iNTOUCH November 2014

iNTOUCH ManagementAnthony L CalaGeneral Manager Wayne Hunter, DirectorGMO & Membership Business OperationsBrian Marcus, Asst GM Business Operations Scott Yahiro, DirectorRecreation Nori Yamazaki, DirectorFood & Beverage Jonathan Allen, DirectorMember Services & Guest Studios

To advertise in iNTOUCH, contact Rie Hibino: [email protected] 03-4588-0976

For membership information, contact Mari Hori:[email protected] 03-4588-0687

Tokyo American Club2-1-2 Azabudai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-8649

www.tokyoamericanclub.org

contents 2 Contacts

4 Events

6 Board of Governors

7 Management

8 Food & Beverage

10 Library

14 Video Library

16 Recreation

18 Women’s Group

20 Feature

26 Talking Heads

28 Frederick Harris Gallery

30 Cultural Insight

32 Member Services

34 Inside Japan

36 Out & About

38 Event Roundup

44 Back Words

Editor Nick Jones [email protected]

DesignersEnrique BalducciAnna Ishizuka

Production AssistantYuko Shiroki

Assistant Editor Nick Narigon

Business SupportLian Chang, Asst GM Business Support Darryl Dudley, DirectorEngineering Shuji Hirakawa, DirectorHuman Resources Naoto Okutsu, DirectorFinance Toby Lauer, DirectorInformation Technology

Shane Busato, DirectorCommunications

FEATURE Service and Sacrifice In honor of Veterans Day this

month, Members who served

in different branches of the

United States armed forces,

from World War II France to

the more recent conflicts

of the Middle East, share

experiences from their days

in uniform.

16 RECREATIONThe Call of the WildTroop 51, the Club-

sponsored Boy Scout

program, is a gateway

to adventure for some

youngsters and a reassuring

piece of home for others.

34 INSIDE JAPANBritish InvasionAt 18, Member James Davis

discovered his singing voice

in a Tokyo karaoke lounge.

This month, the Englishman

takes to the stage in Shibuya.

18 WOMEN'S GROUPSanctuary and SupportWhen there is nowhere else to

turn, a local charity, supported

by the Women’s Group,

provides battered wives with

shelter and hope.

20

Cover photo of (l–r) Lance E Lee, Dan L Smith, Mark Henry Saft, Norman Green, Pete Johnson, Joe Peters and Robert B Moss by Kayo Yamawaki

2 November 2014 iNTOUCH

Department/E-mail Phone

American Bar & Grill (03) [email protected]

Banquet Sales and Reservations (03) [email protected]

Beauty Salon (03) 4588-0685

Bowling Center (03) [email protected]

Café Med (03) [email protected]

Catering (03) [email protected]

Childcare Center (03) [email protected]

Communications (03) [email protected]

Decanter/220° (03) [email protected]

Engineering (03) [email protected]

Finance (03) 4588-0222 [email protected]

Fitness Center (03) 4588-0266 [email protected]

Food & Beverage Office (03) 4588-0245 [email protected]

Foreign Traders’ Bar (03) [email protected]

Guest Studios (03) [email protected]

Human Resources (03) 4588-0679

Information Technology (03) 4588-0690

Library (03) [email protected]

Management Office (03) [email protected]

Membership Office (03) [email protected]

Member Services (03) 4588-0670 [email protected]

Pool Office (03) [email protected]

Rainbow Café (03) [email protected]

Recreation Desk (03) [email protected]

The Cellar (03) [email protected]

The Spa (03) [email protected]

Video Library (03) [email protected]

Weddings (03) [email protected]

Women’s Group Office (03) [email protected]

Getting in Touch

Words from the editor 3

The fierce rivalries between the different branches of the armed forces are as old as the services themselves. But when veterans and serving personnel congregate for Veterans Day on November 11, or at the Club’s First Friday event on November 7, the bravado will be quickly replaced by kinship.

While words like valor, sacrifice, courage and glory often fill military eulogies and remembrance services, veterans tend to speak in less high-minded terms. They talk of comradeship, bonds and camaraderie. These sentiments are reinforced during conflict, when men and women depend upon one another for their lives.

In this month’s cover story, “Service and Sacrifice,” a number of Members, who all served in the United States military at some point over the last 70 years, reflect on their time in uniform and explain how those years shaped who they are today.

Details of the First Friday: Veterans Day event on November 7 can be found on page 21.

If you have any comments about anything you read in iNTOUCH, please

e-mail them to [email protected], putting “Letter to the Editor” in the

subject title of the mail.

Contributors

Follow the Club Online

Tokyo-based freelance journalist Tim Hornyak’s writings on Japanese culture, technology and history have appeared in the likes of Wired News,

Scientific American and the Far Eastern Economic Review. The author of Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots, the Montreal native has been a contributor to CBS Interactive’s popular CNET News website and is the Tokyo correspondent for technology newswire IDG News. Having traveled to all 47 of Japan’s prefectures, he has coauthored Lonely Planet guidebooks on Tokyo and Japan. Ahead of this month’s International Bazaar fundraiser, he talks with a woman whose life was turned around by a Women’s Group-supported shelter in Tokyo.

Tim Hornyak

Rob Goss is a freelance writer specializing in Japan-related stories on everything from business and sustainability to society and travel. His work has appeared in publications around the world, including Time, National Geographic, Eurobiz Japan and Lexus magazines and Fodor’s, Rough Guides and Insight Guides guidebooks. He has also written a pair of Japan guides for Tuttle Publishing. Originally from Dartmoor, in southwest England, Goss arrived in Japan in 1999 and currently lives in Tokyo with his wife and young, soccer-obsessed son. A frequent contributor to iNTOUCH, he offers a selection of ideas for fun, adventure-laden day trips from Tokyo in this month’s Out & About.

Rob Goss

Compensation Mark Miller

Culture, Community & Entertainment Daniel Smith (Lance Lee)

SubcommitteesCulture & Community JoAnn YoneyamaEntertainment Matthew KrcelicFrederick Harris Gallery Yumiko Sai

Finance Rodney Nussbaum(Hiroshi Miyamasu)

Food & Beverage Michael Alfant (Jerome Rosenberg)

SubcommitteeWine Stephen Romaine

House Jesse Green (Gregory Lyon) SubcommitteeFacilities Management GroupTomio Fukuda

Human Resources Jon Sparks (Per Knudsen)

Membership Alok Rakyan (Machi Nemoto)

Nominating Steven Greenberg

Recreation Samuel Rogan(Mark Miller)

SubcommitteesBowling Crystal GoodflieshVideo Library Abigail RadmilovichFitness Samuel RoganGolf John Patrick VaughanLibrary Alaine LeeLogan Room Christa RutterSquash Martin FluckSwim Alexander Jampel Youth Activities Betsy Rogers

Club Committeesfrom theeditor

facebook.com/tokyoamericanclub

twitter.com/TACtokyo

youtube.com/user/TokyoAmericanClubTV

instagram.com/tokyoamericanclub


What’s on in November

Wednesday–

Friday

Friday

12–14

21

French NightCafé Med hosts a rich spread of masterful treats from the world’s culinary capital. Bon appétit! 5 p.m.

19th Annual TELL Connoisseurs’ AuctionThe annual Club-supported charity event for TELL, an English-language counseling service, takes place at the French Embassy in Tokyo. 5:30 p.m. ¥20,000. Visit www.tellauction.com.

Thursday Friday13 14Squash Social NightThe Club’s squash players enjoy an evening of casual play and a chance to put their skills to the test against former national champion Hitoshi Ushiogi. 6:15 p.m. Continues on November 25.

The Ultimate Lunch and Learn Workshop SeriesClub Member and president of Dale Carnegie Training Japan Dr Greg Story offers tips on avoiding stress. 12 p.m. Washington Room. ¥1,900. Sign up online or at Member Services.

12Sapporo Snow Festival RegistrationThe Women’s Group hosts another great tour to Hokkaido in January to see the famous snow sculptures.

Wednesday

1First Saturday Wine FriendsGrab a favorite California red and join fellow oenophiles at American Bar & Grill for a fun evening of new wine experiences. 5 p.m. ¥1,500 (plus one bottle). Sign up online or at Member Services.

1Library ThanksgivingWhat are you thankful for this year? Stop by the Library and draw a poster to be displayed in the Children’s Library throughout the month of November.

Saturday 1Angel CampaignHelp those in need this holiday season with a donation to the Women’s Group annual fundraiser. Donation forms can be found in monthly billing statements, online or at Member Services.

Saturday

Thursday27Thanksgiving Grand BuffetCelebrate this American holiday at the New York Ballroom. 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4:30–7 p.m. Adults: ¥5,555; juniors (4–17 years): ¥2,700; infants (3 and under): free. Sign up online or by calling 03-4588-0308.

4Mashiko Pottery Festival TourHead to the famous pottery town of Mashiko in Tochigi Prefecture to shop for ceramic pieces produced in kilns reconstructed after the March 11 earthquake.

TuesdaySaturday

Wednesday26Meet the Author: Mariko NagaiThe Temple University creative writing professor, awarded the Pushcart Prize for her poetry and fiction, discusses her novels and recently published book for middle school readers. 7 p.m. ¥1,500. Sign up online or at the Library.

SundaySaturday–

Sunday 3029–30Club Squash ChampionshipThe Squash Courts become a hub of high-octane action, as Club players battle it out for top honors.

Thanksgiving BuffetCelebrate American Thanksgiving with family, friends and a spread of traditional Turkey Day favorites at Rainbow Café. 11 a.m.

(Prices exclude 8 percent consumption tax.)

6Toddler TimeA fun, 30-minute session of engaging stories and activities awaits preschoolers at the Children’s Library. 11 a.m. Free. Continues every Thursday.

Thursday 7Sanyukai Charity DriveThe Women’s Group launches its annual drive in support of Sanyukai, a Tokyo shelter for homeless men. 9–11:30 a.m. and 2–3:30 p.m. Parking Lot (B1). More information available online.

Friday Friday Friday7 7Mommy and Toddler TimeMeet fellow moms and toddlers while building your own support network at a fun, weekly get-together at the Childcare Center. 2 p.m. Free. Continues every Friday.

First Friday: Veterans DayAhead of Veterans Day on November 11, the Club invites Members to a celebration in the Winter Garden in honor of US servicemen. 6 p.m. Details on page 20.

Wednesday19Around the World with Pinot Noir Wine TastingThis month’s tasting features one of the great stars of viticulture, Pinot Noir. 7 p.m. Learn the details on page 9.

Thursday20Ladies Golf Group LuncheonMembers of the Ladies Golf Group wrap up another successful year on the fairways and greens with a casual lunch. 12 p.m. Washington and Lincoln rooms. Find out more at the Recreation Desk.

Friday21Library Book GroupThe Club’s band of book lovers meets at Café Med to discuss this month’s pick, Catherine the Great:

Portrait of a Woman by Robert K Massie. 11:30 a.m. For details, contact the Library.

Noteworthy dates for the month 5

EVENTS

Saturday8New Member OrientationThe Club’s newest Members learn about the Club while forging new friendships. 10 a.m. Washington and Lincoln rooms. Contact the Membership Office to reserve your spot at least one week in advance. Continues November 26.

Coming up in December

Wednesday5Toastmasters LuncheonStart losing your fear of public speaking and improve your leadership skills at this monthly event. 12 p.m. ¥2,200. Sign up online or at the Library. Continues November 19.

Tuesday25Coffee ConnectionsWhether you’re new to Tokyo or you just want to meet new people, drop by this free Women’s Group gathering. Contact the Women’s Group Office to organize free childcare. 10:30 a.m.

11Veterans DayLearn about the experiences of some of the Club’s own veterans on pages 20 to 25.

Tuesday

Sunday16Hybrid ACT ClassLearn essential test-taking strategies and skills for the college entrance exam during this four-week course. 4 p.m. Continues every Sunday through December 7.

2Gallery Reception: Takako Takeda and Satomi Kuze

3Toastmasters Luncheon

6First Saturday Wine Friends

Saturday–

Monday22–24Philippine BuffetRainbow Café prepares a spread of mouthwatering Philippine staples, including sinampalukan in tamarind sauce, chicken and pork adobo and tender beef kaldereta. 11 a.m.

Saturday15Early Pregnancy and Birth PlanningExpectant moms and dads prepare for the big day during this Women’s Group class. 10 a.m.–12 p.m. ¥6,700. Sign up at Member Services.

19Back Street Tour of TACMembers receive an insider’s tour of the Club facility from former Club President Lance E Lee. 12 p.m. Manhattan I. Members: ¥3,000; non-Members: ¥4,000. Sign up online or at Member Services.

WednesdayTuesday18Annual General Meeting and Recognition of Club LeadershipThe Club holds its Annual General Meeting and recognizes the hard work of its volunteer leaders. 6:30 p.m. Details on page 6.

Wednesday5Squash Team Challenge FinalsThe annual Club tournament of fast-paced action, strategy and drinks comes to a close. 7 p.m. ¥1,500 (includes post-game beer and drinks). Sign up at the Squash Courts.

Wednesday–

Thursday5–6International BazaarThe Women’s Group hosts a two-day shopping extravaganza of handicrafts, artwork and Japanese mementos in support of local charities. Find out about the work of one such charity on page 18.

Thursday6Running for a CauseDuring the International Bazaar, the Women’s Group will raffle off two entries for charity runners to the 2015 Tokyo Marathon. Attend any Women’s Group event to enter your name in the raffle.

Saturday–

Sunday8–9Birth Preparation for CouplesExpectant parents prepare for the arrival of their bundles of joy during this Women’s Group class. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. ¥34,300. Sign up at Member Services.

Monday10Gallery Reception: Keiichiro FurukadoThe Frederick Harris Gallery hosts an exhibition of the works of this talented abstract expressionist drip painter. 6:30 p.m. More on page 28.

Saturday–

Sunday22–23Thanksgiving BowlingBowl a “turkey” (three strikes in a row) in honor of Turkey Day and win a free game at the Bowling Center.

Saturday22Paintball OutingPrepare to do battle in Chiba, as Members head to War Zone for a friendly paintballing session. 8 a.m. Turn to page 36 for the paint-riddled details.

Sunday30Halloween Reading ProgramIt’s the final day of the Library’s Halloween-inspired reading fest. Turn your completed stamp card into the Library to claim your prize.

9Outlet Mall Christmas Shopping Tour

11Holiday Cheer and Champagne

12First Friday: Member Bonenkai

22 Gallery Reception: Shobu Gakuen


November is the month when the Board of Governors presents to the Membership the Club’s

annual operating results and plan for the next fiscal year. The Club follows a fiscal year of October to September, with the Annual General Meeting (AGM) taking place mid-November.

The AGM is where we announce the results of the annual Board election (half of the Board is elected each year). The AGM is also used to obtain Member approval for important changes to the Club’s Articles of Association, the document that sets the Club’s structure and processes.

Any Member can attend the AGM but must first register to be able to vote. The procedure is simple and can be completed at Member Services. Of the Club’s more than

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Registered Voting Members are reminded to vote in this month’s Board of Governors election.

Voting Members will receive voting information soon. Please take the time to review the candidates’ statements and then cast your vote.

Those wishing to pose policy questions to candidates can find the relevant contact details included with the candidates’ statements.

Final date for advance voting: Friday, November 14

O�cial Notice of the Annual General Meeting for all Tokyo American Club Members The Annual General Meeting will be held on:

Tuesday, November 186:30 p.m.Manhattan I and II

By order of the Board of GovernorsJohn Durkin (Representative Governor)Per Knudsen (Secretary)

3,700 Members, around 600 have registered to vote on important matters of the Club.

I encourage all Members to register to vote and have a say in how the Club is governed. The deadline to register to vote for the 2014 AGM on November 18 is November 11.

The Club had another great year in 2014. The total number of Members has returned to the level recorded prior to the 2008 global financial crisis. Member usage of the Club has grown as well, with our venues and events experiencing historically high levels of popularity. The financial results for the year were solid and consistent with the TAC 20/20 10-year turnaround plan, introduced last year.

The Club has met all its financial obligations and has paid down 20 percent of its redevelopment debt since 2011. Over the next two to three years, the Club will have paid down around ¥3.5 billion of debt. Recently, the Club was able to further renegotiate relaxed terms and conditions to the loan agreement with its main bank, SMBC. The result is a further ¥50 million in interest savings while allowing the Club a more flexible repayment schedule.

Over the past year, our Women’s Group and committees have been active and made great contributions to the Club community. I’d like to thank all the Members who volunteer their time to improve the Club and make it a vibrant environment.

I’d also like to express my thanks to three Members who are reaching

their term limits as Club leaders. Per Knudsen and Lance Lee will retire from the Board after four years of service this month. Lance is also a distinguished former president. Jesse Green, meanwhile, will step down as chair of the House Committee, having completed four years in what could be considered one of the Club’s most important volunteer leadership positions. Aloha and many thanks to Per, Lance and Jesse.

With Veterans Day on November 11, be sure to read this month’s cover story, which includes my review of the visit by a delegation of Club leaders to the USS George Washington. Greg Lyon, Brenda Bohn, Mike Alfant and I enjoyed a rare opportunity to fly onto the aircraft carrier at sea. During the trip, we obtained a renewed respect and admiration for our Navy and the men and women who serve.

Have a great holiday season and see you around the Club. o

Board of GovernorsJohn Durkin (2014)—Representative Governor,

Gregory Lyon (2014)—First Vice President, Brenda

Bohn (2014)—Second Vice President, Per Knudsen

(2014)—Secretary, Hiroshi Miyamasu (2015)—

Treasurer, Ginger Griggs (2015), Lance E Lee (2014),

Mark Miller (2015), Machi Nemoto (2014), Betsy

Rogers (2015), Jerome Rosenberg (2014), Mark

Henry Saft (2014), Sadashi Suzuki (2014), Kazuakira

Nakajima—Statutory Auditor (2014)

Onward and Upward

by John Durkin

Executive remarks 7

MANAGEMENT

I remember taking part in a discussion at a Food & Beverage Committee meeting back in 1998 about expanding

the Club’s services and developing the facility as a place that provided everything under one roof. It’s incredible to see how far we have come in 16 years.

As I have settled into my new position as assistant general manager of business operations, I have developed a greater appreciation for the host of services, programs and facilities offered by your Club.

Reina Collins, who is in charge of Recreation’s programs, has expanded the range of youth and adult classes offered to include the likes of fencing, taught by two Fencing World Cup medalists, ballroom dance, Bollywood aerobics, Zumba and the Brazilian martial art of capoeira. And

the indoor cycling classes now benefit from brand-new bikes.

In other areas of recreation, we’ll be looking at introducing bouncy houses to birthday parties, establishing more bowling leagues and expanding our aquatic offerings to generate even more fun at the Sky Pool.

Elsewhere, the new Club Reservations Center is up and running. This new system allows the Club to handle all restaurant bookings, Guest Studio reservations, program sign-ups and other telephone inquiries more efficiently.

automotive services are other services we’re working on. The everything-under-one-roof dream becomes more real every year.

Change hasn’t bypassed dining at the Club, either. Our latest addition is 220° [Modern Teppan], Decanter’s pop-up dining experience. Bringing together Certified Angus Beef from the United States, fresh seafood and local produce selected by our own vegetable sommelier, this teppan-focused restaurant may only be around until the end of December, so book your seat now.

American Bar & Grill has broadened its repertoire and now boasts a fantastic Executive Breakfast Bar on weekdays and a phenomenal brunch selection on weekends, while the new Enomatic wine dispenser offers another great option for unwinding in the Winter Garden. There is truly something for everyone in your Club’s restaurants.

As we approach the end of 2014, it’s a great time to reflect on what we have achieved over the year and focus on our goals for next year. I’m happy to report that your Club continues to provide more great-value services, programs and experiences—all under one roof.

To keep abreast of the latest Club event and activity news, be sure to check the Club website, the weekly e-newsletter, Spotlight, and your monthly iNTOUCH magazine.

If we have come this far over the past 16 years, the mind boggles at what is possible over the next 16. Enjoy your Club. o

OfferingMore

by Brian MarcusAssistant General Manager

The everything-under-one-roof dream becomes more real every year.”

We have a host of exciting projects planned for next year, including expanded B1 retail offerings and online shopping on the new Club website. Pet grooming, airport transportation, dry cleaning and

While Decanter’s FLATiRON was about culinary surprise and spectacle, the restaurant’s latest, limited-

time dining experience, 220° [Modern Teppan], focuses on less complicated, down-to-earth cooking, according to Decanter chef Scott Kihara.

“It’s a blend of great American beef, flavor-packed seafood and local vegetables, cooked on a Japanese cooking platform,” says the American. “Diners enjoy a series of prime, seasonal ingredients, prepared right in front of them.”

Launched last month, 220°, which takes its name from the temperature of the teppan grill on which the food is cooked, features a five-course dinner, optional upgrades and an accompanying

winedinner

220° [Modern Teppan]Wednesday–Saturday6–11 p.m.Reserve at 03-4588-0734

by Nick Jones

Degrees of Divine

flight of wines. The menu comprises cuts of Decanter’s signature Certified Angus Beef from the United States, top-quality seafood and local produce, selected by the Club’s own vegetable sommelier, Natsue Watanabe.

Steve Romaine, chair of the Wine Committee, dined at 220° in early October. “While the former FLATiRON was really an interesting show, this teppanyaki is a relaxing, unfussy experience,” he says. “The bone-in tenderloin, only available in Japan at the Club, was the best piece of meat I’ve ever eaten at TAC.”

Member Nancy Nussbaum was equally impressed by her visit to the intimate, third-floor dining space. “I didn’t think I would be able to eat all

Kayo Yamaw

aki

the food in this five-course meal, but it was perfect. My friend and I upgraded to the wagyu beef, which was seared to perfection before our eyes,” she says. “Of the three flavor-infused salts provided to season our steaks, the red wine was my favorite. Each course was delicious and artfully placed on the dishes in front of us. With only four at our table, it felt as though we had our very own chef for the evening. I also enjoyed the wine pairings.” o


Ever wonder what a stress-free Thanksgiving feels like?Find out this November by letting the Club take care of everything.

To order your Thanksgiving spread, fill out the enclosed order form or contact the Club’s catering team at 03-4588-0307 or [email protected].

Pinot Pleasure

One of the great stars of viticulture, Pinot Noir, takes center stage at this month’s wine tasting.

Originally a cool climate grape, Pinot Noir appears in numerous climates and expressions around the world. This tasting will showcase the malleability of this grape and feature wines from across a variety of regions. Although often presented as a pure varietal wine, Pinot Noir can be blended, and we shall sample examples of both styles.

Circumnavigating the globe in its company, we will stop in seven different countries on four continents. As fits this distinguished variety, our ultimate Pinot Noir destination will be its homeland of Burgundy, from which we shall try a flight of fine offerings.

Pinot Noir can be both a grape grower’s darling and nemesis. A thin-skinned and tempestuous variety, it is susceptible to a number of pests and diseases. Rain at the wrong point in the growing season can cause significant damage to the crop through dilution of the must or damage to the skin. Pinot Noir is generally held to be one of the most demanding grape varieties for vignerons to cultivate successfully.

But the results can be sublime for those able to coax the best from this challenging grape. A hedonist’s dream, Pinot Noir provides delights for all senses. Poems can be written about the color of its wines, and an extraordinary spectrum of seductive aromas—earthy elements, berries, flowers and exotic spices—are present in the finest examples.

Around the World with Pinot Noir Wine Tasting Wednesday, November 197 p.m.Washington and Lincoln rooms¥12,000*Sign up online or at Member Services *Excludes 8 percent consumption tax.

Hosted by myself and Carl Robinson, CEO of the Tokyo-based wine importer Jeroboam, the evening will feature a suite of dishes, designed by the Club’s culinary team, to complement the distinctive flavors and aromas of these wines. o

Tropp is a member of the Wine Committee.

FOOD & BEVERAGE

winetasting

by David Tropp

Club wining and dining 9

Sowing Stories from Japan

American author and longtime Japan resident Holly Thompson explains the challenge and rewards of bringing a story idea to fruition.

I’ve lived and worked in Japan for nearly 20 years, and my fiction writing is often informed by my life of crossing cultural and linguistic boundaries and insider-outsider experiences.

A story starts with a seed, a scrap of an incident, conversation, observation, sensation or setting, but that seed might take years to germinate into a story. The scribbles in my old notebooks and diaries often reveal that an idea I may have only recently begun developing into a story or novel actually derives from a seed “found” years ago. These scribbles are like artifacts uncovered during an archeological dig, and the notebook or diary entry serves to carbon-date my story’s genesis.

My writing is directed not only by cross-cultural experiences but also by what moves me, what pains me, what I need to understand better and what I feel driven to research. Often a story leads me into far more complex and involved research than I’d initially envisioned. This is the curse and joy of being a writer.

When a novel idea—that synthesis of plot, setting and voice—sprouts and takes hold like a kudzu vine, there’s always a moment of groaning when I mentally commit to the momentous tasks ahead: field research in various locations; archival research (often in two languages); interviews; and hours at my desk, talking to the characters and tending the growing plot while continuing to research.

My latest book, Dragon’s Mouth, led to aikido and Kamakura history research. Orchards (2011) led to research on teen suicide and followed 18 months of working as an apprentice to a mikan orange farmer in Shizuoka. Ash (2001) had me conducting historical, geological and entomological research in Kagoshima and Kyoto. The Language Inside (2013) involved interviews

OHANA Come visit the only international preschool in Moto Azabu where the owners are the teachers, with more than 40 years’ combined experience. Flexible, full and half-day programs and many after-school classes. See play-based learning in action. Call 03-3408-8888.

www.schoolintokyo.com

Take advantage of this new iNTOUCH advertising option by contacting Rie Hibino at 03-4588-0976 or [email protected].

Advertise Here


Holly Thompson

LIBRARY

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF THE SACRED HEARTInspiring hearts and minds, nurturing a passion for learning and a zest for life and preparing women for the world, Sacred Heart is a girls’ school for grades one to 12 and a coed kindergarten.

www.issh.ac.jp

ST. ALBAN’S NURSERY PROGRAMJust around the corner from TAC. Small and personal. Our programs offer each child free choice in a safe, structured, loving environment.

www.saintalbans.jp

TAIPEstablished in 2005, TAIP supports more than 45 international preschools and kindergartens in the Tokyo area through professional development, networking and public relations.

www.tokyopreschools.org

with Cambodian-American teens, dance study, breast cancer research and fieldwork in Cambodia. My stories drive my research and the research then feeds and nurtures the stories.

I write fiction. I write poetry. I also blend fiction and poetry in narrative verse, and I write for children, teens and adults. I feel especially at home with verse novels, that form of blended poetry and fiction. With a verse novel, much action happens off the page. What is unsaid is often as important as what is said. The white space on the page is as important as the words on the page. Verse is written with line and stanza breaks that influence pacing, rhythm, emotion, tension and voice. The effect is like adding gestures and facial cues to a story. With verse, readers are subtly guided in breathing, pausing, slowing down, speeding up and anticipating, and the poetry allows for an intense, interior narrative voice.

My books are written for a broad readership, but they seem to resonate in particular with young people and adults who have crossed borders themselves, who have found their worlds turned upside down by migration, whether as refugees, exchange students or expat workers. Such readers may know well the difficulty of building language skills from scratch. They may understand what it’s like to puzzle out an unfamiliar culture while developing a new life and home without reassuring referents. They may know what it is to venture across metaphorical borders on a daily basis, and they know how quickly insider-outsider boundaries can shift. They may know what it is to be psychologically bifurcated: educated in one culture and now living and studying in another, with different values and belief systems.

Growing a story, from seed to published book, can take anywhere from a couple years to a couple decades. Since I teach and travel for conferences and author events, my writing schedule is erratic. I also have a tendency to work on multiple

projects at once, until a deadline looms or one project screams for my attention.

One of my aims is to create more English-language stories that derive organically from Japan. I also endeavor to

bring more Japan stories to English-language readers worldwide, including translated works. Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction—An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories (2012) is a collection of 36 young adult stories, including 10 in translation, that I edited. It continues to raise money for teens in Tohoku, affected by 2011’s earthquake and tsunami. As the regional adviser for the Japan chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, I strive to cultivate more Japan-based writers of young people’s literature.

Story seeds take writers on unpredictable paths of discovery. One seed I’d preserved for many years has now germinated and is growing into a novel, and the research, yet again, is taking me into difficult areas—the

spring of 1945 in Japan. But I embark on my journey with the excitement, trepidation and panic of a traveler setting out on an arduous adventure through unfamiliar terrain. Wish me luck! o

Raised in Massachusetts, Thompson (www.hatbooks.com) writes, teaches creative writing at Yokohama City University and is the regional adviser for the Japan chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

The Language Inside, The Wakame Gatherers and Ash are available at the Library.

Literary gems at the Library 11

off theshelf

Wearable Works of Art

Japanese dress has long been a source of fascination for Japanese and Westerners alike. The colorful woodblock prints of the Edo and Taisho eras depicting fashionable

ladies are testament to an ongoing interest in matters sartorial. The role of prints in documenting fashion trends find their contemporary equivalent in the ubiquitous fashion magazines that continue to ruminate on the aesthetics and philosophies revealed (or concealed) by what we choose to wear.

One of the most instantly recognizable facets of Japanese design is the kimono, its flat, T-shaped form offering the perfect canvas for decoration. Handed down through generations and treasured as heirlooms, these garments are not only aesthetically pleasing, but their patterns and styles can offer surprisingly personal details about the original owner, from marital and social status to education and sophistication.

While the kimono’s basic shape has changed little from its earliest iteration, the images used to decorate kimono provide a fascinating insight into Japanese society over the years. Wearing Propaganda: Textiles on the Home Front in Japan, Britain and the United States, 1931–1945 explores how fashion and textile design was used as a propaganda tool in wartime Japan, Britain and America.

The 2005 book features many examples of kimono with striking and sometimes disquieting militarist imagery, often combined with more traditional symbols of duty, strength and bravery on haori kimono jackets for boys. Beyond their function as just clothing, these garments became almost

by Sarah Takahashi

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talismanic and a material expression of parental hopes for their children.

Fast forward to the early 1980s, when contemporary Japanese fashion made its debut on the Paris catwalks and caught the world’s attention. Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake showed the West a new way of dressing, one that wasn’t interested in revealing either the lines of a woman’s body nor her bank balance.

Eschewing the excesses and luxury characteristic of the time, these designers sent ripped clothes with unfinished hems billowing down the runway, scandalizing and intriguing the fashion press in the process. Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion (2010) discusses how these pioneering designers redefined the way the West thought about design, and examines how contemporary designers continue to reinterpret, reinvent and subvert fashion history.

These books are but two recent additions to the Library’s Japan collection, a wonderful place to start for any Member interested in exploring Japanese culture. o

Takahashi is the Library’s senior librarian.


newreads

LIBRARY

Sumo Mouse by David WisniewskiAs criminal felines take over Tokyo, only Sumo Mouse can save the day. Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Wisniewski presents his action-packed story in comic book form, as the hero protects the city’s citizens from the sinister schemes of the evil Dr Claw.

Ivan Ramen: Love, Obsession, and Recipes from Tokyo’s Most Unlikely Noodle Joint by Ivan OrkinNew Yorker Orkin opened what would become Tokyo’s top ramen restaurant in 2007. Part memoir and part cookbook, this book reveals Orkin’s ascent onto the Tokyo food scene, as well as more than 40 recipes, including his most-sought-after ramen variations.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki MurakamiIn a story of love, friendship and loss, young Tsukuru Tazaki must confront the truth of the broken friendships that have haunted him since college. Tazaki’s quest to amend those relationships forces him to dive into his past to find peace in the present.

Professor Risley and the Imperial Japanese Troupe: How an American Acrobat Introduced Circus to Japan—and Japan to the West by Frederik L SchodtA troupe of Japanese circus performers discovered by “professor” Risley spawned a new interest in Japanese culture during the mid-1800s. Their impact and influence are brought to life through 19th-century photographs, posters and insightful descriptions of their brilliant routines.

The Book of Ninja: The Bansenshukai: Japan’s Premier Ninja Manual by Antony Cummins and Yoshie MinamiIn 1676, a ninja known as Fujibayashi created the ultimate ninjutsu manual after research in an area regarded as the homeland of the ninja. This translation offers both ninja and history enthusiasts an insight into the history, tactics, concealment techniques and mindset of the ninja.

Japan: A Self-Portrait: Photographs 1945–1964 by Osam Hiraki, Alain Sayag and Keiichi TakeuchiUndiscovered during their time, the works of wartime photographers are chronicled in this volume of Japanese documentary photography. The horrors and the aftermath of war are captured in the stark black-and-white photos, while the accompanying descriptions offer a historical and social perspective.

Library & Children’s Library Daily: 9 a.m.–8 p.m. Tel: 03-4588-0678 E-mail: [email protected] compiled by librarian Finn Kanegae.

Craft Treasures of Okinawa

Published in 1978 by the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, Craft Treasures of Okinawa is full of lavish, color illustrations that showcase a range of handcrafts

from Japan’s subtropical isles. Ceramics, musical instruments, lacquerware and textiles are

all represented, and the accompanying essays are informative, without being overly academic. For those Members fortunate enough to have seen the bingata exhibition in the Frederick Harris Gallery in September, this book beautifully brings to life the works that inspired those artists. o

Compiled by senior librarian Sarah Takahashi.

buriedtreasures

Literary gems at the Library 13

VIDEO LIBRARY

flick

W hy, oh why, does it take so long for new movies from abroad to be released in Japan? It can’t just

be a translation issue because most new films open almost simultaneously in the United States and the rest of Asia.

Take the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, for example. It was released in the US on July 21 and in South Korea on July 31. It was No. 1 at the box office over the Labor Day weekend, but it wasn’t released in Japan until September 13, two weeks after the end of the school holidays.

Back in 2005, I was faced with having

pick

Video Library Daily: 9 a.m.–8 p.m. Tel: 03-4588-0686 E-mail: [email protected] Reviews compiled by Nick Narigon.

by Matthew Tappenden

newmovies

SCI-F ISnowpiercerIn 2031, the low-class citizens aboard the Snowpiercer, a high-speed train carrying the survivors of a climate change experiment disaster, battle their way to the front of the train.

COMEDYWish I Was HereStruggling actor, husband and father Aidan Bloom (Zack Braff ) decides to homeschool his children and discovers the life he was looking for was right at home.

FAMILYMaleficentIn this reimagining of the Sleeping Beauty story, a vengeful fairy (Angelina Jolie) curses the infant daughter of her betrayer, only to learn that the girl may be the only chance for a peaceful future.

DRAMAFronteraA former Arizona sheriff ’s (Ed Harris) investigation into the killing of his wife sheds light on the case against the illegal Mexican immigrant accused of her murder.

THRILLERA Most Wanted ManBased on the John le Carré spy novel of the same name, a Chechen Muslim illegally immigrates to Germany and becomes snared in the international war on terror.

ROMANCEThe One I LoveWith their marriage on the verge of collapse, Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss) embark on a weekend retreat, which leads to a bizarre dilemma.

Did you know? If you don’t watch enough DVDs to commit to a monthly fee, à la carte membership allows you to rent movies for ¥400 a movie, or ¥200 for a short feature.

Saying Sayonara to Spoilers

FIVE COURSES OF SEASONAL INGREDIENTS AND INSPIRED FLAVORS

WEDNESDAY–SATURDAY | MEMBERS ONLYRESERVE AT 03-4588-0734

to wait two months between the US and Japanese release dates of Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith. Being a huge Star Wars fan and knowing that I wouldn’t be able to avoid the inevitable spoilers, I did the only thing possible: I flew to Guam for the weekend to watch the movie.

Fortunately, with the Club Video Library and Blu-ray discs, you no longer have to resort to trips abroad to see new releases. How is this so? Well, films in America are often released on Blu-ray prior to or just after they are released in theaters here.

This and the fact that the Blu-ray region code for both Japan and America is exactly the same (region A) means that you can be one of the first to watch some of your favorite new releases.

I’m always surprised when Japanese Club Members, in particular, tell me that they would like to use the Video Library but think the discs won’t play on their machines. While this may be the case for DVDs, it is definitely not correct for Blu-ray discs. Best of all, Blu-ray’s 1080p HD capability, combined

with a decent home theater system, makes it possible to recreate the cinematic experience in the comfort of your own living room.

I no longer have to wait lengthy periods for new movies to slowly find their way to Japan. A stop at the Video Library, with its huge Blu-ray selection, has me covered. o

Tappenden is a member of the Video Library

Committee.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Promised Land, Alan Partridge:

Alpha Papa and the new titles below are all available

at the Video Library or will be available soon.


FIVE COURSES OF SEASONAL INGREDIENTS AND INSPIRED FLAVORS

WEDNESDAY–SATURDAY | MEMBERS ONLYRESERVE AT 03-4588-0734

Sixteen-year-old Ricky Sanford spent two weekends in May toiling away in the bathroom of a Tokyo animal shelter. Alongside

his parents, scoutmasters and fellow Boy Scouts, Sanford tore down a wall, removed and capped a toilet, leveled the floor and installed new tiling to convert the space into a wet room for the SALA (Save Animals Love Animals) shelter in Fuchu.

Using volunteers and donations, Sanford led the construction project from start to finish. It was the final requirement for becoming an Eagle Scout. He passed his Eagle board of review last summer while working at the Far East Council’s camp in Tama Hills.

“It is a big milestone for me. I have been in Scouting since the first grade, when I joined the Tiger Cubs,” says Sanford via Skype after recently relocating to Ohio with his family. “It is hard to believe sometimes, to be up there with everybody else, everyone you know who is an Eagle Scout.”

Sanford joined Troop 51, which is sponsored by the Club, four years ago when he moved to Japan. He quickly earned the first class rank and that first summer found himself climbing Mount Fuji on the first of three ascents.

“Boy Scouts was something that I just did. I wanted to continue my Scouting, so I joined [Troop 51],” he says. “It was an excuse to get out of the city. I remember towards the end of our time in

Tokyo, I was just excited to see grass. It was just nice to be out in the wilderness for a change.”

Founded by Robert Baden-Powell in 1908, the Boy Scout movement spans more than 200 countries and focuses on outdoor and special interest activities. With 12 registered members, Troop 51 is half the size it was prior to the global financial crisis. This reflects a nationwide trend. Scout numbers in Japan declined from more than 170,000 in 2006 to around 143,000 in 2012.

Assistant scoutmaster William Myers joined Troop 51 as a Scout in 2007 when he was in the sixth grade. Today, with the smaller troop size, outings aren’t possible unless at least three boys participate. Annual trips include an overnight snow cave expedition, when Scouts dig out a snow shelter in which to sleep, a rafting or canoe trip and regular campouts. Last month, the troop completed an overnight trip to Tochigi.

“You get to experience things that you wouldn’t otherwise. In the sixth grade, you don’t think, ‘I’m going to go climb a mountain.’ This gives you opportunities to open new doors, without even knowing they are there,” says Myers, 18. “I tell my friends, ‘Guess what I did last weekend?’ And they say, ‘Are you crazy?’ The average kid won’t do that unless [they join].”

Drawn, in part, by the outdoor trips, including the annual ski excursion to Nagano, Dylan Fackler, 16, has been with Troop 51 for three years. He says he also enjoys working on merit badges, such as for fishing, and he looks forward to pursuing other interests, including cinematography and robotics. “They have merit badges for almost every subject,” he says.

Scoutmaster Robin Breeden joined Troop 51 with his son, Nathan, 16, when they moved to Tokyo from Indianapolis last year. Shortly after they arrived, Breeden sent Nathan on a high-adventure trip to a remote part of Mongolia.

“We wanted to get Nathan involved in Scouts here because it was a way to keep him grounded in one thing….If we can keep him in Scouts, that is the one thing that doesn’t change,” says Breeden. “Having that little piece of home here has been really good—for him and for us.” o

Troop 51 accepts boys ages 11 to 18 and meets two Sundays a month, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. E-mail [email protected] to learn more.

The Call of the Wild

RECREATION

The Club’s Boy Scout troop offers youngsters innumerable opportunities for learning, leadership and adventure.

by Nick Narigon

Ricky Sanford

Benjamin Parks


Thanksgiving KeepsakesCreative kids celebrate Thanksgiving early by making autumn-themed gifts and decorations at this fun craft-making session.Holiday CraftsSaturday, November 1510:30 a.m.–12 p.m.Toko Shinoda ClassroomMembers: ¥3,500Walk-ins and guests: ¥4,200Sign up at the Recreation Desk or e-mail [email protected]

Thrills and SkillsBudding World Cup stars, ages 6 to 8, enjoy an afternoon of dribbling, passing, shooting and other fun “beautiful game” skills.Soccer SessionSaturday, November 82:30–4 p.m.Gymnasium¥1,700Sign up online or at the Recreation Desk

YO U T H E V E N T S F I T N E S S

Fall Spa Special

The Spa proudly uses products by

To book a treatment, contact The Spa at 03-4588-0714 or [email protected]–Saturday: 10 a.m.–8 p.m. | Sunday and national holidays: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

This November, rejuvenate body and mind with The Spa’s massage-facial special for just ¥14,000.

The 60-minute hot stone massage melts away tension, eases muscle stiffness and increases circulation, while the 30-minute customized facial cleanses and nourishes through a skin type-appropriate Ella Baché facial mask.

Pumping IronFormer competitive weightlifter Dan Mullaney provides a tutorial on the proper technique and form for the snatch, clean, jerk and dead lifts and the fundamentals of weight training.Weightlifting Workshop: The Olympic LiftsSaturday, November 222–5 p.m.Fitness Center¥1,000Sign up online or at the Fitness Center

Strikes and SparesFor a chance to win a fabulous selection of prizes, grab some friends and hit the lanes. Bowl two games, register your total score and you could walk away with an array of goodies in December.Teen Bowling BonanzaNovember 1–December 1For ages 13 to 18¥2,040Sign up at the Bowling Center

Sky Pool SessionsRegistration for the first session of swim classes for 2015 kicks off at 10 a.m. on Monday, December 1.Contact the Sky Pool for details at 03-4588-0700 or [email protected].

*Prices exclude 8 percent consumption tax.

Fitness and well-being 17


Proceeds from this month’s Women’s Group fundraiser, the International Bazaar, benefits a range of charities, including a Tokyo women’s shelter.

Sanctuary and Support

by Tim Hornyak Photos by Kayo Yamawaki

Evangeline

W hen Evangeline was pregnant, her husband beat her with a baseball bat. She ended up in a Japanese hospital,

alone, terrified and far from her family in Manila. She was desperate to escape.

But the Filipina had few friends in Japan to turn to for help. She’d met her Japanese husband in the Philippine capital. He was nice enough when they dated. After they married and moved to Japan, however, he changed.

“Now you’ll have to adjust to our way of life,” he told her at Narita Airport. He marched on ahead, leaving her to carry the bags.

After she settled in Tokyo, he sent her to Sophia University to study Japanese—more for practical reasons than as an act of altruism. His drunken beatings proved that.

Evangeline, who asked that her surname not be published, bore it until she became pregnant again. When her husband clubbed her with the bat, she ended up in the hospital for three months. While recovering, she convinced herself it was time to flee. But how? The police, who have traditionally regarded domestic disputes as a private affair, would ignore her pleas, she decided.

Then a friend told her about the Asian Women’s Shelter House in Emergency of Love and Peace (HELP), a Tokyo refuge for women. A nun at Sophia also encouraged her to call. She phoned in secret and a kind voice answered.

After a baby boy was born safely a few weeks later, Evangeline made her move. With the help of a sympathetic city hall worker, she took the newborn, picked up her daughter from daycare and fled to the shelter. Her husband was left to search for them in vain.

“I was afraid of everyone,” Evangeline recalls during an interview at HELP, a large compound in Shinjuku Ward that resembles a school. “We lived here for four months. I kept telling my kids, ‘Don’t go out! Don’t go out!’”

A lawyer introduced by the shelter began the long process of arranging a divorce. Her husband refused. Three years later, a family court recognized Evangeline’s plight and granted a divorce. Eventually, she was able to register herself and her children as an independent household, severing all ties to her abuser.

Today, 45-year-old Evangeline has put the events of 17 years ago behind her.

WOMEN’S GROUP

She’s off welfare and works part-time jobs in a law office and a department store. Her kids are in their late teens, and one is in college. The family’s freedom from abuse was made possible by the shelter and its staff.

“HELP provides support for women and children in need, without question about nationality or residence status,” says Reverend Hiroko Ueda, director of the facility, which was founded in 1986 to mark the centenary of the Japan Christian Women’s Organization, known as Kyofukai.

Supported by donations, Tokyo’s metropolitan government and such organizations as the Club’s Women’s Group, the shelter takes in women, girls and boys under 10. “HELP is unique in that it also provides refuge, counseling and legal services to non-Japanese women who may be turned away by other organizations in Japan,” says Therese Cowled, chair of the Women’s Group charities committee, which, since 2013, has donated ¥2 million to HELP and will present a check for ¥1 million at this month’s International Bazaar.

Evangeline also sees signs of change in Japanese men’s attitudes toward women. These days, women are seen less as inferiors, she says.

But violence toward women continues. Through her church and volunteering activities, as well as in her law office work as an interpreter, Evangeline meets other battered women from the Philippines. Some are the mail-order brides of older Japanese farmers who don’t hesitate to dish out beatings.

When that happens, she refers the women to HELP, with which she has maintained ties. “Former director Shoji-san is like a mother to me,” she says. “When my children entered elementary school, she’s the one who bought them randoseru backpacks, which Japanese grandparents usually do.”

B e y o n d t h e p r a c t i c a l h e l p a n d emotional suppor t , HELP provided Evangeline with the opportunity to get back on her feet and reclaim her self-esteem and confidence. “I’m not afraid anymore,” she says with a smile. o

Hornyak is a Tokyo-based freelance journalist.

In the 2013 fiscal year, HELP took in 80 women and children while providing more than 650 phone consultation sessions. The process is complex, according to the shelter, as battered women often return to their partners, even after seeking help.

Most of the women suffer violence, homelessness or forced prostitution and some contract HIV or AIDS. Many are products of Japan’s odious “hostess clubs.” Patronized by businessmen on corporate spending accounts, these lounge-style bars enjoy social approval and are found in every city of the country.

While prostitution was officially criminalized in 1958, domestic violence was only outlawed in 2001. Japanese still refer euphemistically to the crime as DV.

“Women didn’t have any protection from the government before that, but so much progress has been made since,” says Ueda, adding that the police are now sensitive to claims of abuse.

HELP http://en.kyofukai.jp

International BazaarWednesday, November 510 a.m.–8 p.m.Thursday, November 610 a.m.–2 p.m.New York BallroomOpen to the public (free entry)No children under 12 permitted (baby carriers OK)Cash, credit card and Membership card accepted

When her husband clubbed her with the bat, she ended up in the hospital for three months.”

“

Reverend Hiroko Ueda

An interactive community 19

SERVICE AND SACRIFICEAhead of Veterans Day on November 11, a number of Members who served in the United States military reflect on their years in uniform.


FEATURE

SERVICE AND SACRIFICEAfter surviving the horror

and carnage of World War II, which took the lives of

more than 60 million people, an American veteran of the conflict, Raymond Weeks, worked to expand Armistice Day commemorations to include veterans of all wars.

November 11 was recognized as Armistice Day by the United States Congress in 1926. Twelve years later, this anniversary of the end of World War I was established as a national holiday.

In 1947, Meeks organized a parade and other festivities for “National Veterans Day” in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Finally, in 1954, Meeks’ efforts paid off and Armistice Day was officially renamed Veterans Day.

Among the Club’s Membership are veterans who served at various times over the last seven decades. Here, some of those members of the US armed forces explain how those years affected them.

First Friday: Veterans DayThe Winter Garden hosts an evening of food, drink and entertainment in honor of America’s men and women in uniform.

Friday, November 76–8 p.m.¥2,000 (free for serving military personnel and veterans)

Service and Sacrifice 21

NORMAN GREENUS Army | Sergeant | 1943–46

What were the highlights of your years in the military?More than 16 million men and women served in uniform during World War II. There are only 1 million of us still alive. Television journalist Tom Brokaw called us the “Greatest Generation,” but he was wrong. That title goes to our parents and the country’s leaders who had seen us through a stubborn depression and mobilized our hybrid society to successfully create and deliver the most powerful war machine in history in nearly no time at all. Imagine, D-Day at Normandy was in June 1944 and the Germans surrendered only 11 months later.

I graduated high school and began military service about a month later. I remember the pages of our senior yearbook, as true all across the country, with their near stereotypic career visions: Air Force, Navy, Marines (the likes of law school and med school would be on hold for the duration). That was the national mentality. I trained with the 106th Division at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Long before the brutal defeat of the 106th at the Battle of the Bulge, I joined the 326th Glider Regiment, 13th Airborne Infantry Division, and became a communications sergeant.

We went over to France in February 1945 and were meant to land beyond enemy lines in two Rhine crossings by General Patton’s tanks, but he was too fast for us and Germany surrendered on May 8, VE Day. Church bells rang out across the land for the first time in more than four years and, yes, there was dancing in the streets for about a week.

How did those years shape you?This is a summary of some memories

and heroes dear to me and woven into the tapestry that still shapes who I am today.

The city of Sens lies astride the placid Yonne River, about 120 kilometers from Paris. It was liberated in August 1944 by Patton’s Third Army and we were the first Allied troops to be garrisoned there. Many of their sons and daughters had joined the French Resistance and some were discovered by the Gestapo and executed or deported to labor camps in Germany and Poland. I met Madame Germaine Castets who, with her son and daughter of my generation, adopted me as a member of their loving household.

Her husband, Pierre, a hero in the Resistance, was held captive in the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp. Such strength she showed as she traced the Allies’ progress on her maps from the nightly radio news. Our hearts swelled at the photos of President Franklin Roosevelt with black ribbons in every shop and home window on the occasion of his death on April 12, less than a month before war’s end. After victory, families went to the railway station every day in hopes of welcoming their husbands, sons and daughters. No Jews ever returned. Pierre made it back and I was to befriend this man of grace, who, together with his family, infused me forever with so much compassion.

Fast-forward to 1957 and a train headed from Philadelphia to Washington, DC for a Pan-American Union pharmaceutical conference. A gentleman next to me noticed I was reading The Atlantic Monthly, which was featuring a series of articles by James Thurber on Harold Ross, founder of The New Yorker magazine. He engaged me in an interesting conversation, reminiscing that during his time in Europe in the war his wife sent him each issue of The New Yorker. I never asked about his wartime experience, but he was a truly stimulating conversationalist.

When we arrived at DC Union Station, we shook hands and exchanged name cards. The name read Anthony McAuliffe, a director on the board of American Cyanamid, a major chemical and pharmaceutical company. I’d been in conversation for the last hour with America’s hero at Bastogne, whose written reply of “Nuts!” to the German surrender ultimatum at the Battle of the Bulge made

headlines all across the free world. General McAuliffe was also my hero because it was he who fathered the desegregation of our military forces. After reading his card, I looked up to say something, as most people would, but he lowered his head and smiled, as he walked on to his taxi.

PETE JOHNSONUS Air Force | Major | 1969–86

What were the highlights of your years in the military? The highlight was becoming a fighter pilot and flying the F-100 and A-7D fighter aircraft. Just the whole idea of becoming a pilot, in general, was a foreign concept to me.How did those years shape you?My military experiences helped me to become more confident in my everyday life. And [my time] taught me how to take responsibility for life’s events and see a task through to completion.

JOE PETERSUS Army | Sergeant first class | 1966–70 (1979–2007: reserves)

What were the highlights of your years in the military? Four years of active duty in the Army Security Agency, with three and half of those years in Japan. I spent 28 more years in the legal area of the reserves. How did those years shape you?The military gave me a solid grounding in discipline and respect. My time in the reserves provided legal training, which I still find useful in business all these years later. I also made a lot of friends during my active years and we still keep in touch more than 40 years later.


ROBERT B MOSSUS Navy | Commander | 1990–2014 (1986–90: reserves)

What were the highlights of your years in the military? The best moment of my career came on the heels of one of the worst. I was in charge of a helicopter detachment in the UAE in November 2002. US forces were building up in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, prior to the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and my detachment was flying helicopter support to US forces all over the region.

One afternoon, both of our aircraft were being worked on by the maintenance troops from my detachment. Roughly 17 of my 45 personnel were working on the aircraft when a BMW sedan, driven by one of the airfield customs officers, pulled up between the two helicopters. The driver stepped out with an AK-47 and opened fire on my personnel. They were all unarmed.

Fortunately, a UAE police officer was stationed nearby and was able to shoot and immobilize the driver after he had fired only six shots. I arrived at the scene a few seconds later. It was utter chaos, and we were not sure if there was just one guy or one of many. Within about five minutes, we were able account for every sailor in my detachment and in the supply detachment. All were alive, and only one had been seriously injured, breaking both ankles when he jumped from the helicopter. That was the second week of seven months in the UAE, f lying combat support missions for operations Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Iraqi Freedom in Iraq.

After all that, the best day of my career was sending every one of my sailors home to his or her family alive

tact, integrity, enthusiasm, bearing, unselfishness, courage, knowledge, loyalty and endurance.

Phrases like “semper fidelis” [always faithful] and “esprit de corps” are hard to understand unless one has served in uniform. Marines have a deep bond with one another, which spans generations. I have friends who served in the Korean War, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. America will always be safe as long as there is a United States Marine Corps.

LANCE E LEEUS Air Force | Sergeant | 1971–76

What were the highlights of your years in the military?

Having the opportunity to work for the largest corporation on the planet and being trained to do so. How did those years shape you?

The military taught me that the differences we have are not ethnic, economic, religious or otherwise; they are human and easily overcome if the purpose to do so is strong enough.

DAN L SMITHUS Air Force | Master sergeant | 1971–93

What were the highlights of your years in the military? The first was just getting out of Missouri and seeing the world. Though you join the military to serve and give your life, if need be, it is all the things you experience in the course of serving that make life worth living. My two daughters also come to mind. Seeing them grow up in various cultures was a sheer delight. I was able to visit more than 20 countries

FEATURE

and well. They did great things in terrible conditions and served men and women who did even greater under even more duress. The privilege of leading them was the single biggest highlight of my career.How did those years shape you?They taught me how little you need to be happy, how much you need those around you and that anything is possible if you never give up. I will never accept that something cannot be done. The only real question is whether it should be done—and if we have the will and the resources to do it.

MARK HENRY SAFTUS Marine Corps | Captain | 1985–93

What were the highlights of your years in the military? Marine Corps recruit training; graduation day; Officer Candidates School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia; evening parade at Marine Barracks Washington, DC, 8th & I; Combat Service Support Detachment 14, Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro, California; Combat Service Support Detachment 91, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Saudi Arabia; adjutant assigned to enemy POW camp during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm (300 Marines and sailors and more than 20,000 prisoners).How did those years shape you?

I enlisted in the Marines as soon as I graduated from high school and I received a commission as a second lieutenant upon graduating from Loyola University in New Orleans. I am proud to have served the United States, and to this day I do my best to live by the leadership traits of the Marine Corps: justice, judgment, dependability, initiative, decisiveness,


and was able to learn several different languages to varying degrees. I was on a US presidential detail; worked on a project for a papal visit to San Antonio, Texas; supported the Olympics in Seoul; played in a charity soccer game in a remote Thai village; and took part in several humanitarian missions. As a journalist, I won 57 awards, including best newspaper editor on four different base assignments.How did those years shape you?They truly shaped me into the man I am today. I learned loyalty. I learned trust. I learned that there is great dignity and determination in teamwork. I learned that there are lessons in failure. My years in the military taught me to look at the world through the eyes of people who may have a different language and culture but who share the pursuit of building a better life for their loved ones. I also learned that your greatest asset is your integrity and commitment.

MIKE CORRY US Marine Corps Reserve | Major | 1986–98

What were the highlights of your years in the military?It was very invigorating to be around like-minded people. There was a unity of purpose and focus, a clarity that I have yet to experience outside of the military. You know that regardless of what happens, the people with you will be with you. You might not like the person next to you, but you know that he’ll watch out for you and you’ll watch out for him.

I was going through officer training in Quantico, Virginia. I remember going to this bar and was sucking down some suds. There was this young thing chatting with me and this guy sat down right next to me and said, “Are you a Marine?” I said, “Yes,” and turned around, and he pushed me. He didn’t really care for Marines. And at that specific point, I discovered that I had a bunch of friends I never knew before. How did those years shape you?My father was a diplomat and a colonel in the Marine Corps and my two brothers were Marine officers as well. There is a way of doing things that, growing up, was infused in me, and that came very clearly from the US Marine Corps: respect and loyalty is earned, you take care of your people and you don’t garner rights by title.

KYLE MURPHYUS Marine Corps | Captain | 1967–72

What were the highlights of your years in the military?My most enduring memory is driving down a tree-lined road in Vietnam in the morning, rice paddies on both sides, with the smell of freshly baked French bread in the air. We stopped a three-wheeled truck whose driver was scared. We asked to buy a couple of loaves from the several hundred he had. These were headed to a Catholic girls’ school. He

wouldn’t take money and he gave us two loaves. Then we were all on our way. I have often wondered if he had something more sinister under all those loaves. The bread was wonderful.How did those years shape you?I am extremely proud to have served my country and to have been a Marine. Even today, when I hear the Marines’ Hymn, my back shivers with pride and I snap to attention. It is something no one can ever take away from me. Today, I may not look the part, but my spirit is pure Marine. I am a proud former Marine. o

1. Mike Corry2. Mark Henry Saft (far right)3. Dan L Smith (far left)4. Pete Johnson (front, far left)

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FEATURE

We were on our final approach to the USS George Washington when suddenly our engines

roared with power. Our plane had been “waved off” and we pulled up and away from the aircraft carrier to try landing again.

On our next attempt, we successfully made the violent “trap” landing, where a tailhook on the plane is snagged by one of the ship’s deck cables, bringing the plane to a sudden, jolting stop.

At the invitation of Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, commander of Carrier Task Force 70, and Commander Spencer Abbot, commanding officer of F-18 Strike Fighter Squadron 27 and a Club Member, I led a delegation of Club leaders, including vice presidents Greg Lyon and Brenda Bohn and Food & Beverage Committee chair Mike Alfant, on a visit to America’s most advanced nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

In early September, we took off in a C-2 Greyhound from Naval Air Station Atsugi in Kanagawa Prefecture to fly out to the Yokosuka-based carrier, which was at sea somewhere east of Japan. As a US Navy veteran, I was excited to return to sea after almost 30 years.

After a welcome from Admiral Montgomery and the ship’s commanding officer, Captain Greg Fenton, we were issued helmets and safety vests and led back up to the flight deck to watch aircraft take off and land, as part of “cyclic ops.”

We stood on the exposed deck only meters from where screaming F-18 fighter jets and E-2 radar aircraft were being hooked by the massive arresting cables. We were so close that the jet blast felt almost hot enough to singe our exposed skin, while tiny pieces of rubber from the landing jets’ wheels lightly pelted our bodies.

On the ship’s bridge, we chatted with Captain Fenton and watched catapult takeoffs and hook landings. It was fascinating to take in the seamlessly choreographed events on the deck, as the crew catapulted and recovered aircraft while fueling, servicing and positioning others. With 80 aircraft onboard, coordinating all the activity on the deck seemed like moving the pieces of a giant, ever-shifting jigsaw puzzle.

I came away with a tremendous respect for the young men and women of the ship’s crew, whose average age is under 24. It was clear that an investment in training, discipline and leadership allowed so much to be carried out safely in very little space and with precision and professionalism.

Following a tour of the hangar, where we met a few more members of the crew, it was time to be catapulted off the bow of the ship. Strapped into our seats, we waited for the plane to accelerate to 265 kilometers per hour in just 3 seconds over 110 meters. With a wave of a crew member’s arm, we were hurled into the air, the g-forces

pushing us back into our seats. Back on land, I reflected on the

power and might of the USS George Washington and the fact that America has another nine aircraft carriers of the same class. One of them is operating in the unpredictable environment of the Persian Gulf, and within a few short weeks the George Washington could also be in such a setting. A Navy poster I saw hanging somewhere summed it up for me: “Sometimes we rush in after the storm. Sometimes we are the storm.”

Only the US has been able to build and maintain the necessary infrastructure to operate such a powerful fleet. Our Navy is truly a national treasure. o

Durkin (pictured) is president of the Club and a former US Navy officer.

Touring a Giant of the Seasby John Durkin

USS George Washington


During basketball’s recent World Cup in Spain, the sport’s governing body, FIBA, announced that Japan

had until the end of October to present a plan to resolve the ongoing dispute between its two competing basketball leagues.

FIBA wants a single professional league, instead of the present system, with the BJ [Basketball Japan] League, which was formed in 2005, and the National Basketball League [NBL]. There are currently 22 teams in the BJ League and 13 in the NBL.

With Tokyo set to host the Olympics in 2020, there is an increasing focus on the men’s national team. While Japan took bronze at the recent Asian Games in South Korea, the men’s team hasn’t qualified for the Olympics since 1976.

Don Beck boasts a professional basketball coaching career that spans more than 35 years and five countries. He is currently head coach of NBL side Toyota Alvark. iNTOUCH’s Nick Jones sat down with the Club Member to discuss the future of the game in Japan. Excerpts:

iNTOUCH: What has been the effect of having two separate leagues in Japan?

Beck: First of all, it’s quality of play. The player market is completely depleted. There is a tremendous amount of quality Japanese basketball [talent]. There’s a great high

school system. There’s an excellent college system. Japan should be able to field 18 quality, Euro-level professional basketball teams. The BJ [League] is a business, so I think it’s cost-effective for them to every year add a franchise. You could easily form a 12- to 16- to 18-team league and it would be very successful. Now what do you do with all those other teams? If you are going to form a league, you’re going to need certain criteria to join the first league, like a certain amount of budget and a facility to play. If you meet these criteria, you play up or you play down.

iNTOUCH: How do the two leagues stack up against leagues elsewhere?

Beck: Two seasons ago, we won the cup and the championship…and we took the whole team to Germany and played three games. We won one and lost two, but we were very competitive, and we played with our rules, which is only one foreigner [the rule is now two foreigners for two quarters]. To be honest, we probably can’t compete with the ACB [Spanish league] and some other teams in Turkey, Greece and Russia, which are competing with the NBA, but the quality of the NBL is very good.

iNTOUCH: How has the game progressed here since you started coaching four years ago?

Beck: The game has definitely grown in the four years I’ve been here. It’s gotten more competitive and the teams have gotten better, particularly with allowing two foreigners to play. I coached in Germany for 14 years and I’ve watched that whole debate: “If you add foreigners, then our national players don’t get better.” Well, that’s not true. When you have that mix of foreign and local talent, it helps both.

iNTOUCH: How would you rate the national team?

Beck: Right now, you have a national team that has to be successful, especially with the Olympics coming. They have a university coach who’s doing the best job he can, but it’s been the worst national team experience in four years. It’s a major problem that needs to be addressed.

iNTOUCH: What needs to be done for the national team to find success?

Beck: The most important thing is to have a very simple offensive and defensive philosophy. So San Antonio won [the 2014 NBA championship] because they’re very talented, they’re very athletic, but they’re also a great team. All those teams that compete for championships have great team

Hoops and Hurdles


TALKING HEADS

structures. There really needs to be a strong definition of this is how we’re going to play offense, this is how we’re going to play defense and this is how we’re going to win. And to me that’s not out there [with the national team].

iNTOUCH: How important is it therefore to have a functioning professional league system in Japan?

Beck: It’s unbelievably important and the No. 1 thing in the equation. Here’s one of the biggest problems I had with last season: we went to 56 games, which is too many games. And the reason we went to 56 games is for these privately held teams to have more opportunity to make money, which I understand, although in reality only two teams benefited from those extra 16 games. The biggest problem I have is the wear and tear it places on your players, particularly your national team players. These guys cannot play year-round basketball. There needs to be some downtime. There has to be a serious look at combining the leagues and coming up with a standard number of [foreigners] who can play [in each team].

iNTOUCH: How is high school- and university-level basketball?

Beck: There are some excellent college

players, some excellent high school players. There is one particular player who is going to carry the burden of the Japanese national team in a few years. His name is Yuta Watanabe. He went to St Thomas More School [in Connecticut] and he had the option to go to five different schools on scholarship, and the school he chose was George Washington [University]. He’s got the ability to be an NBA player. Now that’s a stretch at this age, but he’s [1.93 meters tall], he’s got great skills and determination, he’s highly coachable and has sacrificed being near his friends to go to another country for his dream.

iNTOUCH: I understand he’s the third Japanese player to play at NCAA Division I level.

Beck: My point guard, I believe, was the first Japanese player to get a Division I scholarship. Taishi Ito went to Portland. And KJ Matsui went to Columbia. Both those players play for me.

iNTOUCH: How do Japanese players compare to players in other countries where you have worked?

Beck: They’re just wonderful to coach. The No. 1 thing that [struck me] when I came here four years ago was the work

ethic of the players, which, I believe, is instilled more culturally than athletically. So the idea that we’re going to work together for a common goal is in their DNA, more so than any other country I’ve seen. The willingness [by players] to put the time in to achieve a common goal just makes it a pleasure to go to practice.

iNTOUCH: What’s the future of the professional game in Japan?

Beck: There’s been some form of Japanese league here for many years. I don’t think that’s going to change. There will always be a market. Once the [2020] Olympics were announced, [I thought] that this is a golden opportunity to show the world what we can do in Japan. Let’s put away our differences, let’s put away our agendas, let’s put away our infighting and politics and let’s come up with a formula that’s best for the players, the teams, the high schools, the colleges, the country, so that when 2020 rolls around, we’re going to put a competitive team on the floor.

iNTOUCH: How confident are you that there will be just one professional league in Japan by 2020?

Beck: I’m more positive than negative about that future and something good coming out. o

Don Beck

Member insights on Japan 27


All exhibits in the Frederick Harris Gallery are for sale and can be purchased by Membership card at the Member Services Desk. Sales of works begin at 6 p.m. on the first day of the exhibition.

by Nick Narigon

During his years as a master’s student at Tokyo University of the Arts, abstract artist Keiichiro Furukado searched for the “ideal” canvas. He eventually discovered a material that is more commonly associated with submarine periscopes, airplane windshields, ice hockey rinks and aquariums.

The clear, shatterproof plastic, or Plexiglas, as it’s more commonly known, became Furukado’s canvas for his drip painting artwork, a technique popularized by mid-20th century artists Janet Sobel and Jackson Pollock in which paint is dripped or poured onto a canvas.

Using sheets of acrylic glass, or poly(methyl methacrylate), to give it its chemical name, Furukado, 43, patiently creates rich, colorful flower motifs. He sometimes applies other methods as well, such as drawing or decoupage with industrial wallpaper.

For this month’s exhibition at the Frederick Harris Gallery, the Kanagawa Prefecture native says he will reveal both the public and private sides of his character through his artwork, which illuminates places where people gather.

Furukado shows his works mainly at cafés, bars and interior shops throughout Tokyo and Shanghai. They are also on display in hospitals and building entrances. He says he hopes each piece will build an intimate connection with the viewer.

“I love the direct relationship with people, regardless of whether those relationships are business or private. Answers can come in a direct shot because the unnecessary things that can alter first impressions are stripped away,” Furukado says. “The origins of my work are such that my style and the materials I use match, they are in harmony.”

Keiichiro Furukado

ExhibitionNovember 10–30

Gallery ReceptionMonday, November 106:30–8 p.m.Frederick Harris Gallery (B1 Formal Lobby)Free Open to invitees and Members only (Adults only)

FREDERICK HARRIS GALLERY

Exhibitions of Art 29

SEE OUT THE YEAR IN STYLELet the Club make your seasonal get-together one to remember.From casual corporate bonenkai parties to show-stopping, year-end celebrations, the Club’s professional event planners can help you make a lasting impression.

To book your end-of-year event and to find out about our party options, which start from ¥9,900 per person, contact us at 03-4588-0308 or [email protected]. Terms and conditions may apply. Prices exclude 8 percent consumption tax.

www.banquets.tokyoamericanclub.org

A few autumns ago, some friends and I took an early morning train out to Mount Takao and walked to the top of the

peak at a brisk pace. Against a backdrop of vibrantly colored leaves, we enjoyed the crisp air. Combined with lunch at the fabulous Ukai Toriyama restaurant nearby, it was the perfect fall day.

Taking in the autumn foliage is one of my favorite seasonal pastimes in Japan, and I am not alone. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese anticipate the autumn rite of the turning of the leaves, and weather reports keep viewers updated on the maple, gingko and other deciduous trees, as colder temperatures envelop the archipelago.

Known as momijigari (from the words for crimson leaves, momiji, and hunting, kari), the custom of gazing at autumn foliage (koyo) began among the aristocracy during the Heian era (794–1185). The rest of the population adopted the festivities in the Edo era (1603–1867), adding sake and elaborate picnics. During the Meiji era (1868–1912), traveling to famous viewing spots to appreciate the leaves became even more popular.

Momiji have provided inspiration to poets, artists and writers throughout Japanese history. Manyoshu, an eighth-century anthology of Japanese poetry, contains numerous verses about enjoying autumn foliage, as does the 10th-century Kokin Wakashu anthology.

During the Edo period, famous ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock) printmakers, such as Hokusai and Hiroshige, used maple leaves to evoke strong emotions in their viewers. In fact, autumn references abound in Japanese culture, from theater backdrops to bonsai to kimono patterns.

“I have such vivid memories of autumn as a child,” recalls Club Member Yasuko Amau Guild. “Inside, outside, tableware, scrolls—we were immersed in each season. My grandparents changed the everyday dishes and chopstick rests to ones with koyo. The hanging scroll in the takenoma [alcove], as well as the ikebana flowers, all reflected the season. Even the kimono had momiji.”

Naturally, the season is also reflected in cuisine. Specialties include maple leaf tempura and leaf-shaped wagashi, traditional Japanese confections, made from beans and sugar. “The momiji manju

[red bean paste cakes] of Hiroshima is also very famous,” explains Member Masako Ushioda.

The hue and brilliance of the foliage is determined by the amount of rainfall, temperature and sunlight. In particular, significant drops in temperature between day and night result in more vivid colors.

Prime viewing spots in Tokyo include the landscape gardens of Rikugien and Koishikawa Korakuen in Bunkyo Ward, as well as Meijijingu Gaien, with its 150 gingko trees. Lake Kawaguchi in Yamanashi, Nikko in Tochigi and the aforementioned Mount Takao are also all worth a visit.

Kyoto is beautiful but crowded. Some temples, such as Kiyomizudera, illuminate their trees at night, while Arashiyama, in western Kyoto, hosts a momiji festival on the second Sunday of November. Against a backdrop of gorgeous hues, performers in Heian-period costumes present traditional Japanese court music, dance, poetry readings and plays aboard decorated boats on the Oi River, celebrating the fleeting beauty of the season. o

Weiss has been a Club Member since 2002.

CULTURAL INSIGHT

Turn, Turn, TurnLike the cherry-blossom rites of spring, autumn in Japan has its own set of seasonal customs. by Efrot Weiss

Stacks of Services at the Club

André Bernard Beauty SalonHair care for adults and kids, manicure, pedicure, waxing and more.Tel: 03-4588-0685 Family Area (B1)Tue–Sun9 a.m.–6 p.m.

Spica The Club’s professional shoe repair and polishing service. Tel: 03-4588-0670The Cellar (B1)Sat: 1–4:30 p.m. Sun: 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.Weekday drop-off: Member Services Desk

FedExTo find out more about the range of services and Member discounts, visit the FedEx counter. The Cellar (B1)Mon–Fri: 1–5 p.m. (closed Sun and national holidays)Sat: 12 p.m. (pickup only)

The Art of TravelDiscover Japan and beyond with help from the Club’s travel desk consultants. The Cellar (B1)Monday–Friday: 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m.Tel: 076-221-1586E-mail: [email protected]


Celebrate the holidays at the club

November 8–9

Family PhotosAhead of the holiday season, seasoned photographer Ken Katsurayama returns to the Club to take family portraits. Sit or stand for five or six poses and around 30 digital shots.❄ 9 a.m.–6 p.m. and 9 a.m.–5 p.m.❄ Beate Sirota Gordon Classroom❄ ¥25,000❄ Sign up at Member Services

November 16–December 8

Letters to SantaHe’s making a list and checking it twice, so mail your wish list to Santa soon to receive a personal reply.❄ ¥500❄ Letter templates available in the Family Lobby (B1) from November 10.

December 6

Family Christmas Dinner Show The Club kicks off the yuletide season with the “Magic of Christmas Show,” created and performed by magician Steve Marshall. With two showings, the matinee is geared toward children while the evening event is fun for all ages.❄ Matinee: 12–2:30 p.m.❄ Adults (15 and above): ¥5,800❄ Children (3–14 years): ¥2,600❄ Infants (2 and under): free❄ Evening: 5–7:30 p.m.❄ Adults (15 and above): ¥6,500❄ Children (3–14 years): ¥2,800❄ Infants (2 and under): free❄ New York Ballroom❄ Sign up online or at Member Services

December 8–January 12

Holiday Reading ProgramRead any 10 books from the Library this holiday season and collect stamps to win a prize.

December 13–14

Visit with Santa Kids chat with jolly old Saint Nick and snap a keepsake photo when he makes an early appearance at the Club.❄ 1–5 p.m.❄ ¥1,000❄ Beate Sirota Gordon and Haru Reischauer classrooms❄ Sign up at Member Services

December 14–25

The 12 Days of Traders’The countdown to Christmas begins at Traders’ Bar with great daily deals and traditional eggnog. Find out more online.

December 15–19 and January 5–9

Camp Discovery: Holiday EditionKeep boredom at bay this yuletide season with a holiday-themed hit of camp-inspired fun at the Club. Camp Discovery: Holiday Edition is a weeklong session of fun-packed activities for ages 3 to 7.❄ Members: ¥40,000❄ Non-Members: ¥48,000❄ Sign up from 12 p.m. on November 10 at the Recreation Desk

December 20–23

Christmas Holiday BuffetRainbow Café hosts a family-friendly spread of traditional favorites and seasonal staples.❄ December 20, 21 and 23: 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m.❄ December 22: 5–8:30 p.m.❄ No sign-up necessary

December 24

Christmas Eve Grand BuffetIndulge in an evening of family, friends, turkey, trimmings and seasonal cheer before Santa arrives.❄ 4:30–7 p.m. (two-hour sittings)❄ New York Ballroom and Brooklyn Suite❄ Adults (18 and above): ¥5,555❄ All-you-can-drink beverage package (20 years and above): ¥1,500❄ Juniors (4–17 years): ¥2,700❄ Infants (3 and under): free❄ Sign up online or by calling 03-4588-0308

December 25

Christmas Grand BuffetFamilies and friends sit down on Christmas Day to an all-you-can-eat spread of succulent turkey and other seasonal fare within the warm, welcoming environs of the Club.❄ 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4:30–7:30 p.m. (two-hour sittings)❄ New York Ballroom and Brooklyn Suite❄ Adults (18 and above): ¥5,555❄ All-you-can-drink beverage package ❄ (20 years and above): ¥1,500❄ Juniors (4–17 years): ¥2,700❄ Infants (3 and under): free❄ Sign up online or by calling 03-4588-0308

Prices exclude 8 percent consumption tax.

Holidays at the Club 31

Philip Partnow United States—El Dorado Capital Advisors K.K.

Robert & Lori France United States—Corning, Inc.

Franz & Beatriz Cerwinka United States—Johnson Controls, Inc.

Ming-Hokng Maa & Kaitlyn Liao United States—Softbank Holdings, Co.

Philip & Naoko Chang United States—Elemental Technologies, Inc.

Tomoka WatanabeJapan—Watanabe Transportation Co., Ltd.

Philippe Bouchet France—Schneider Electric

Takamasa & Makiko Totsuka Japan—CNEXT Partners, Inc.

Manabu NishimaeJapan—Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Sadamu Machida Japan--Seagull Linx Corporation

Takahiro Hoshino Japan—K&L Gates Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise

Hidehiko & Miho HoshinoJapan—UBS Securities Japan Co., Ltd.

Aki & Yoshikazu KonoJapan—ToTo Transport Co., Ltd.

Bradley & Takako SchmidtCanada—Makoto Investment, Ltd.

Toshiaki & Yayumi ShinoharaJapan—Syngenta Japan K.K.

Morihiro & Etsuko Murata Japan—Morihiro Murata Accounting Firm

Goe & Naoko MiyazakiJapan—SMBC Nikko Securities. Inc.

Hiroshi & Ayako Tsuneoka Japan—Deutsche Securities, Inc.

Koki & Keiko UchiyamaJapan—UK Ltd.

Manami & Katsumi Kuroiwa Japan

Shun & Yumiko Han Japan—Maruhan Corporation

Debanjan Dutt & Himika Shergill United States—Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting Co., Ltd.

Art & Elizabeth Butcher United States—Boston Scientific Japan K.K.

Yoshiyuki & Yumiko KameyamaJapan—Mountain Tortoise Co., Ltd.

Ryusuke & Ryoko Homma Japan—Square Clinic

Steve & Yukiko Sugino United States—Sanofi K.K.

Jeremy Sampson Australia—Robert Walters Japan K.K.

Sabrina Mucig-Guillas & Laurent GuillasFrance—Hill’s-Colgate (Japan) Ltd.

Roberta Palazzetti & Maurizio MiglioreItaly—British American Tobacco Japan Ltd.

Simona Passarella & Paolo Sanavio Italy

Katsuhisa & Hisa Hirose Japan—Hirose Brands

Yoshiaki & Yukiko Ito Japan—Haier Asia International

Lee & Kumiko MawerCanada—Pinnacle Wealth Management Ltd.

Koichi & Ineko TadanoJapan—Caprice International Co., Ltd.

Kazuhiko & Eri FujiharaJapan—Softbank Mobile Corp.

Marie Kissel United States—Abbott Japan Co., Ltd.

Beth & Stephen Borthwick United Kingdom

Graham & Ayumi Underwood United Kingdom—Royal Bank of Scotland plc

Reina & Yasunori Hirose Japan—Deutsche Asset Management

Keiichi Aritomo & Joy ZhangJapan—PricewaterhouseCoopers Co., Ltd.

Donald McCarty II & Deborah McCartyUnited States—McDonald’s Co. (Japan), Ltd.

Koichi MarunoJapan—Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Ltd.

Barry Hirschfeld Jr & Nao Hirschfeld United States—AIP-Japan GK

Andreas & Mariko TakamiyaJapan—Agrosuper Asia/Andes Asia K.K.

Yoshihiro Iida Japan—House of Representatives

Hideyuki & Kyoko TakadaJapan—Cohada Co., Ltd.

Shinji & Hiroko Sano Japan—Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd.

Yoong Boo Kim & Kanna Arishima South Korea—J’z International Co., Ltd.

Eiji & Mayumi Nakai Japan—Mint Corporation

Akinari & Kayo TokuyamaJapan—Bridge-C Holdings Pte. Ltd.

Jim & Lucy Reynolds United States—Nike Japan Group LLC

Akito & Chiaki Takata Japan—Japanet Takata

Richard Sinkuler United States—Ernst & Young ShinNihon LLC

Rachna Ratra & Chris Bond India—Robert Walters Japan K.K.

Miki & Hiroaki Kato Japan—P.P. & Co Russian Ballet Works

Matthew & Yukie Nicholls United Kingdom—Robert Walters Japan K.K.

Tomokazu & Rei KobayashiJapan—Robert Walters Japan K.K.

Keisuke & Toyoko InoueJapan—PO Co., Ltd.

Takao & Yuka Masuda Japan—Grandtag Financial Group

Joseph Moran & Toshiko Abe United States—MRA

Ian LewisAustralia—Moody’s Japan K.K.

Bruce & Evelyn HerbertAustralia—Coca-Cola East Japan Co., Ltd.

Simon & Sarah Louise Parkhill United Kingdom—Nike Japan Group LLC

Hideyuki & Yumiko Takahashi Japan—State Street Trust and Banking Co., Ltd.

Takuro & Uno NishimuraJapan—Nittaku Real Estate Co., Ltd.

Kazumoto & Shio TakeuchiJapan—Citigroup Global Markets Japan, Inc.

Ryo Hayakawa & Kyoko Matsuyama New Zealand—A1 Consulting Ltd.

Robert Behennah United Kingdom—Salesforce.com

Heinz & Shinobu SpringerAustria—Nippon Plasser K.K.

Hiroshi & Yoshiko ObaraStephen Givens & Junko MiyanoEisuke & Setsuko YamaguchiArlo Brown IIIIchiro & Grace Rao SekimitsuMattias LewrenRichard Clairmont & Tomomi SugaAntonio Alvarez & Ines PerisseJon & Melody WalkerThomas Fisher & Kathryn TempleFred JheonElaine & Christopher GlasenappMichele EatonMelissa Snyder & Jeff StudebakerPaul Walkinton & Lucy MowatMark & Lucy BrownToshio Yamawaki

sayonara

yokoso


Why did you decide to join the Club?“While initially drawn by the modern facilities and variety of family and formal activities, we quickly realized the Club’s greatest asset is its Member community. Having met a number of Members, we look forward to both personal and business relationships with like-minded people and an opportunity to build lifelong friendships.”

(l–r) Aidan, Ruari, Jennifer and Keira Monahan

Why did you decide to join the Club?“Having previously been Club Members, we knew we wanted to be Members again when we moved back to Tokyo. The facilities are excellent. Our boys play basketball, and it’s great to have a gym where they can meet friends for games. The Club also provides activities that our whole family is interested in, from music and dining to the Library and cultural events. The Club gives us a sense of home while in Tokyo, and we feel fortunate to be Members.”

(l–r) Eli, James, Geoff, Britt and Suzanne Sease

New Member ProfileRuari & Jennifer Monahan United States—Accenture Japan Ltd.

New Member ProfileGeoff & Suzanne SeaseUnited States—Wal-Mart Seiyu G.K.

Finn Kanegae’s memories of volunteering and later working at the Osaka-based animal shelter ARK

(Animal Refuge Kansai) are bittersweet. While she encountered so many heartbreaking stories of cruelty and neglect, the experience prompted her to become a dog owner.

“Volunteering opened my eyes to the harshness of life for abandoned animals,” she says. After a stint helping out at the shelter in 2006, she adopted one of the dogs the following year. Two more canines from the refuge joined her at her home in California in 2009.

Having relocated to Japan in 2011, Kanegae, 28, says her three dogs have

taught her a lot about responsibility. “It’s tough, particularly with time management, but you learn a lot about yourself, what you can do and what’s possible,” she says.

The move also represented a return to the land of her birth and a reconnecting with her heritage. Born in Yokohama, she and her family headed to Orange County when she was just 3. It was there she grew up and discovered her passion for photography.

“I was always interested in visual arts—painting, drawing, things like that,” she says. “I got the most out of photography.” Majoring in photography at Saddleback College, in Mission Viejo, Kanegae continued her studies—this time in art

history—at Temple University in Tokyo when she moved here. She graduated this year.

With her elder sister already working at the Club, Kanegae joined the Library almost two years ago (her younger sister has since joined the Club, too) and picked up September’s Employee of the Month award. “It’s been a positive, learning experience and I’ve met people from all over the world,” she says of her position in the Club’s reading hub.

While immersed in the world of literature, her enthusiasm for images of all kinds hasn’t waned. “I’m really into film,” she says, “and would like to get into moving images.” o

MEMBER SERVICES

employeeof the month

FinnKanegae

by Nick Jones

Services and benefits for Members 33


P ressing down on the leg of the microphone stand with his foot, as if he’s stopping it from being blown away, James Davis croons into the mic. The Club Member’s smooth baritone voice is reminiscent of Gary Lightbody

of Snow Patrol, with a touch of Mick Jagger’s growl about it. Surrounded by his band, 1Eyedman, in a tricked-out basement

music studio in Shibuya, Davis launches into “Electric Sheep,” a song off the band’s debut album, “It’s Not About You,” which was released earlier this year.

Davis, 43, is accompanied by guest singer Nanna Kinno, whose sparkling-silver high heels match the veneer of Yoji Morimae’s Pearl drum kit. In the corner, Davis’ songwriting partner, Nic Scanlan-Dyas, concentrates on his red bass guitar, adorned with stickers from his two young daughters.

The band’s producer, Gin Kitagawa, and Naoki Kobayashi, who teaches guitar to Davis and his son, complete the ensemble.

In just a year, Davis, a father of two, progressed from recording vocals in his bathroom (for “the acoustics”) to performing in front of a packed live venue in Shibuya, the crowd singing along to songs. The band’s upcoming gig on November 14 at Shibuya’s Tsutaya O-nest, where they’ll showcase the new album, is 1Eyedman’s crowning achievement, according to Davis.

“We had this idea it would be fun to be able to play songs that we had written, that people liked,” says Davis. “We played one gig. We played a charity for Tohoku last year. That went down well. It

After the release of his band’s debut album this year, Member and musician James Davis has big plans for 1Eyedman.

by Nick NarigonPhotos by Irwin Wong

British Invasion

James Davis and Nic Scanlan-Dyas

A look at culture and society 35

was for a good cause. Then, in May, once the album came out, we set up a live [show] at O-nest. It was a great evening. We had about 140 people come. That gave us the confidence to go, ‘Yeah, our live sound is good, so let’s keep going with this.’”

Named after a proverb by the 15th-century Dutch philosopher Erasmus, 1Eyedman began in Scanlan-Dyas’ kitchen. Davis sang and strummed his acoustic Yamaha guitar while Scanlan-Dyas, a writer and actor, accompanied him on the tambourine and penned the lyrics.

In September 2013, after collaborating on about 12 songs and receiving positive feedback from friends, the two Brits decided to record an album. Through connections, they were introduced to producer Kitagawa, a jazz musician and classic rock virtuoso.

Once the contract was signed, Davis sent demos to Kitagawa, with suggestions about how each song should sound. Kitagawa, who studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, then recorded each part, including the drums, bass, guitars and keyboards. Finally, Davis recorded his vocals and harmonies at the producer’s studio.

“It was all a learning curve for us

INSIDE JAPAN

poetry. I am used to writing prose,” says Scanlan-Dyas. “I didn’t know what a song is. I know now because I listen. My girls will be sitting there watching a Katy Perry video, and I will deconstruct the song structure in my head.”

Besides recording a new album, this time in a studio with the full band, Davis says they want to play music festivals, larger Tokyo venues and eventually outside of Japan.

“I would like to play Fuji Rock at some point, in some capacity,” he says. “But world domination is probably the end game.” o

Tickets for 1Eyedman’s gig on November 14 and a host of other local events, shows and performances can be purchased through the Club’s TAC-tix service at Member Services.

because we had never done it before,” says Davis, who sang in bands while a student at Cambridge University and moonlighted as a wedding singer. “Then I was like, ‘OK, we need a band.’”

With Kitagawa, Kobayashi, Morimae and keyboardist Menya Hinga on board, the band was missing a bass player. It was guitar teacher Kobayashi who suggested that Scanlan-Dyas learn to play the instrument.

“He doesn’t drink, so he said it completely stone-cold sober,” recalls Scanlan-Dyas, 49. “He said, ‘You should play the bass because you are tall. We need a tall bass player.’ And I am left-handed. So he can play guitar on one side of the stage [right-handed] and I can play the bass on the other side, left-handed. These are important things.”

In between releasing the album, rehearsing weekly and performing live on local radio, 1Eyedman commissioned a music video for the song “My Favourite New Year’s Eve,” which was shot at God’s Own Junkyard, a studio of neon signs in London.

“I think [the video] invokes the sentiments of the song,” says Davis. “Suddenly, we get to the end of the summer, we’ve got an album, we’ve got a video and we’re doing live gigs. I think we’re a band. It’s really weird.”

Davis says they have written seven or eight songs for the next album. Scanlan-Dyas says their musical evolution has been influenced by contemporary bands like OneRepublic, Imagine Dragons and Lily Allen, who boast strong lyrics and sophisticated song structures.

“Before I started writing lyrics, I read about writing lyrics. I am used to writing

James DavisGin Kitagawa

Yoji Morimae

Nic Scanlan-Dyas

November is the perfect time to grab a gang of friends or coworkers for days of outdoor excitement and adventure. by Rob Goss

W ith the summer heat and humidity in hibernation and Japan’s greenery beginning to take on

earthy tones, there’s no better time to head outside for fresh air and fun. If a stroll up Mount Takao doesn’t get your heart working hard enough, there are plenty of other opportunities for more exciting and strenuous activity this fall.

Forest Adventure

Adrenaline-Fueled Fun

HIT THE ROADTokyo is a great running city, but the thought of leaving the treadmill behind and heading outside can be daunting for some. “The point I always make to people about running in Tokyo is that it’s a city of backstreets. When you know it, you can run for miles uninterrupted, away from traffic and fumes,” says Club Member and longtime runner Chris Lewis. “If you don’t know Tokyo that well, there are also places

like the Imperial Palace area and the city’s riverbanks that are easy to run.”

Lewis, who recently turned 60 midway through a six-day, 250-kilometer ultramarathon in Madagascar, adds that there’s no shortage of social running groups, such as the intriguingly named Hash House Harriers.

“There are quite a few Hash House Harrier groups in Tokyo, where the focus is on social running, with weekly evening


OUT & ABOUT

trip, and we are hoping to take at least 10 people, but maybe up to 30.”

The day will see teams of Members battling it out at the War Zone survival and paintballing field, which also features climbing, rappelling, zip-lining and barbecue and camping facilities. The area accommodates up to 60 people at a time and is popular for company events and teambuilding exercises.

War Zonewww.war-zone.jp

Paintballing OutingSaturday, November 228 a.m.–1 p.m. ¥10,000 (includes all equipment; excludes 8 percent consumption tax) Sign up online or at Member Services Sponsored by the Culture, Community and Entertainment Committee

FOREST FUNThe health benefits of “forest bathing” have long been known to the Japanese, but the fun of swinging through the forest canopy is altogether newer. With locations in Chiba, Tochigi, Saitama, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Yamanashi and further afield, Forest Adventure provides great natural settings for adventurous fun. The aerial courses are built among the trees and combine bridges, ladders, swings, nets, trapezes and giant zip lines.

You don’t need any prior experience to enjoy a day at Forest Adventure and the courses are open to most ages. Following a 10-minute orientation, you’re hooked up to a harness and safety line, so you can swing between the trees without worrying

Paintballing

Adrenaline-Fueled Fun

about plummeting to the forest floor. Each facility has slightly different height

and age guidelines, but typically the main adventure course is open to ages 10 and above (or taller than 140 centimeters), while smaller kids (taller than 110 centimeters) have access to a simpler course.

Forest Adventurewww.foret-aventure.jp

MAKE A SPLASH If you prefer your heart pounding from excitement (or fear) instead of exertion, white-knuckle adventure activities can be found not far from the capital. One popular expat destination is the Minakami hot-spring onsen area in Gunma Prefecture, where the English-speaking staff at Canyons, an outdoor adventure company, can lead you through full-day rafting and canyoning tours.

Another option is to register with Tokyo Snow Club, which allows you to sign up for kayaking and white-water rafting days out in the Okutama area. While the rafting isn’t especially frequent, there’s an organized trip of some kind almost every Saturday and Sunday, ranging from hiking and biking in Okutama to forest jaunts near Fuji and trips to the snow-covered slopes of Hakuba, Naeba, Niseko and Zao during the winter. o

Canyons http://canyons.jp

Tokyo Snow Clubwww.tokyosnowclub.com

Goss is a Tokyo-based freelance journalist.

runs of 7, 8, 9, 10 kilometers, followed by a few drinks. They are self-described as drinking groups with a running problem,” he says. “There is also a phenomenal amount of organized running in Japan, if you want to try a race. There are several organized runs in Tokyo, from 5K up to full marathons, every weekend. If you can speak Japanese or know someone who can help you with the applications, it’s very easy to sign up for events through websites like Runnet.”

Tokyo Hash House Harriershttp://tokyohash.org

Runnet http://runnet.jp

START YOUR ENGINESWhile the Harbor Circuit karting track in Chiba Prefecture isn’t actually outdoors, it does tick the entertainment and adrenalin boxes and provides the chance to unleash your inner Lewis Hamilton.

The curvy and compact indoor circuit is open to adults and kids (minimum height: 115 centimeters) and offers a variety of racing and free-driving options. You could do a simple 15-lap time trial or get together with friends and family for a competitive “grand prix,” complete with practice session and qualifying before a 15- to 35-lap main race.

Alternatively, you could buy a two-hour pass and race at your leisure (or drive like a madman to try and break the 23-second lap record). Either way, check online to make sure the circuit hasn’t been booked for a private event.

Harbor Circuitwww.harbor-circuit.com

PAINTBALL BATTLE Here’s one way to de-stress and have fun in the process. This month, a group of Club Members will head out to Chiba to shoot each other.

In paintballing, participants, dressed in protective gear, typically divide into teams and shoot colored ink balls at one another with compressed-air guns.

Club Member and organizer Vincenzo Lufino is a paintballing rookie. “With the Club, I’ve been to watch sumo and baseball before, but this will be something more adventurous. It will be adults behaving like kids,” the 42-year-old says. “It’s the first time the Club has organized a paintballing

Explorations beyond the Club 37

First Friday: NFL Kickoff September 5

To celebrate the start of another NFL season, Members

and guests, some clad in the shirt of their favorite

American football team, enjoyed an evening of live

music, drinks, snacks and chat in the Winter Garden.

Photos by Yuuki Ide

1. Ruriko Mano and Nicolas Vitalis

1


MAKE YOURMESSAGE COUNTAs a Member of Tokyo American Club,advertise in iNTOUCH and receive a

50%D I S C O U N T

on regular advertising rates.

Contact Rie Hibino at 03-4588-0976 or [email protected] to discuss this

limited-time o�er or other advertisingand sponsorship opportunities.

(O�er valid on advertisements booked by December 31, 2014.)

T O K Y O A M E R I C A N C L U B

August 2014

On Land and Sea�e secret of one Member’s triathlon success

Fiery FestivalsObon’s centuries-old carnivals of �re and light

Pantsuits and DiapersJapan’s struggle to support working moms

Plates of PerfectionA behind-the-scenes look at the making of Club culinary magic


July 2014

I WANTYOU TO CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY AT THE CLUB

FLAVORS FROM PARADISEA weeklong tribute to modern Hawaii

CONSERVING CRAFTSMANSHIPOne Member’s lifeline for Japanese design

DOWN ON THE FARM Nurturing Club-supported rural leaders

June 2014 T O K Y O A M E R I C A N C L U B

Helpings of HopsAn evening of

Japanese cra� brews

Tohoku ReturnOne Member assesses

recovery in Kesennuma

Hidden PeaksHikes and excursionsin Tokyo’s backyard

MEMBERS LOOK AHEAD TO

THE WORLD CUP IN BRAZIL

SOCCER

SPECTACLE

Issue 589 • May 2014

May 2014


Musical Members on hustling for gigs in Tokyo

THAT’SENTERTAINMENT

May 2014


Dr FeelgoodStaying healthy

through happiness

The Perfect PourWine-preserving

technology at the Club

Fuji ViewsA guide to climbingJapan’s highest peak

Art of the SamuraiGoing inside the dojo

Future of FoodJapan embraces the organic movement

Court’s in Session� e fast-paced

action of squash

Breaking theLanguage BarrierMastering Japanese is a herculean task, but a handful of Members show how it can be done

For more photos from some events displayed in these pages,visit the Event Image Gallery (under News & Info) on the Club website.

Meet the Author: Hugh Ashton and Andy Boerger September 13

The creators of children’s book furry sleuth Sherlock

Ferret, writer Hugh Ashton and illustrator Andy Boerger,

together with Vinnie the ferret, hosted a fun reading

and introduction to the tales of Sherlock Ferret.

Photos by Kayo Yamawaki

1. Hugh Ashton 2. Andy Boerger (left)

1

2


EVENT ROUNDUP

Disaster Awareness DaySeptember 28

At this annual disaster and emergency preparedness

event, hosted by members of the Azabu Fire Department,

families experienced simulated fires and earthquakes

and received tips on using a fire extinguisher and

performing CPR.

Photos by Yuuki Ide

Snapshots from Club occasions 41

For more photos from some events displayed in these pages,visit the Event Image Gallery (under News & Info) on the Club website.

Welcome Back Party: A Night with the Stars September 20

The Club rolled out the red carpet for the annual

Welcome Back Party. A few silver-screen stars

were spotted at the Hollywood-themed bash

that featured a VIP pre-party wine tasting and a

packed lineup of live entertainment and DJ tunes.

Photos by Yuuki Ide

1. Wolfgang and Ute Bierer

1


EVENT ROUNDUP

Snapshots from Club occasions 43


Being able to read the atmosphere or between the lines—or “reading the air,” as we say in Japan—is a defining

feature of the culture. We’re expected to intuit the general tone and direction of our social relationships then respond in a way that allows everyone to avoid discussing something uncomfortable.

With omotenashi, Japan’s own unique brand of hospitality, this means a host must keep a close eye on their guests’ glasses, refilling regularly to ensure that everyone is spared the discomfort of asking for more. In business, it may mean your counterpart across the negotiating table rejects your latest offer with some sort of vague excuse, instead of saying no directly. All of this (and there are innumerable examples) is part of the dynamic of preserving social harmony.

Of course, there is an almost equal number of ways one can screw it up. People who are unable to pick up on these subtle social cues are labeled kuki yomenai, or KY for short, which literally translates as “unable to read the air.” Continuing to pursue a woman who’s already turned you down once is a

BACK WORDS Whatever the story, anecdote, fictitious tale, rant, cultural observation or Club commentary, now’s your chance to take it to the world…well, Membership, anyway. E-mail your submission (no more than 700 words) to [email protected].

surefire way to acquire a KY reputation. If she tells you she can’t have dinner with you on Friday because she’s washing her hair, don’t ask her to check her schedule for Saturday.

Those from a Western business background may be wondering, “Why go to the trouble?” If you’re the straight-shooting type who’s gotten to where you are today by being decisive and direct, all the concern over everyone’s feelings will likely seem remarkably inefficient.

In many ways, though, this is already changing. Young people in Japan today are simply more comfortable expressing their feelings than generations before. As usual, advertising is a good bellwether. A recent commercial from sporting goods giant Nike focused on a young baseball player selected to make a speech before Japan’s national high school baseball tournament. The Koshien opening ceremony is usually a time for reflection on ideals like teamwork and fair play. Instead, the youngster urges everyone to watch his incredible skills during the competition.

I sense that the more subtle expressions of reading the air are not long for this

Kishyo Ginza HontenRoyal Crystal Bldg. 4F5-4-6 GinzaTel: 03-6251-8191

http://kishyo.comENGLISH

The essence of JapanMeticulously crafted Japanese cuisine, discreet hospitality

and traditionally refined surroundings.

world. Japan is becoming an open society that’s comfortable speaking its mind. That’s a good thing.

As with any major cultural shift, however, we’re likely to lose something along the way. This isn’t an instance of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. A century from now, Japanese aren’t going to look back and pine for the days when no one ever said how they really felt. Still, for a long time in Japan, reading the air has performed the crucial task of helping us all get along. When it’s gone, we’ll need to come up with something to replace it. o

Club Member Kubo is president of the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather Japan Group.

Communication's Subtler Side by Akihiko Kubo

毎月一回一日発行　

第四十七巻五九五号　

トウキョウアメリカンクラブ　

インタッチマガジン二〇一四年十一月一日発行　

平成三年十二月二十日第三種郵便物許可定価八００円

本体七七七円

TOKYO

AM

ERICAN

CLUB

i

NT

OU

CH

Issue 595 • Novem

ber 2014

Veterans reflect on their days serving in uniform

BAND of BROTHERSHaven of Hope

Raising funds for women in need

220° [Modern Teppan]Unveiling a new take

on teppanyaki

Fast BreakTalking hoops with

local coach Don Beck

November 2014


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