjiang.

This project, a hydropower station and its related infrastruc-

ture, has transformed the lives of many local residents but the

effect of the cleanly generated energy and its associated carbon

offsets ripple much further. It is an important contributor to

Cathay Pacific and Dragonair’s FLY greener programme, in which

passengers help offset their flight’s emissions by using cash or

Asia Miles to contribute towards green projects, such as this.

Janice Lao, Cathay Pacific Environmental Manager, explains

that by choosing to FLY greener, CO₂ generated from flights is

reduced elsewhere, such as the Lankou hydropower station.

This is the first Guangdong-based project to provide carbon

offsets for the FLY greener programme and is an important

way of reducing our carbon footprint.

FLY greener has eight renewable energy projects in Mainland

China that are either under the Clean Development Mechanism

(CDM) or the Voluntary Carbon Standard scheme (VCS), which

are used to certify carbon credits.

The 26MW Lankou hydropower project provides average

emissions reductions of 69,757 tonnes of CO₂ a year – the

amount of CO₂ that would be produced if the power sta-

tion had been coal-fired. Janice says that Cathay Pacific and

Dragonair had been looking for a project in Guangdong that

would contribute to better air quality in Hong Kong and the

Lankou project had the added benefit of being a water source

for the territory. She says CDM projects must be in develop-

ing countries and qualify as “additional” – they could only be

established with support from carbon funds.

The owner of the development company, Miao Shou Liang,

came from the Lankou area, which has a population of about

60,000 and was plagued by an irregular power supply. In

2005-6, when the project was underway, the developer

faced funding difficulties and went to the Chinese govern-

ment for assistance. The government recommended that

the developer work with KOE Environment Consultancy Inc,

which helped prepare the documentation to comply with

the CDM requirements.

The project cost RMB430 million (about HKD500 million)

and an estimated RMB6 million in carbon credits comes back

The Lankou hydropower project provides carbon offsets for Cathay Pacific and Dragonair’s FLY greener programme

45 the club

i nsi d e c x

“carbon offset income made the project viable”

to the project owner each year in addition to the sale of some

80,000 MWh per year to the China Southern Power Grid.

“Carbon offset income made the project viable,” says Janice.

“Cathay Pacific and Dragonair voluntary offsets contribute to

the continuation of the project, along with sales of electricity

to the China Southern Power Grid.”

The Environmental Impact Assess-

ment was approved at the end of

2005 and construction work started

in January 2006. The first generator

supplied electricity in August 2007

and by May 2008, all three turbines

were generating power. A consultation

process involved stakeholders within

five kilometres of the project who were

invited to meetings to voice objections

and concerns. In May 2007, 47 people

completed a survey that focused on

the impact on the local economy and

environment. The results showed 92

percent supported the project and the

rest were neutral.

These projects must demonstrate

community benefits and, apart from pro-

viding a reliable regional electricity supply,

advantages include employment, training

and education, and cleaner air from the

displacement of renewable energy over

coal for powering the local grid.

Some 1,800 jobs were created during construction and

the finished project provides 50 full-time positions. Just

off the giant turbine hall four workers sit before a bank of

computer screens and closed-circuit TV monitors and every

hour they log the power that has been generated. On the

wall behind them they plot a graph that shows the power

output, the variations caused by the different volumes of

water that drive the turbines.

Zeng Su Mei is one of the data recorders and along with her

colleagues rotates eight-hour shifts around the clock. Zeng was

trained for three months and sat exams before she qualified

for the position. Xie Bai Fu had fixed cars before he underwent

three months training and exams to become a hydro-plant

mechanic. He explains that the higher water level and the

more reliable electricity supply increased job opportunities,

and younger people were staying in Lankou with their families

rather than seeking work elsewhere. Fan Fo Heng only had

random work before he started helping on the construction

site. He is now head of security and his wife works as a chef.

The run-of-river construction relies on the natural flow

of the waterway to generate power. The water level of the

Dongjiang is raised about four metres and the construction

s e e h o w Y o u C a n M a k e a D i F F e r e n C e

You can calculate your own carbon emissions by clicking on the FlY greener icon on the cathay Pacific and Dragonair home pages atwww.cathaypacific.com and www.dragonair.com. For indi-vidual passengers, offsets are determined according to actual mileage flown. For businesses par-ticipating in the corporate Offset Programme, they are calculated based on three flight categories:

short-haul (1-3 hours) • medium-haul (3-6 hours)• long-haul (6+ hours)•

and then by travel class economy• business• First•

46 the club

i nsi d e c x

The project gives farmer Xie Jian heng (left) better access to water

has 14 sections with gates that can be lowered and raised

depending on the flow of the river. One of the advantages of

run-of-river projects is that large areas are not inundated by the

water storage and this minimises the impact on surrounding

communities and ecology. The downriver area benefits as the

project can release water during dry seasons. Flood mitigation is

another result with the flood incidence reduced from one every

one to two years to every five years.

One of the major project costs was the construction of a six-kilo-

metre long, six-metre wide, raised concrete road from Lankou to the

project site. However it has also been one of the most valued assets

as it provides an all-weather route for farmers and workers.

Farming has not changed greatly – the main crop is two

harvests of rice a year and vegetables – but those harvests

are more certain and not as subject to flooding.

Farmer Xie Jian Heng says his rice yield before and after

were similar but previously the water level had been low and

it was difficult to get water. The level is now higher and the

new road has made it easier to get in and out of his property.

Other farmers say that because the water level is higher, the

soil is more fertile and produce has increased.

Fish farmer Liu Guo Hong raises four types of fish that he feeds

with yu cao, or “fish grass” that he cuts from the riverbanks. As

the water level is higher he can deliver the fresh fish by boat to

Heyuan. He buys fingerlings for his farm but the project owner

has spent RMB50,000 annually on restocking the river with fish.

Dai Zi Chang is a fisherman who sets his nets each morning

and night. He used to catch fish that were only 1.5 kilograms but

now regularly catches ones up to 2.5 kilograms.

As a result of the reliable power supply, a RMB2 billion

glass factory is planned to be built in 2011. Trading along the

Dongjiang has increased because bigger boats can use the

river. Consistent water supply enhances the local living stand-

ards, factories are developed and roads built. Consequently,

the government gets more tax income and can make more

contributions to the region.

The trickle-down effects of the project touch the lives of

people from Lankou to Hong Kong but are spread even wider

by the FLY greener programme.

w i n D s o F C h a n G e

Another carbon offset programme, developed by carbon Resource Management, is the Mulan wind farm, located 170km north-east of harbin in heilongjiang, the most northern province of Mainland china. the area has one of the coldest climates in Asia with howling Siberian gales common in winter and temperatures reaching -30 degrees celsius.

the 20 wind turbines, each 50 metres tall, stand on top of the only hills in Mulan county to harness the strong regional wind speeds. the wind farm generates approximately 25 GWh of electricity each year using wind power as a renewable energy source. the average annual emission reduction achieved from 2005 to 2009 was 25,000 tonnes of cO₂.

the flat, harsh landscape is dotted with poor rural villages where locals farm corn to make a living. Mr Fang, the manager of Mulan, says the wind farm had benefited many people in the local area.

About 20 new jobs have been created by the project, mostly filled by local workers. Operations and maintenance are carried out by locals who were trained by the wind-turbine manufacturer and grid connection companies.

staff monitor data at the hydropower station 24 hours a day(far left)

47 the club

Cathay Pacific launches new Haneda servicesCathay Pacific began operating

flights to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport

on 31 October, 2010. The twice-

daily service will make Tokyo

an even more popular destin-

ation and provide members

with greater flexibility for travel

between Hong Kong and Japan.

Thrills and action from Cathay Pacific’s racetrack hospitality boxesEnjoy an incredible view of the racetrack from Cathay Pacific’s

hospitality boxes, The Wing, at Happy Valley and Sha Tin

racecourses – where you’ll be right on top of the action! Reserve

your seats now to enjoy a sumptuous international buffet and

watch the exhilarating races.

Complimentary parking is available at both racecourses, subject

to availability upon booking. For reservations or to find out more,

log in to your Marco Polo Club account at www.cathaypacific.com

or contact The Wing Reservation Hotline on +852 2837 5000.

Best Frequent Flyer award – againAsia Miles has been named Best Frequent Flyer Programme

at the Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Travel Awards for the

sixth consecutive year. The award recognises the effort to

provide the best products and services to its 3.7 million

members worldwide.

The Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Travel Awards are one

of the industry’s most prestigious regional events, and

recognise travel and hospitality providers who have made

frequent travellers’ journeys seamless and productive.

The Web Marketing Association recently honoured

Asia Miles iShop with an award for Oustanding Achievement

in Web Development in the category of Shopping Standard

of Excellence.

Cathay Pacific Director Sales and Marketing Rupert Hogg accepts

the Asia Miles award

Departure lobby of the new Haneda terminal

The Wing hospitality box at Sha Tin racecourse

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48 the club

C X N E WS

Bags of style Cathay Pacific is pleased to present a new line of travel kits for First Class

passengers in collaboration with some of the world’s most prestigious

brands, including Ermenegildo Zegna. The renowned Italian men’s

fashion brand designed the understated yet stylish men’s amenity bag

exclusively for Cathay Pacific. The kits are packed with skincare products

specially selected from another leading Italian brand, Acca Kappa,

keeping skin refreshed and revitalised during and after the flight.

For the ladies, the kits feature the latest amenity bags exclusively

designed and handmade by the finest artisans in Asia

from Ipa-Nima, a world-class fashion brand estab-

lished in Hanoi in 1997. These perfectly

proportioned, elegant pouches are

filled with products made from the

highest quality plant-based

ingredient as well as non-

botanical elements from

Australian brand Aēsop.

Flights increase to top destinationsCathay Pacific increases its flights this winter,

responding to strong demand. From 31 October,

Toronto is served with 12 flights per week and a

daily flight is added to Osaka. Four flights a day

fly to Sydney from 15 November, and three more

flights are added to Perth from 16 November. An

additional flight creates a daily service to Cairns

and Brisbane will have a total of 11 flights from

21 November. From 27 November, two more

flights will be added to Auckland, making a total

of 12 flights per week. Paris will be served with 11

flights per week from 11 December.

Dragonair resumed a direct daily service to

Fukuoka in Japan on 31 October. A daily service

to Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai

resumed on 15 September. For details, please visit

www.cathaypacific.com or www.dragonair.com

Cathay Pacific now flies 12 times a week to Toronto

49 the club

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Club partners : For exclusive Club partner offers, please visit the member’s area of www.cathaypacific.com

For all partner offers, prices quoted are subject to change without prior notice. Peak season surcharges apply. Advance reservation is required. Rooms and offers are subject to availability.blackout dates apply. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional offer or membership benefit.