January 2016 iNTOUCH Magazine

TORANOMON HILLS RESIDENCEluxury residences for lease

www.moriliving.com

BRINGING NEW IDEAS TO LIFE IN TOKYO


www.moriliving.com


AZABUDAIA N N I V E R S A R Y

CELEBRATING THE CLUB’S FIRST FIVE YEARS BACK HOME

Fitness TipsThe Club hosts its

annual wellness fair

Tech TrainingClub classes for

budding engineers

Mountain RetreatsThrills and spills in the Nagano snow

TOKYO

AM

ERICAN

CLUB

iN

TO

UC

HIssue 609 • January 2016

January 2016

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

毎月一回一日発行　

第四十七巻六〇九号　トウキョウアメリカンクラブ　

インタッチマガジン二〇一六年一月一日発行　

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

Club Committees

Compensation Mark MillerCulture, Community & Entertainment Dan Smith Subcommittee

Culture & Community TBC Entertainment Matt Krcelic Frederick Harris Gallery Yumiko Sai Video Library Diane Harris

Finance Rodney Nussbaum (Hiroshi Miyamasu)Food & Beverage TBC(Jerry Rosenberg) Subcommittee

Wine Stephen RomaineHouse Tomio Fukuda (Jesse Green) Subcommittee

Facilities Management Group Matt KrcelicHuman Resources Per Knudsen (Ginger Griggs)Membership TBC

(Machi Nemoto)Nominating Steven GreenbergRecreation Samuel Rogan (Mark Miller) Subcommittee

Bowling TBC Fitness Samuel Rogan Golf John Patrick Vaughan Library Heidi Regent Logan Room Christa Rutter Squash Pete Juds Swim Alexander Jampel Youth Activities Betsy RogersOlympic Dean Rogers

Board of GovernorsJohn Durkin (2016)—Representative

Governor, Mary Saphin (2016)—First

Vice President, Jesse Green (2016)—Second Vice President, Michael Benner (2016)—Hiroshi Miyamasu (2017)—Treasurer, Michael Alfant (2017), Betty Butler (2017), Ginger Griggs (2017), Lance E Lee (2017), Gregory Lyon (2016), Mark Miller (2017), Machi Nemoto (2016), Alok Rakyan (2017), Jerry Rosenberg (2016), Kazuakira Nakajima (2016)—Statutory Auditor

contents 2 Contacts

4 Board of Governors

5 Management

6 Events

8 Wine & Dining

12 Arts & Entertainment

16 Recreation & Fitness

20 Feature

26 Talking Heads

28 Inside Japan

30 Out & About

32 Event Roundup

38 Club People

40 Back Words

FEATURE A Home for the FutureThe first five years of a

business are known as the

“survival years.” As the Club

commemorates the fifth

anniversary of the opening of

its latest Azabudai home, five

governors explain how this

unique Tokyo community has

not only survived, but thrived.

18 RECREATION & FITNESSEmpowering a PioneerThanks to a Member-

supported scholarship

program, Samantha Tamrakar

is set to become Nepal’s fifth

female neurosurgeon.

30 OUT & ABOUT Alpine AdventuresFrom ice climbing to

secluded hot-spring dips,

the Nagano mountains are

a draw for those in search

of both winter thrills and

tranquil escapes.

28 INSIDE JAPAN Rise of the Bot BuildersThis month, the Club

launches two hands-on

classes for young, wannabe

robot engineers and app

programmers.

20

Cover photo of Club governors (l–r) Michael Benner, Mary Saphin, John Durkin, Jesse Green and Hiroshi Miyamasu by Yuuki Ide

Follow the Club Online

Getting in TouchDepartment/E-mail PhoneAmerican Bar & Grill (03) [email protected]

Banquet Sales and Reservations (03) [email protected]

Beauty Salon (03) 4588-0685Bowling Center (03) [email protected]

Café Med (03) [email protected]

Catering (03) [email protected]

Childcare Center (03) [email protected]

Communications (03) [email protected]

CHOP Steakhouse/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) 4588-0679Information Technology (03) 4588-0690Library (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]

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2 January 2016 iNTOUCH

To advertise in iNTOUCH, contact:[email protected]

For membership information,contact Mari Hori:[email protected]

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

www.tokyoamericanclub.org

Editor Nick Jones [email protected]

Assistant Editor Nick Narigon

DesignersEnrique BalducciAnna Ishizuka

Production AssistantYuko Shiroki

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

Suranga Hettige Don, DirectorRevenue Management

Business SupportLian Chang, Asst GM Business Support

Darryl Dudley, DirectorEngineering

Shuji Hirakawa, DirectorHuman Resources

Naoto Okutsu, DirectorFinance

Toby Lauer, DirectorInformation Technology

Shane Busato, DirectorCommunications

Canadian Tim Hornyak has written for the likes of technology newswire IDG News, Wired News, Scientific American, the Far Eastern

Economic Review and CBS Interactive’s popular CNET News website. He is the author of Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese

Robots and has coauthored Lonely Planet guidebooks on Japan. In this issue, he highlights the winter sports possibilities of Nagano Prefecture (page 30) and previews the Club’s hands-on tech classes for kids (page 28).

“It’s a miracle it ever happened,” Club Member Jerry Rosenberg declared while discussing the Club’s redevelopment project that saw the Club relocate its operations to Takanawa for three years while the present Pelli Clarke Pelli-designed facility was constructed.

With his years of experience on the Board and Club committees, including the Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC), which oversaw the $250 million project, he was referring to the pitfalls of any committee system.

Committees full of smart, strongly opinionated people can often lead to a painfully slow decision-making process, according to Rosenberg, who was interviewed for this month’s cover story, “A Home for the Future.”

“Everyone has been running a company. Everybody has a better idea than the next person,” he said. “I truly believed that there was no way that this [redevelopment project] was going to happen.”

This time, though, the Kobe earthquake and the purchase of the neighboring Azabu Towers apartment complex ensured the project moved forward, he said.

More than 13 years after the LRPC was established, the Club’s Azabudai home opened its doors to Members.

As he sat in the stunning Winter Garden during the opening ceremony on January 18, 2011, Rosenberg said he felt a sense of accomplishment. “I felt proud not only for me, but for the Club and all the people who had worked so hard to get it built.”

Tim Hornyak

At the age of 20, Yuuki Ide left his native Nagano Prefecture for Rome, Italy, where he spent three years producing video and taking photographs in the tourism industry. The experience inspired him to pursue photography further. Now a full-time freelance photographer, Ide has collaborated on numerous advertising campaigns and magazine shoots. A regular event photographer for iNTOUCH, he photographed the Board’s executive committee for this issue’s cover and a kids’ bot-building class (page 28). Yuuki Ide

from the editor

contributors

3

During the holiday season each year, we receive letters from friends afar. They’re

usually filled with tales of adventures from the past year: sights seen, career changes, school accomplishments, athletic performances and family additions. In many respects, it’s asmuch an opportunity for us toreconnect with loved ones as it isa chance to share in one another’s proud moments.

In keeping with this theme, I offer our own holiday letter, centering on the Club’s performance and, more importantly, the success we have experienced within our community over the past year.

Let’s begin with the very best news. Last year’s Member satisfaction survey revealed that overall Member happiness

(those who responded satisfied or very satisfied) had climbed from 77 percent in 2013 to 89 percent in 2015. That incredible 16 percent growth in just two years brought the satisfaction level to the highest rate in Club history.

But the joys of 2015 do not end there. Our talented and generous Women’s Group raised ¥9.2 million for local charities. The popular spots of Traders’ Bar and third-floor dining (CHOP Steakhouse) were revitalized and once again became the setting for many Member moments.

Club events, including the monthly First Friday get-togethers, seasonal programs and our annual Member Bonenkai Celebration, were well received and provided ample reason for Members to connect with one another. In addition, we’ve purchased new fitness equipment, introduced new lockers, launched new classes and created a simpler dress code, more in line with the times. It’s certainly beena busy year.

Most importantly, we have recovered membership to pre-global financial crisis levels, with a net increase of 120 Members in 2015. We now have around 3,950 Members, totaling approximately 10,500 people in our community, from more than 50 countries.

Our financial situation also continues to be positive, with revenues of ¥4.6 billion and earnings of ¥31 million in 2015, and we are making enormous strides in repaying the loan. This strong position allows us to continue to act on your feedback and further invest in the development of our Club.

Over the coming months, you will hear more about our plans to expand the Fitness Center, allowing for a bigger stretching area, new cardio machines and more weight-training equipment. We will also trial extended hours in the Fitness Center, Sky Pool and fourth-floor locker rooms from January 4, enabling Members to use the facilities earlier in the morning and later at night. On the food and beverage side, we will consider additional options for family diners and look at revitalizing American Bar & Grill.

By all accounts, 2015 was an overwhelmingly successful year for our Club, and we are on track to have another banner year in 2016. As always, I encourage you to get involved in the Club and have your voice heard, so that we can continue building upon our many achievements.

I wish you and yours the happiest and healthiest 2016, and I look forward to seeing each of you around the Club in the months ahead.

A BannerYear

by Jesse GreenSecond Vice President

New Club Board

N ine Members were elected to the Board of Governors at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on

November 17. Four of those elected (Michael Benner,

Michael Alfant, Betty Butler and Alok Rakyan) are first-time governors.

John Durkin, meanwhile, was reselected as Club president, or representative governor, following the results of the Board election. Mary Saphin and Jesse Green are the two vice presidents. Mark Miller Machi Nemoto Alok Rakyan Jerry Rosenberg Kazuakira Nakajima

John Durkin Mary Saphin Jesse Green Michael Benner Hiroshi Miyamasu

Michael Alfant Betty Butler Ginger Griggs Lance E Lee Gregory Lyon


BOARD OF GOVERNORS

we would focus our efforts in order to deliver on our promise of providing membership excellence.

The Recreation Department led the way by introducing numerous new classes, expanding its popular kids’ camp programs and Library events and focusing on staff training. The team also focused on the details, determined, for example, to make the Club the go-to place for true, American-style children’s parties.

Member Services went through a major transformation, with a structural overhaul that brought the Club’s concierge, parking, Video Library and Guest Studios services under one management umbrella. The goal was to create an entirely new level of service for Members. The results of our efforts were clear in last year’s Membership satisfaction survey. The Guest Studios—a great financial benefit to the Club—received the highest satisfaction rating of any area: 4.55 out of 5.

In our dining operations, we focused on menu variety, offering more food festivals and options and listening to the Membership through the Tell TAC feedback system and the Food & Beverage Committee. Foreign Traders’ Bar and third-floor dining (Decanter), in particular, were scrutinized and reworked.

It has been five years since we moved into our brilliant, new Azabudai Club that private club consultants

the McMahon Group described as “light years ahead of its U.S. counterparts” and “quite possibly the finest private club facility in the world.”

Two years after the move, we conducted our first Membership satisfaction survey. We asked Members for their opinion of every area of the Club and overall value of membership, and we did pretty well. Seventy-seven percent of Members indicated they were either very satisfied (18 percent) or satisfied (59 percent). We had a clear goal: to move the needle and increase the number of very satisfied Members.

When the Club committees and management delved into the 2013 survey, we pinpointed areas of operation where

Traders’ Bar, with its new American sports bar feel, not only welcomes more Members now, but satisfaction (very satisfied and satisfied) jumped from 61 percent in 2013 to 82 percent last year. The Member-exclusive third-floor restaurant, CHOP Steakhouse, which launched last year, made an even greater leap, with 78 percent of Members very satisfied or satisfied (Decanter’s equivalent rating was 46 percent). CHOP has proved a true success and is one of the most talked-about areas of the Club.

So what did 2015 results reveal? We moved the needle. Thirty-nine percent of Members said they were very satisfied with the Club, more than double 2013’s figure. When including satisfied Members, the number was 89 percent, a significant improvement from 77 percent just two years before.

Are we there yet? No way. This year is packed with new ideas, a focus on staff and training, expanded fitness facility hours and new fitness machines in a bigger space. We’re also working on a new CHOP Bar concept and, as you’ll know, work has already begun in American Bar & Grill, with its new seafood- and prime rib-focused dinner menu. It’s all about movingthat needle.

Movingthe Needle

by Brian MarcusAssistant General Manager

Business operations

5

MANAGEMENT

Coming up in February

What’s on in January

Wednesday–

Friday20–22Lobster NightsFor three nights only, American Bar & Grill is steaming and grilling the succulent king of the sea. 6 p.m.

Saturday16Fitness FairStart 2016 on the right foot by attending the Club’s health and fitness expo. Experience firsthand the exciting group fitness classes offered this year. 2 p.m. Learn more about what’s on offer on page 16.

14Squash Social NightSquash 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. Squash Kickoff Social on January 26, from 6:15 p.m.

Thursday

1Club ClosureThe Club takes a break on New Year’s Day and welcomes back Members on January 2.

2–3New Year BuffetCelebrate the start of the year with a spread of crowd-pleasing family favorites at Rainbow Café. 11 a.m.

Saturday–

Sunday2–3New Year’s BowlingWin a free game by bowling a strike or spare when the colored pin is at the front. Bowling Center.

Saturday–

Sunday

Sunday24Tech ClassesFuture engineers and coders embark on eight weeks of tech fun at Build a Bot and iOS Programming workshops. 4:30 p.m. Find out more about these exciting classes on page 28.

2–31Youth Bowling BonanzaYoungsters grab their friends and hit the lanes for a chance to win fabulous prizes. Contact the Bowling Center for details.

Saturday–

Sunday

Friday

Saturday23Daruma MakingMake your own traditional Japanese talisman for a year of good luck. 10:30 a.m. Yukiko Maki and Toko Shinoda classrooms. ¥3,500. Sign up online.

MondayMonday 2525A New Year, A New You: Weight-Loss ChallengeKick-start that New Year’s resolution with a 10-week, weight loss program at the Club. ¥73,000. Sign up online or at the Fitness Center.

Coffee ConnectionsWhether you’re new to the city or you just want to expand your social circle, drop by this free Women’s Group gathering. Contact the Women’s Group Office to organize free childcare. 10:30 a.m.

2 Setsubun Zojo Temple Walking Tour 4 Monthly Program: Mardi Gras Fete 4 Meet the Author: Leza Lowitz

4–8Winter SAT ProgramProfessional tutors lead a comprehensive weeklong course to help high school students perform their best on the SAT college entrance exam. 9 a.m. ¥69,980. Sign up online.

Monday–

Friday8Mommy 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.

Friday Saturday Saturday9 9New 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. Also on January 27.

Seven Lucky Gods Walking TourAmass good luck for the coming year by joining this tour to the temples of the seven lucky gods in the Tokyo district of Yanaka. 10 a.m. Sign up online.

Monday18Gallery Reception: Yukiko ShimizuThe Boston-bred photographer launches her collection of history- and nature-inspired compositions at the Frederick Harris Gallery. 6:30 p.m. Find out more on page 15.

Wednesday20Toastmasters LuncheonStart losing your fear of public speaking and improve your leadership skills. 12 p.m. Members: ¥2,200; non-Members: ¥2,560. Sign up online or at the Library.

Wednesday20Zin’ and ’Za TastingThe annual partnership of pizza and wine returns, with a special appearance by Zinfandel’s Italian sibling, Primitivo. 7 p.m. Find out more on page 8.

15First Friday: ShinnenkaiCelebrate the five-year anniversary of the Azabudai Club at an evening of drinks, eats and live entertainment in the Winter Garden. 6 p.m. ¥2,000. No sign-up necessary.

Friday Friday15Antipasti BuffetIn homage to the world’s best appetizers, Café Med hosts evening antipasti buffets every weekend from this month. 5 p.m.

17 NZ vs Oz Wine Challenge 25 Warabi “Naked Festival” Tour 28 Taste of Winter Buffet


Saturday9CHOP Family NightCHOP Steakhouse, the Club’s home of steaks and other classic American steakhouse favorites, hosts a special evening of signature food for families of all ages. 5 p.m.

Monday4New Fitness and Pool HoursThe Fitness Center, Sky Pool and fourth-floor locker rooms begin their new hours of 5:45 a.m. to 11 p.m., while Café Med opens at 7 a.m. on weekdays and Rainbow Café at the same time on weekends.

Friday–

Sunday22–24Skiing in NaganoMembers spend two nights in beautiful Norikura, Nagano Prefecture’s winter sports secret. Explore the region’s winter sports potential on page 30.

12NCAAF National ChampionshipTraders’ Bar airs live the winner-takes-all battle between college football’s top two teams. Kickoff at 10:30 a.m. (food available from 11 a.m.).

Tuesday

Saturday–

Sunday16–17Fukushima Kids Homestay ProgramForty schoolchildren from Fukushima stay overnight with Members and their families and enjoy a host of fun activities at the Club.

Friday22Napa Valley Wine Tasting with Kelli WhiteThe noted sommelier and author of Napa Valley Then & Now

shares some of her favorite Napa vintages with Members. 7 p.m. White offers her Napa picks on page 10.

Prices exclude 8 percent consumption tax.

Saturday16Chef’s Table New Menu LaunchThis exclusive pocket of CHOP Steakhouse rolls out a new series of menus for memorable private dining. Flip to page 9 to find out more.

18Youth Swim Program KickoffPrivate lessons for kids and the Mudsharks Group lessons begin in the Sky Pool. Visit the Club website or Sky Pool Office for details.

MondaySaturday–

Sunday16–17Birth Preparation for CouplesExpectant parents prepare for the big day during this Women’s Group class. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. ¥34,300. Sign up at Member Services.

Monday4Adult Swim ProgramsThe Sky Pool launches another semester of aqua workouts and stroke development for adults.

Monday–

Friday4–8Camp Discovery: Holiday EditionAges 3 through 7 keep boredom at bay with a weeklong session of holiday-themed arts and crafts, music, dance and fun.

Sunday–

Monday10–25NFL PlayoffsThe road to the Super Bowl begins. Catch every NFL playoff game at Traders’ Bar each Sunday and Monday.

Monday11Mudsharks Season Kickoff The Club’s youth swim team, the Mudsharks, dives into another season of training and competition. Visit the Club website or Sky Pool Office for details.

Thursday21Men’s Golf Group Kickoff PartyClub golfers present awards while launching another season of competition and friendly play with a casual get-together. 7 p.m. Visit the Club website to learn more.

Thursday21Library Book GroupThe Club’s band of book lovers meets at Café Med to discuss All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. 11 a.m. For details, contact the Library.

Saturday30Early 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.

Friday29All-American Friday Feast Hook up with friends at Café Med for an all-you-can-eat spread of Tex-Mex favorites. 5 p.m.

Wednesday27Spring Enrichment Program RegistrationEnrich your life by picking up a new skill or hobby from the myriad Women’s Group programs on offer. Contact the Women’s Group Office for details.

Tuesday26Good Nutrition GuideThe Club’s nutrition expert, Dan Mullaney, hosts a half-day workshop on food as medicine and the psychology of weight loss. 6 p.m. ¥6,000. Continues on January 28 and January 31. Sign up online.

6 Carpet Auction 8 Super Bowl 50 at the Club 8 Language Exchange Coffee 13 Father-Daughter Dinner Dance

7

EVENTS

Zin’ and ’Za Tasting Wednesday, January 207 p.m.Washington and Lincoln rooms¥8,500*Sign up online or at Member Services*Excludes 8 percent consumption tax.

by Arthur Ozeki and Geoff Bowman

It is well known that wine pairs well with the cuisine of the same region, so it is no surprise that Zinfandel/Primitivo and pizza are a good match. Both red wine varietals trace their roots back to a Croatian grape called Crljenak Kaštelanski (literally, “red grape of Kaštela”), which dates back to the 1300s.

Zinfandel first made its way to the United States from Europe in 1829 and was grown initially in Long Island and Boston. It was transported to California in 1852, when hundreds of prospectors headed west in search of gold.

The grape was well suited to the California climate, and by 1888 it was the state’s most planted red grape varietal (34,000 acres). Today, Zinfandel’s 54,000 acres are surpassed only by Cabernet Sauvignon, and many Zinfandels are grown from some of California’s oldest vines.

Produced primarily today on the heel of Italy, Primitivo was widely consumed centuries ago by the Phoenicians near what is now known as Apulia (Puglia). Primitivo develops well under the hot Italian sun and tends to be juicy, well structured and concentrated. Many established wineries in Italy, the US and even Australia are planting Primitivo, which bodes well for the future.

But enough of history. This month’s Wine Committee tasting features a variety of pizza styles, crusts and toppings from three different sources, including the Club, together with one flight of Zinfandels from the Sierra foothills in central California, one from Sonoma’s famed Dry Creek Valley and one flight of Italian Primitivos.

It promises to be a fun evening of flavor mixing and matching. o

Ozeki and Bowman are members of the Wine Committee.

A Match Made in the Oven

Enriq

ue B

aldu

cci

Now that we’ve all seen the Force awaken in Star Wars, what better way to kick off 2016 than with an evening

of gourmet pizza and sumptuous wine? This annual partnership of pizza and Zinfandel returns this month, and this time we will also feature Zinfandel’s Italian sibling, Primitivo.

Zinfandel and pizza

Although modern-day pizza comes with a variety of crusts, cheeses and toppings, the origins of the dish can be found in the cultures of the Middle East and Mediterranean in the form of flat, unleavened bread. The Italian pizza we are all familiar with today emerged from Naples in the 19th century, when tomatoes were combined with flatbread.


Nestled in a nook in the CHOP Steakhouse kitchen, the Chef ’s Table offers Members an intimate, private dining experience in the

creative heart of the restaurant.To further enhance the occasion,

CHOP’s chef de cuisine, Scott Kihara, unveils a new set of Chef ’s Table-exclusive menus this month.

“We had fun arranging these menus. The offerings range from classic CHOP Steakhouse signature items to different seasonal inspirations to inspirations from all parts of the world,” says Kihara. “People enjoy the experience. They can listen to the hum of the kitchen. They can see all of the moving pieces that need to happen to deliver the meal to their table.”

Eight diners can sit comfortably around the marble-topped table and enjoy a front row view of the kitchen and Kihara’s culinary team in action.

Diners are assigned one dedicated server and a sommelier to offer wine recommendations, while Kihara stops by periodically to answer questions about ingredients and dishes.

“The Chef ’s Table provides an exclusive venue to entertain some of my most important business associates,” says Member Antonio Alvarez. “While the action in the kitchen is palpable, the setting is private and allows for a different type of experience. Naturally, the menu is first class, and my guests always enjoy the meal wholeheartedly.” o

Chef’s Table New Menu LaunchAvailable from January 166–10 p.m.CHOP Steakhouse

by Nick Narigon

Dinner withthe Chefs

Pleasureby the Glass

2012 Achaval-Ferrer Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

Founded by a group of Argentine and Italian friends in 1998, Achaval-Ferrer has grown to become a producer of quality, award-winning wines. This Malbec, nurtured in some of the best hilltop vineyards in Mendoza and supplied by the clean waters of the Andes, is a true expression of some of the world’s purest soils. Youthful and structured, it has a bouncy fruitiness on the nose and a pleasing velvetiness in the mouth.

Perfect partner: savory stew, spaghetti and meatballs, burgers or Tex-Mex.

Available by the glass through the Enomatic wine dispenser in the Winter Garden. Prepaid Enomatic cards can be purchased at American Bar & Grill or The Cellar.

Chef de cuisine Scott Kihara

Enrique Balducci

WINE & DINING

9

Freshly transplanted from New York City to Napa Valley, noted sommelier Kelli White wanted to familiarize herself with the local

wine scene. She wound up penning a 1,200-page tome on the dynamic history, characters and wines of the celebrated winemaking region.

It took White four and a half years to research and write Napa Valley Then & Now, which boasts a foreword by wine critic Robert Parker and has garnered accolades from The Wall Street Journal and others. “I spent a lot of time with the vintners, especially the older generation, just trying to learn as much from them as I could,” she says.

The book proffers a detailed look at the region’s appellations and vintages, as well as roughly 200 producer profiles and 2,000 tasting notes that reach as far back as the 1940s. The idea for the publication came after White and her fiancé, Scott Brenner, moved to California in 2008 to compile a peerless, Napa-only wine list for a local restaurant.

Once they opted to concentrate on old vintages, it became evident that there had been virtually nothing written on the wines’ aging potential. It was like “discovering an uncharted territory of wine,” says White, 35, who also cofounded a small label, Houndstooth, with Brenner.

White discovered not only delectable, decades-old Cabernet Sauvignons, but also Pinot Noirs, Zinfandels, Merlots and Chardonnays. The pervasive notion that California wines were meant solely for early drinking still lingers, but Napa Valley is designed, in part, to eviscerate

Napa Valley Wine Tasting with Kelli WhiteFriday, January 227 p.m.Washington and Lincoln rooms¥5,000*Sign up online or at Member Services*Excludes 8 percent consumption tax.

by Wendi Onuki

that presumption. In fact, White notes, some wines from the 1960s to ’80s currently bear a striking similarity to Bordeaux or Barolo wines.

The old vintages won over many skeptical consumers during White’s recent tastings in Europe, where California wine is, at times, a hard sell. “The thing that put modern Napa Valley on the map was the cult Cabs and the big, powerful Cabernets, and those are not always appealing to people with more classical or European palates,” she says.

Club Members with discerning tastes will have their chance to be delighted by the old Napa vintages when White brings a compendium of wines—from Grgich Hills Estate, Rudd Oakville Estate, Opus One and Charles Krug Winery—to Tokyo this month.

Oenophiles yearning to uncover more about the wines and their stories may want to make room on their bookshelves for Napa Valley, which the author describes as “kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure novel.” Where the winemakers are the protagonists. o

Onuki is a Michigan-based freelance journalist.

Napa’s Well-Aged Stars

Sommelier Kelli White offers her picks of sushi-friendly wines from Napa.

Massican Sauvignon BlancA crisp and lively white from Dan Petroski, who is also the winemaker at Larkmead.

Ryme VermentinoThis Sonoma-based, husband-and-wife brand sources some Vermentino from Carneros for “his” and “hers” versions.

Richard G Peterson Sparkling RoséWorld-class rosé from a small plot of vines in Yountville by the veteran Napa winemaker (and father of notable vintner Heidi Barrett).

Kongsgaard AlbariñoBest known for his powerful Chardonnays, John Kongsgaard’s bracing Albariño is equally impressive.

Forman ChardonnayBright, focused, un-Napa in style and consistently one of the best in California.

California Pairin’

Opus One winery


WINE & DINING

The Jacket

This welded soft shell jacket from American brand Port Authority offers a sharp-looking way to stay warm and dry this winter. Its 100 percent polyester-woven shell, bonded to a polyester microfleece lining, ensures it is both wind- and water-resistant. Available for men and women in US sizes in black and battleship gray, the cadet-collared jacket also features the Club logo, embroidered on the arm. Three zippered pockets, open cuffs and an open hem with a drawcord and toggles complete this piece of outerwear’s stylish finish. ¥7,800

The Wine

The Cellar is kicking off 2016 with a bevy of great-value wine packs. Of the two six-bottle options (there are also two-bottle and four-bottle sets), the selection pictured offers drinkers a mix of French and American wines, comprising Champagne in form of Laurent-Perrier Brut NV, a 2012 Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay from Napa and a 2012 Gérard Boulay Sancerre from Loire. The reds include a 2011 Famille Perrin Les Sinards from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Evening Land’s 2011 Seven Springs Pinot Noir from Oregon and a 2011 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma. ¥35,700

The Films

The Video Library’s shelves are stocked with some acclaimed docudramas this month, including Experimenter, in which Peter Sarsgaard delivers a gripping performance as social psychologist Stanley Milgram, who, in 1961, conducted a series of behavior experiments on people’s willingness to obey authority. The 1996 Mount Everest expeditions, which saw eight mountaineers lose their lives in a huge storm, are chronicled with dizzying cinematography in Everest. While new titles can be rented for ¥400 each, monthly membership allows movie lovers to rent any number of DVDs for ¥2,500 a month.

The SelectionExplore a world of gift ideas, keepsakes and distinctive paraphernalia at The Cellar (B1).

Prices exclude 8 percent consumption tax.

Compiled by Nick Jones and Nick Narigon.

THE SELECTION

11

Healthy Habits

After a holiday season of food and festivity, January is often the month when people are inspired to put a healthy diet and exercise plan at the top of their list of

New Year’s resolutions. For all our best intentions, cold weather and dark days can

make it hard to stick to good eating and regular exercise. Those Members struggling to attain their goals, or who can’t make it to the Fitness Fair on January 16, might find something to help them along the way on the Library shelves.

There is a huge variety of diet books in the collection. Some focus on alleviating allergies or food intolerances, some offer short-term fixes or longer-term overhauls, while others offer advice on overcoming bad habits. A couple of examples of the latter are The Great American Detox Diet by Alex Jamieson and Everyday Detox: 100 Easy Recipes to Remove Toxins, Promote Gut Health and Lose Weight Naturally by Megan Gilmore.

It has never been easier for those wanting to incorporate more vegetarian options into their diet. There are many cookbooks with imaginative and flavorsome recipes that should appeal to even the most committed carnivores. Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day and The Greens Cook Book: Extraordinary Vegetarian Cuisine from the Celebrated Restaurant by Deborah Madison are good places to start.

Two recent additions to the Library are New York Times best-seller 100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake and At My Table: Vegetarian Feasts for Family and Friends by Mary McCartney (daughter of a certain well-known musician).

On the exercise side of things, the Library offers magazines

by Sarah Takahashi

and books on such activities as running, golf and swimming. For people embarking on a fitness regime for the first time, books like The Exercise Cure by Dr Jordan Metzl suggest training programs for beginners that progress along with fitness levels. There are also books on Pilates, yoga and stretching to help get your body moving at home on those cold mornings.

With such a wealth of health and diet books, there really are no excuses this year! o

Takahashi is the Library’s former senior librarian.

off the shelf

Jonathan ClubFounded in 1895, the Jonathan Club boasts two exceptional homes: the Town Club in downtown Los Angeles and the Beach Club in Santa Monica. The club’s 3,600 members enjoy a broad range of dining, athletic and wellness facilities, as well as more than 200 events a year, from winemaker dinners to author talks.

www.jc.org

Reciprocal Club Spotlight

Worldwide NetworkThe Club is a member of a network of more than 150 private membership clubs across the world. Members can take advantage of this network when traveling abroad on business or for a vacation.

Check the Reciprocal Clubs page of the Club website for details.


Dissolution by C J Sansom

Henry VIII’s court is full of spies and intrigue,

and Thomas Cromwell is presiding over the

dissolution of the monasteries. Matthew

Shardlake, a hunchback lawyer, does his best

to avoid court politics, but when Cromwell

orders him to investigate a murder at the

monastery of Scarnsea, he has no choice but

to take it on.

Sansom’s Shardlake mystery series, of which

Dissolution (2003) is the first, is set during a

fascinating period in English history. Here,

he evokes the dark, cloistered world of an

ancient monastery and a way of life that is

about to be destroyed.

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

Dojo Daycare by Chris Tougas

What are ninja parents to do when they head to work?

Drop the kids off at the Dojo Daycare, of course. But the

little ninjas just don’t seem to want to listen or sit quietly

today. The strain is even beginning to show on the little

ninja teddy bear. EK

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George RR Martin

Set nearly a century before the events of A Game of

Thrones, Kingdoms is a compilation of three prequels,

with an array of new and exciting characters. Ser

Duncan the Tall, a young, courageous knight, and his

squire, known as Egg, encounter numerous escapades

on their travels through Westeros. AK

Purity by Jonathan Franzen

Purity, known as Pip, is desperate to find out who she

is. She joins The Sunlight Project, a WikiLeaks-type

organization that traffics confidential information, in

hopes to learn about her origins. Daring and masterful,

Pip’s journey of self-discovery proves that purity comes

in countless forms. AK

Citi x 60—Tokyo: 60 Local Creatives Bring You the Best of the CityCurated by a band of local artists, photographers,

filmmakers, designers, chefs, architects and musicians,

this travel guide highlights the best of the city through

a host of recommendations on everything from

accommodations and eateries to distinctive shops and

festivals. Includes detailed maps. EK

Deep Dark Fears by Fran Krause

Inspired by his popular web comic, illustrator and

cartoonist Krause unveils 101 dynamic illustrations,

based on real fears submitted by online readers. Deep

Dark Fears taps into the part of our humanity that ignites

the bond we share when we fear the same thing. AK

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

To the outside world, Lotto and Mathilde seem to have

it all. They’re attractive, glamorous, rapidly rising to

greatness and madly in love. In a riveting tale that spans

24 years, Groff delivers an emotional truth that Lott and

Mathilde are not who they seem. AK

Reviews compiled by librarians Alison Kanegae and Erica Kawamura.

Compiled by former senior librarian Sarah Takahashi.

Sansom photo by Fergus Greer.

new readsburied treasures

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

13

As a longtime resident of Tokyo, I was used to earthquakes. But this one was different. The violent shaking grew in

intensity with each second. On the street, I watched a skyscraper sway from side to side, hoping it wouldn’t topple.

What we didn’t know on that chilly March 11 afternoon in 2011 was that far out at sea tsunami waves were racing towards the Tohoku coast in northeastern Japan.

With no way to find out if my 6-year-old son was OK, I traversed the city by foot. When I arrived at my son’s kindergarten, I discovered that his 80-year-old grandfather had already walked the 3 kilometers from home to collect him. My husband arrived late that night after walking seven hours from work to our home in western Tokyo.

The news of the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant triggered a collective anxiety, and many residents began to leave. My family and I decided to stay. Japan had given me so much, and I thought I could at least try to give something back.

The yoga studio I own organized relief for a number of Tohoku communities through the efforts of Second Harvest Japan, Animal Rescue Niigata and Caroline Pover. When school started after the spring break, I traveled to Tohoku and volunteered at some of the temporary housing shelters, and my studio provided funds for a new library in Oshika in Miyagi Prefecture.

But I wanted to do more. Inspired by a young boy I met in the disaster zone,

I wrote Up from the Sea. The novel is about a boy who loves soccer and starts a team to rally his town. Months later, I discovered that exactly this had happened in Onagawa, with the founding of Cobaltore Onagawa FC.

Other inspirational stories appeared, such as the one about a man who found a soccer ball washed up on the beach in Alaska. His Japanese wife read the writing on the ball and discovered that it had floated all the way from Rikuzentakata. The couple traced the ball’s teenage owner and traveled to Japan to return it.

In June 2011, four Japanese high school students, who had lost family members in the tsunami, together with university students whose parents had perished in the 1995 Kobe earthquake, flew to New York to raise awareness and money for the Tohoku children orphaned in the disaster.

Two American students, one who had lost her father in 9/11 and another who had lost his mother in Hurricane

Finding Hope in HardshipAhead of her talk next month, writer Leza Lowitz explains the inspiration for her upcoming book, Up from the Sea.

Katrina, joined them. I was deeply inspired by this story of survivors of tragedies in one country reaching out to survivors in another. I imagined a meeting between children affected by 3/11 and those affected by 9/11, culminating in a visit to the national memorial in New York on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

I wrote Up from the Sea in verse because I thought the form lent immediacy to the events. Verse can also be more engaging for many young readers, particularly those with short attention spans.

I based the book on the events of March 11 and the 10th anniversary of 9/11, but the story is fiction. It’s my hope that it will keep a light shining on Tohoku while carrying a message that we can help anyone—even when we live oceans apart. o

Lowitz is a Tokyo-based writer and yoga instructor.

Meet the Author: Leza LowitzThursday, February 47–8 p.m. Toko Shinoda Classroom¥1,500* (includes one drink)Sign up online or at Member ServicesPrices exclude 8 percent consumption tax.

Leza Lowitz


by Nick Narigon

A Tokyo native who grew up in Boston, Yukiko Shimizu was influenced by her grandfather’s passion for photography from an early age. As a youngster, she carried a camera everywhere and shot whatever captured her attention.

Shimizu, who brings a collection of photographs to the Frederick Harris Gallery this month, majored in photography at New York’s Parsons School of Design, and studied 19th-century photographic techniques at the Center for Alternative Photography in the city. She also participated in the School of Visual Arts’ photography residency program.

An accomplished musician, Shimizu studied computer music at a UCLA extension and completed a songwriting program at Berklee College of Music. At New York University’s interactive telecommunications program, she experimented with performance art that combined her two passions of visual and musical expression.

For her exhibition, Shimizu visited such sacred locations as Yakushima, Mount Koya, Nachi and Ise, to explore Japan’s ancient, religious history.

“Japan’s nature is imbued with universal concepts handed down through the generations,” she says. “It was the experience of living overseas that opened my eyes afresh to the mystical beauty of Japan’s nature and prompted me to lend an ear to the memories and tales concealed in its interstices.”

Shimizu has exhibited her works as part of solo and group exhibitions throughout Tokyo.

ExhibitionJanuary 18–February 7

Gallery ReceptionMonday, January 186:30–8 p.m.Frederick Harris Gallery (B1 Formal Lobby)Free Adults onlyOpen to invitees and Members only

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

Frederick Harris Gallery | Yukiko Shimizu

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

15

by Nick NarigonPortraits by Enrique Balducci

Fitness Festa

The top three most popular New Year’s resolutions in 2015 were to stay fit, lose weight and enjoy life to the fullest. Members can meet all of their resolutions at this month’s Fitness Fair.More than 10 instructors

will be on hand January 16 to educate attendees about the range of fitness and wellness classes on offer at the Club.“Being able to sample a number of different classes in one go makes it easier to choose the right class,” says regular attendee Therese Cowled. “Plus, it makes taking that first step a little less intimidating.”

This month’s Fitness Fair offers Members a chance to sample a range of wellness classes and workouts.

Indoor Cycling/Boot CampClass: During indoor cycling, also known as Spinning, students are led through intervals of sprints, hill climbs and other drills to an up-tempo beat. Boot camp is a mix of strength-training exercises and cardio drills in a vibrant environment.

Instructor: Club Member Mary Becherer is a West Virginia native who played on the youth tennis circuit. A fitness enthusiast, she decided to become an instructor after the birth of her second daughter in 2011.

“I really like the rush of adrenaline you feel during a group exercise class. Once you get into the groove, it’s hard to stop.”

TRX Circuit TrainingClass: Navy SEAL commandoes invented suspension training when they rigged an apparatus made from a jujitsu belt and parachute webbing. During TRX circuit training, students balance their body weight while moving through familiar exercise drills, stimulating the core for more than 80 percent of the workout.

Instructor: Montreal native Robert Daoust holds a first-degree black belt in the martial art kudo, is a certified personal trainer and competed at the 1987 North American snowboarding championship.

“Some people join TRX for general fitness. Some join to tone up. Some people, such as those with injuries, shy away from the weights, so this is a good option to get a whole-body workout.”

SquashClass: A 30-minute squash session is equivalent to running 10 kilometers. Beginners learn the basics of the game, while experienced players hone their skills with Japan’s top squash athletes.

Instructor: Club squash pro Peter Amaglio competed at the Australian championships and coached in Switzerland before arriving in Japan in 1991. He has won every major tournament in Japan and was once ranked No 1 in the country.

“The Club facilities are great. The floors here don’t slip. Plus, the walls are concrete, which I grew up playing on in Australia. It’s like getting back to [my] roots.”

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One-Time Winter Fair, January 4–23

ZumbaClass: Zumba infuses salsa, merengue, cumbia and world dance with aerobic exercise in a party atmosphere.

Instructor: Utah native Lisa Hale studied dance from a young age and has taught tap, ballet and jazz dance. The mother of four became a certified Zumba instructor five years ago. She also performs with a Bollywood dance troupe.

“What is interesting is to see people change. Maybe the first time they wear sweats. Then they start wearing form-fitting clothes because they feel better about their bodies.”

Simply YogaClass: Simply Yoga students learn the key yoga postures and breathing exercises while simultaneously toning the body, increasing flexibility and relieving stress. Participants range from university students to grandparents.

Instructor: Mai Okumura discovered yoga as a theatre student in Pennsylvania. She is certified by the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center and appeared on her own yoga TV program. She has taught at the Club for more than 10 years.

“The class is very organic. Everybody has different abilities. Some people have injuries. The class even changes depending on the season because our bodies change in wintertime or summertime.”

Fitness FairSaturday, January 162–5 p.m.Recreation area (2F)FreeSign up online

Discount TicketsParticipants will be able to buy Fit-Tix tickets at a 30 percent discount (tickets limited) at the Fitness Fair.

Calories burned per hour (70kg person)

Squash 844

Running 704

Cycling 563

Zumba 536

Aerobics 457

Yoga 281

Walking 232

Source: Center for Health and Sciences

RECREATION & FITNESS

17

Sitting at a table in the New York Ballroom, Samantha Tamrakar’s cheeks blushed as red as the sari draped over her shoulder.

The luncheon last May, hosted by the College Women’s Association of Japan (CWAJ), was to unveil that year’s recipients

of the organization’s annual scholarships. Tamrakar was awarded the CWAJ-Women’s Group non-Japanese graduate scholarship, worth ¥2 million, to complete her PhD in neurosurgery in Japan.

But as she accepted her award, there were families in her homeland of Nepal

Empowering a Pioneer

Ahead of next month’s fundraising Carpet Auction, one doctor explains how a Women’s Group scholarship has enabled her to continue her PhD studies.

sleeping in open roads and parks while being pounded by torrential rain as the ground shook beneath them.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the country last April left more than 9,000 people dead and more than 23,000 injured. Hundreds of thousands were left homeless. The day before the scholarship ceremony, 200 people died from a 7.3-magnitude aftershock.

“I never considered myself a patriotic person, but after this, I mean looking at

Pampering Prizes

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.

Spend more than ¥10,000 during any visit to The Spa this month and you’ll be entered into a draw for the chance to win from a selection of prizes, including massage and facial treatments and skincare products.

January 2–31

Price excludes 8 percent consumption tax.

by Nick Narigon


Carpet AuctionSaturday, February 65–11 p.m.New York BallroomSign up online from January 5

the destruction, my heart just cries,” said Tamrakar after the ceremony. “I just want to go back. I just want to do whatever I can to provide any kind of support, any kind of comfort.”

Her professor at Osaka City College enabled the 33-year-old’s return to Nepal, where she volunteered for the month of June. He provided for her transportation and raised funds and donated medical supplies.

“The quality which always amazes me in all the Japanese is their nature to always help others,” said Tamrakar. “Nepal is very lucky to have support from all over the world. This is globalization. If one country is suffering, everyone comes together.”

Tamrakar conducted free health clinics with her former employer, the Kathmandu Neuro Center and Polyclinic. As daily aftershocks rocked the areas surrounding the capital, Tamrakar administered basic treatments and dressed wounds.

She also organized friends to distribute stationery to nearly 650 schoolchildren in the rural village of Bhardeu and arrange a dance troupe performance.

“Seeing the happy looks on the faces of the students, it felt like I had accomplished my goal,” Tamrakar said after her return to Osaka. “Their losses, their pain, their cries are all unimaginable and have touched me immensely.”

Tamrakar said her family’s dedication to education inspired her to help the students whose schools were destroyed. Tamrakar’s own home of Dharan was not affected by the earthquake, and her family was safe.

Her father is a small shop owner who has worked the same job for 45 years to school Tamrakar and her brother. Tamrakar attended the same boarding school in India as the queen of Nepal, before completing medical school in China.

“My father has been working very hard for my medical education. …He is still in a

SURF&TURFA CLASSIC AMERICAN MENU WITH A HOOK

American Bar & Grill’s new dinner menu blends Tsukiji-fresh seafood with its signature prime rib and other supreme cuts.

lot of debt to cover the loans from the bank,” said Tamrakar. “I am in the place I am right now because of him. It is his continuous faith and support that always pushes me.”

Tamrakar worked for four years at the Kathmandu Neuro Center and Polyclinic. Her mentor there, who had completed his PhD in Hiroshima, urged Tamrakar to study in Japan.

Now in the second year of a five-year PhD program in Osaka, she is specializing in epilepsy, a field with few specialists in Nepal. “In Nepal, epilepsy is still considered as a curse from the gods,” she said. “People really do not know that this is a medical treatment that needs attention.”

Tamrakar said she wanted to both educate the Nepalese public about epilepsy and improve the country’s testing methods. When she completes her PhD, Tamrakar will become Nepal’s fifth female neurosurgeon.

“For my PhD, I did not ask for one single penny from [my father]. It was a really bold decision that I made to come to Japan with no scholarship and with no financial support,” said Tamrakar, whose scholarship was partly funded by bidders at last year’s Carpet Auction. “If it was not for [the CWAJ-Women’s Group scholarship], I do not think that studying any education here in Japan would be possible.” o

Samantha Tamrakar

RECREATION & FITNESS

19

between 1971 and 1975 either collapsed or were irreparably damaged.

The Azabudai Club was rebuilt during this precise period. In the aftermath of Kobe, the Club arranged for structural engineers to inspect the facilities. They expressed particular concern about the separate Recreation Building. When a Membership survey the following year revealed high levels of dissatisfaction with various aspects of the facilities, the Board of Governors decided to think seriously about the Club’s future.

The Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC) was set up in 1997

by Nick JonesGovernor photos by Yuuki Ide

The 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Kobe in the predawn hours of January 17, 1995, not only decimated the port city, but also forced Japan’s engineers to rethink some of their principles of

quakeproof construction.The disaster left more than 6,400

people dead and thousands of buildings destroyed, including a number of elevated expressways. The engineering reports made for disturbing reading. Reinforced concrete buildings constructed before the stricter 1981 building code fared especially badly. In fact, 30 percent of structures built

AS THE CLUB CELEBRATES ITS FIFTH BIRTHDAY IN ITS AZABUDAI HOME THIS MONTH, INTOUCH TRACES ITS INCEPTION BACK TO THE 1990S.

A HOME for the FUTURE


and set about looking for an alternative site on which to build a new facility. Club governor Jerry Rosenberg, 66, was a member of the committee.

“The initial work was to look for a greenfield site,” he says. “The main reason for doing it was it would allow us, in theory, to build a building and, on a certain day, we could move from here to there and everything would be great. And then we would sell this building off.”

As Members continued to call for improvements to the facilities, the Club bought the adjoining Azabu Towers apartment complex in 2001. The purchase would prove significant.

“Once we had that, the footprint [of the land increased] and the possibilities changed,” Rosenberg says.

Eventually opting to redevelop its Azabudai site, the LRPC formulated a plan with the Club’s redevelopment partners of Mitsubishi Estate, Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei and Takenaka Corporation to temporarily relocate the facilities to Takanawa for the duration of the construction of the new building.

The Club then began the search for an architect. The American design firm behind the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Pelli Clarke Pelli, was selected from 28 contenders.

Speaking to iNTOUCH in 2008, three years after winning the contract, Fred Clarke said he saw the Club “as a big house for a big, sprawling, complicated family.” That vision, Rosenberg says, is evident in the building’s interior finishes.

“So why are there bookcases in the Winter Garden? Why is there a fireplace in the Winter Garden? It’s because they wanted that to feel like the living room in your home. They wanted to create that atmosphere but also within an architecturally dynamic and impressive place,” he explains.

The LRPC provided Pelli Clarke Pelli with an ambitious list of possible facilities and amenities for the new structure. “Our wish list was 150 percent of what we could actually build,” says Rosenberg, who joined the Club in 1991.

There were also serious, longstanding problems, including insufficient parking, inadequate separation of casual and formal

facilities and meager family and fitness offerings, to be solved in any new design.

Once the Membership voted in favor of the redevelopment plan in 2006, the Club’s temporary home in Takanawa was built the following year. At the end of 2007, Members and staff bid farewell to the building in Azabudai that had witnessed so many parties, holiday events, weddings and business deals since the early 1970s.

Over the next three years, Pelli Clarke Pelli’s mesmerizing design began to take shape on the site that had been home to the Club since 1954. At the grand opening of the $250 million facility on January

18, 2011, US Ambassador John Roos, the Club’s honorary president, called the building “truly spectacular.”

During a visit to the Club in 2013, Frank Vain, president of the private club consultants the McMahon Group, had high praise for the Club’s “zoning” approach to its family and adult areas. “I think there’s a lot here that suggests that this building and this facility is the club of the future,” he said.

“Everybody believed that we needed something that would take us into the next 50 years, and I think we accomplished that,” Rosenberg says. “It’s a fantastic building and we should be proud of it.” o

FEATURE

21

BACK FORWARD

JOHN DURKINPRESIDENT

JESSE GREENSECOND VICE PRESIDENT

HIROSHI MIYAMASUTREASURER

THE LAST FIVE YEARS...I can park my car without the hassles of the old Club parking lot, such as time limits, excessive waiting and overtime penalties. Fitness is no longer a mousetrap; I can swim all year-round; and when the weather is nice, I can eat and enjoy a bottle of 50 percent-off wine on the American Bar & Grill terrace while watching the sun set.

THE NEXT FIVE...We will evolve with the changing requirements of the Members. For example, as DVDs slip into history, that B1 space will be used for a more relevant purpose. We will also continue to improve options for families, innovate and refresh our menus and keep up with the latest technology and trends in fitness. Most importantly, we will continue to build the community of our home away from home.

THE LAST FIVE YEARS...I only continue to use the Club more. When the Club moved to its temporary location in Takanawa, we resided only minutes away. Once the Club moved back to Azabudai, we decided that the Club was so much a part of our life that we moved with it.

THE NEXT FIVE...The Club’s financial situation is sound, and membership enrollment and Member satisfaction is at an all-time high. There’s no time like the present to continue investing in the value that our Members receive from our Club. In the months that follow, we’ll be enhancing our food and beverage offerings, expanding our recreation facilities and identifying new ways to continue giving back to our Member owners. It’s going to be an exciting few years ahead.

THE LAST FIVE YEARS...Compared with the Club’s Takanawa period, I use our facilities much more frequently and with a greater variety of people. I use the Fitness Center, Sky Pool and Library and take my family, friends and business clients to American Bar & Grill, CHOP and, occasionally, Traders’. The Club is private, convenient and reasonably priced.

THE NEXT FIVE...In the next five years, our Azabudai facilities will enter their next phase. After resolving our financial and membership issues and overcoming challenges triggered by the global financial crisis and the triple disaster of 2011, the Club’s financials are strong and the number of Members is reaching its peak. And with the Tokyo Olympics approaching, I am sure that the Club will be further energized. I feel optimistic about our future.


CLUB CONSTRUCTION SITE INSPECTION, JUNE 2010

(L–R) JERRY ROSENBERG, FORMER GENERAL MANAGER MICHAEL BUMGARDNER, FORMER CLUB PRESIDENT LANCE E LEE, ROD NUSSBAUM, REDEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR ALISTAIR GOUGH AND DAN THOMAS

FEATURE

23

THE LAST FIVE YEARS...The Club has become an integral part of my family’s life. I use the Club interchangeably for fitness, dining, entertainment and business. As my young sons grow, they are using the Club’s Library and recreation, entertainment and family dining facilities regularly. We all enjoy the flexibility of the Club’s unique and healthy family dining options. Most importantly, our social circles have grown considerably through the Club community. Whether breaking bread with a business partner, mingling at the superb First Friday events, having a steamer after a workout or enjoying a beer at Traders’, the Club is a great place to see friends and make new ones.

THE NEXT FIVE... The Club is on a great path, both fiscally and socially. We will look to improve our programs and offerings to be recognized as “best in Japan” (or better) among membership clubs. With recreation consistently identified as a key reason for joining the Club, plans are underway to improve our fitness facilities and offerings. After the success of the launch of CHOP, we are shifting our focus to family dining and American Bar & Grill. We will constantly review our facilities for Member relevance and value, especially as we near an optimal level of 4,000 Members. And with a growing sense of community at the Club, we will work to cultivate this further through more opportunities for Members to interact with one another.

THE LAST FIVE YEARS...The new Club has such amazing facilities and I always love being up in the Sky Pool, especially in the rain and heat after the two previous Club pools were open to the elements. Once the pool hours are extended this year, I plan on using the pool more frequently. I work and my usage of the Club reflects this. I use the Fitness Center, Library and my current favorite hangout, CHOP Bar, more in the late afternoons and evenings. I try to join the First Friday events when my and my husband’s schedules allow. In other ways, my usage hasn’t changed. The Club remains my community center, where I meet friends, old and new, and where my family loves to come when they visit.

THE NEXT FIVE...I hope to see some rapid changes to meet the needs of the increasing number of Members with young families through changes to food offerings, restaurant options, activities and classes and fitness facility hours. We must also start providing opportunities, activities and interests for a far greater diversity of Members, including professional singles and the growing number of families where both partners work. We need to recognize that we have families from a variety of backgrounds, and we should move beyond providing programs and activities for just the stereotypical expatriate working husband and nonworking wife with kids at international school.

MARY SAPHINFIRST VICE PRESIDENT

MICHAEL BENNERSECRETARY

AZABUDAI TOP5’S


EATS

EVETS

SPOTS

1DISCOUNTED WINE 50% OFF SELECTED AMERICAN BAR GRILL BOTTLES ON WEEKENDS

2COMPLIMENTARY STEAK A PETITE TENDERLOIN WITH EACH T-BONE ON TUESDAYS AT CHOP STEAKHOUSE

3FREE READS NEARLY 10,000 BOOKS, MAGAZINES AND AUDIOBOOKS FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN AT THE LIBRARY

4UNWIND FOR LESS DISCOUNTED MONTHLY TREATMENTS AT THE SPA (SEE PAGE 18)

5 FREE CHILDCARE 30 MINUTES FREE CHILDCARE WITH EVERY PAID RECREATION CLASS, SWIM LESSON, PERSONAL TRAINING SESSION OR SPA TREATMENT

1 CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD (RAINBOW CAFÉ AND CAFÉ MED)

28oz (225g) GRAIN-FED HAMBURGER WITH BROOKLYN BRINE PICKLES (AMERICAN BAR GRILL)

310oz (280g) CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF BONE-IN TENDERLOIN (CHOP STEAKHOUSE)

4NACHOS (TRADERS’ BAR)

5SHRIMP TACOS (SPLASH!)

AZABUDAI TOP5’S

1INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION

2FAMILY CHRISTMAS SHOW

3FIRST FRIDAY: MEMBER BONENKAI CELEBRATION

4FIRST FRIDAY: OTOBERFEST

5FIRST FRIDAY: CHOP EXPERIENCE

1 RAINBOW CAFÉ

2 CAFÉ MED

3 AMERICAN BAR GRILL

4 FITNESS CENTER

5 SKY POOL

DEALSCHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

FIRST FRIDAY: MEMBER BONENKAI CELEBRATION

FEATURE

25

A Life in the Limelight

Even today, 1980s music idol Yu Hayami enjoys singing. But her performances with the school PTA Christmas carol singers only

embarrass her teenage daughters, she says. The Club Member, known to family

as Kami Fukuda, grew up in Guam and Hawaii. She debuted with the song “Isoide! Hatsukoi” in 1982 and was named rookie of the year at the Japan Record Awards. A year later, her top 10 single “Natsuiro no Nancy” became the theme song for Coca-Cola, and the 16-year-old performed on NHK’s New Year’s Eve “Kohaku” show.

After earning a degree from Sophia University, she represented Japan as an artist ambassador at the 1992 Earth Summit in Brazil, and turned to theatre, appearing in the Japanese adaptations of “The Wizard of Oz,” “Les Misérables” and “Grease.”

Today, she hosts the cooking show “Dining with the Chef ” on NHK World and appears regularly on other shows.

iNTOUCH’s Nick Narigon sat down with Hayami, 49, to discuss her career in the public eye. Excerpts:

iNTOUCH: You were discovered at a Mitsukoshi department store in Honolulu. How did that come about?

Hayami: We were in an elevator, my mother and I, and the floor after we got on, a lady came in. She actually had her own modeling agency in Hawaii. She approached me, in this tiny elevator, and she asked if I was interested in modeling. I didn’t know what to say. It was very flattering. She had a friend in Japan who owns a production company and they

were looking for bilingual singers. I had no professional training at that point. I was 14, so I said sure. They flew me out to Japan. I sang two songs. Before I knew it, my mother was signing contracts. The rest is history.

iNTOUCH: I watched some of your performances on YouTube, and you had great poise on stage.

Hayami: Oh dear, YouTube. Did you notice me not smiling at all? I was so nervous. All of my daughters’ friends’ parents say, “I heard you were a singer. What’s your stage name?” They Google it and say, “You were so young.” It is so embarrassing. We are supposed to be able to put the past in the past, but not with YouTube.

iNTOUCH: How did you develop the confidence to perform on stage?

Hayami: I think it was just on-the-job learning. I trained for a year before my debut. Of course, you start recording before that. Then, once I started working,

Yu Hayami


there was really no time to develop my vocal lessons or my acting skills. They just sort of threw me in show business.

iNTOUCH: Did you have any input in the songwriting process?

Hayami: Not for the first song. The record company and manager decided on the debut song, which was also a song for a Shiseido shampoo commercial. The first single did OK. The director thought I wasn’t your average idol. Back then, Japanese girls would sit very properly and say yes to everything and smile, and I was a little different. I would always say, “Why? Why do I do that? Why is it this way?” My staff actually thought I was a little difficult because I had a mind of my own. The following year, I auditioned for a Coca-Cola commercial and I got the part. After that, it was sort of a blur. I was just so busy for the next five years.

iNTOUCH: How prepared were you for life as an idol?

Hayami: I don’t think I was prepared for it at all. I remember I just wanted to eat, and I just wanted to sleep. I really did enjoy my concerts where I could interact with my fans. Basically, it was a three-month rotation to put out a single. Once a song hit the top 10, you start touring. You come

back and record your next song. By the time that song hits the top 10, you are recording the next song.

iNTOUCH: Do you regret not having had a normal teenage life?

Hayami: I remember writing in my diary that my life is getting smaller and smaller. I would be recognized when I would go shopping in Harajuku. All of a sudden your life, being anonymous, turns into “I know you” and “What are you buying?” It becomes everybody’s business to know what you are doing. That was a little difficult to cope with.

iNTOUCH: After your music career, you moved into theatre, television and radio. Many young stars fail to make that transition. What was the secret to your success?

Hayami: I think being bicultural was a big part of it. When I told my production company I wanted to go to college, they sort of laughed at me and said idols don’t go to college. For three years of high school, I would be there, but not really. I said I don’t feel like I have soaked up the knowledge and education I was supposed to.

iNTOUCH: How does life as an idol now compare with when you were one?

Hayami: I think it’s really tough. I mean, I look at AKB48, they are much older than I was, and they have more of a sense that this is business and I have to play my part. As far as the privacy issue goes, everybody is a [paparazzo]. Everybody has a camera right here with you on your phone. So there really is no privacy. I just feel for them.

iNTOUCH: Your daughters are 14 and 12. They are nearing the same age you were when you started your career. Do you give them career advice?

Hayami: Now that you mention it, my older daughter is 14, the same age I was when I was scouted. She is so much more mature than I was back then. I don’t know what it is with kids these days. She is very independent and very sure of herself, so much more than I was back then.

iNTOUCH: Would you encourage them to take the same career path that you did?

Hayami: Yes, definitely. But really, neither of them is interested.

iNTOUCH: How do you balance your career and motherhood?

Hayami: I grew up with a working mother and with a working grandmother, so I’ve always looked up to them. I always try to be there for my girls. When they were much younger, I had a lot of support. My staff would act as babysitters. My [boss’] wife would come over a few times a week and watch my older girl. I think at one point I had five babysitters.

iNTOUCH: What in your career are you most proud of?

Hayami: Everything really. I was lucky to start my career as an idol. When you say idol, people think it’s not a real artist. Because I was an idol, I was able to do a variety of things, and when I look back, I played Sandy in “Grease,” I played Cosette in “Les Mis,” and I couldn’t have done any of that without having my idol career first. o

TALKING HEADS

27

Emi Runnacles Yuto Antoci

Taisei Yamada Sara Dickson


software engineer at a large messaging app firm, teach a class focused on building apps for iOS, the operating system for Apple devices like the iPhone. Students will learn basic programming in Apple’s Swift programming language, using Xcode to write and debug Swift programs, and how to create a mobile app from scratch and then release it for public downloading.

One student who plans to enroll is Member Sebastian Beck, 13, who began programming robots in seventh grade through a Tokyo Academics-run course. That spurred his interest to learn about advanced programming techniques.

“Now that I know basic programming, I can pursue it to see if it’s something I wish to do to more in-depth,” he says. “I also think programming helps my math skills because you have to be logical and sometimes also have to do calculations, for example, how much you want an object to move right or left or up and down.

“We live in a world where information is easily accessible and where more and more is run by computers. All of that is based on programs, and I want to understand how they are made and learn how to make some myself.” o

Hornyak is a Tokyo-based freelance journalist.

Japan has long enjoyed a reputation as a robot powerhouse. It’s a leading maker of both humanoid robots like Honda’s Asimo, as well

as industrial robots. In 2015, though, the science-fiction

dream of owning a C-3PO-style robot butler got a little closer with the launch of Pepper, a communications robot produced by mobile carrier SoftBank. Priced at around ¥200,000, plus monthly fees, it’s aimed at households and businesses, and batches of 1,000 Peppers have been selling out every month, according to SoftBank Robotics.

Robots are often predicted to become the automobile or personal computer of the 21st century. While they remain a novelty in everyday life (even with the early success of Pepper), Nomura Research Institute estimates that 49 percent of all job types in the country could become computerized or robotized in the next 10 to 20 years. The evolution of artificial intelligence, whether in robot form or not, seems unstoppable.

In response to the information technology revolution, education is changing. Recent emphasis on the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has led to a rethinking in how to draw students to the fields as early as possible. And with crowdfunding platforms like Indiegogo and Kickstarter, it’s now easier than ever for aspiring engineers and inventors to take their ideas to a wider audience.

Some young people are already immersing themselves in tech. In November, 10 Club youngsters enrolled in a four-week course to learn the basics of building electronic circuits and robots.

The budding engineers’ creations were varied, from a remote-controlled, video call-enabled explorer to a sound-activated robot car.

“I really wanted to take the class because it is a chance to learn something new and fun. I also read in a book that robots will be smarter than humans in the future,” says Australian Sara Dickson, 10, who joined the class with her 7-year-old brother, Nathan. “My mom told me that it will help me build robots in the future and will help me get a job.”

Emi Runnacles, 7, says she was inspired to take the class because her grandfather is an electrician “and can make really cool things.”

The robotics workshop was taught by Neil Nguyen, a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley’s mechanical engineering program, who built robot control systems at Arcus Technology in Livermore, California. Nguyen is a tutor at Tokyo Academics, a group of educators with prestigious overseas credentials.

“I want to inspire kids to be makers and show them that designing gadgets and robots is not at all difficult,” says Nguyen, who grew up in Silicon Valley. “Of course, everyone will not be great at first, but most people are not great at riding bicycles during their first 10 trials, but the process keeps getting easier.”

From this month, Nguyen leads another robotics workshop and will help Duc Doba, a

Two tech workshops at the Club are helping to inspire the engineers and programmers of tomorrow. by Tim HornyakPhotos by Yuuki Ide

Rise of the Bot Builders

Build a Bot January 24–March 20 (eight Sundays) 4:30–6:30 p.m. Jean Pearce Classroom

iOS ProgrammingJanuary 24–March 20 (eight Sundays) 4:30–6:30 p.m. The StudioSign up online

29

INSIDE JAPAN

Alpine AdventuresAhead of a two-day Women’s Group tour to Nagano this month, iNTOUCH takes a look at what the region has to offer outdoor enthusiasts in the winter. by Tim Hornyak

T he colder months in Japan definitely have an upside. Think sugar-coated mountain vistas, crisp air and a soothing hot-

spring bath at the end of a day in the great outdoors. The Japanese Alps offer one of the best winter playgrounds in the country—almost right next door to the capital.

The mountains consist of three ranges (Northern, Central and Southern) and are also known as the Hida, Kiso and Akaishi mountains respectively. They’re chock-full of snowy escapes and activities, but the Northern Alps, which stretch through Toyama, Nagano and Gifu prefectures, have some of Japan’s most rewarding winter experiences. Here’s a selection of some of the best options that Nagano has to offer.

DOWNHILL SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING Located along the border between Nagano and Gifu, Mount Norikura is a 3,025-meter volcano that’s listed as one of Japan’s 100 famous mountains in a well-known mountaineering book by Kyuya Fukada.

Mount Norikura Snow Resort on its lower slopes has 20 runs, including one that’s 3.5 kilometers long. The courses range from beginner to expert level, though most are for novice and intermediate skiers and snowboarders. The Norikulando kids’ park has a wide run for sledding and skiing, as well as an easy conveyor belt-style lift.

Anyone contemplating skiing or snowboarding in Nagano, though, should consider Happo-One, the main venue for the 1998 Winter Olympics. One of seven ski resorts in the valley of Hakuba, about 70 kilometers north of the Norikura area, Happo One has a top elevation of 1,831 meters, with 23 lifts, 13 runs, including an 8-kilometer set of linked runs, and more than 2 meters of snowfall each month from January to March. The village of Hakuba has a good selection of guesthouses, larger hotels, restaurants, bars and hot-spring baths. Other local resorts include Hakuba Goryu and Hakuba 47 Winter Sports Park, which have connecting trails.

SNOWSHOEING Spreading out from the foot of Mount Norikura, the Norikura Highland is a stunning area of birch, larch and plum trees, waterfalls, ponds and rivers that was formed by volcanic activity. Strap on some snowshoes and step through the deep powdery trails here, which can be navigated with the help of a guide or by following a map from the tourist information center in the village of Norikura Kogen.

ICE CLIMBING If you fancy something more adventurous, you don’t have to be an expert to try your hand at scaling frozen waterfalls or artificial ice walls. Mount Yatsugatake in southern Nagano is a center for this emerging sport, which has been attracting increasing numbers of novices in recent years. Akadake Kosen, a local lodge at 2,210 meters has a 15-meter ice wall that is open to climbers on Sundays in winter. Guided tours to waterfall climbs for those with some experience are also available.


TOKYO

NAGANO

Mount Norikura

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING Nagano has several excellent areas for cross-country skiing, which offers exhilarating whole-body aerobic exercise. Hakuba has three trail areas, including the Hakuba Snow Harp, used in the 1998 Olympics, with beginner to advanced courses up to 6 kilometers long. There are also groomed trails running through birch forests at the Ichinose Ski Field in the Norikura Highland.

KAMIKOCHI This highland plateau is a gem. At an elevation of 1,400 to 1,600 meters, Kamikochi is ringed by such majestic peaks as Mount Yari (3,180 meters), Mount Hotaka (3,190 meters) and Mount Yake (2,455 meters), which makes for a stunning panorama on clear days. One of the best spots to view the splendor is at Kappa Bridge over the crystal-clear Azusa River. Thronged with tourists in summer, Kamikochi is closed to vehicles in winter, but you can still walk in through the long Kama Tunnel. Once there, you can enjoy

snowshoeing or cross-country skiing along ungroomed trails through miles of virgin birch and larch forests. Since there is no parking area, getting dropped off at the tunnel entrance is best.

SHIRAHONE ONSEN While there are several excellent onsen hot springs in the immediate Norikura area, Shirahone is special. A short drive north of the Mount Norikura area along the scenic Kamikochi Norikura Super Rindo mountain road, Shirahone Onsen has a peculiar name that means “white bone hot spring.” It’s a small grouping of traditional ryokan inns with hot-spring baths. The milky white waters from the calcium and magnesium sediment in the groundwater are perfect for soothing snow-sore muscles. The village is located in a steep valley with a ravine running through its center. A public bath, with simple rotenburo outdoor tubs, lies in the middle of the village, but most inns allow visitors to bathe in their facilities.

Hornyak is a Tokyo-based freelance journalist.

☛ Mount Norikura Snow Resortwww.norikura.co.jp/snow/

☛ Happo-Onewww.happo-one.jp

☛ Hakuba Goryuwww.hakubagoryu.com

☛ Hakuba 47 Winter Sports Parkwww.hakuba47.co.jp

☛ Akadake Kosenwww.alles.or.jp/~akadake/kosen.html (Japanese only)

☛ Go! Naganowww.go-nagano.net

☛ Hakuba Tourismwww.hakubatourism.jp

☛ Kamikochiwww.kamikochi.or.jp

Skiing in Nagano TourJanuary 22–24Sign up online

31

OUT & ABOUT

First Friday: Autumn Harvest November 6

At this monthly get-together, Members and guests

celebrated autumn with seasonal food, craft beers and

entertainment from Japanese musical trio Storm in the

Winter Garden.

Photos by Yuuki Ide


3

1

2

Annual General Meeting November 17

The results of the Club’s annual Board of Governors

election were announced at the Annual General

Meeting, which saw nine Members elected to the Board

and John Durkin reselected as Club president. The

meeting was followed by a party in honor of the Club’s

volunteer leaders and committee members.

Photos by Yuuki Ide

1. ( l–r) Betsy Rogers, Machi Nemoto, Hiroshi Miyamasu, Mary Saphin

and Club President John Durkin 2. Betsy Rogers and John Durkin 3.

SMBC’s Ryo Yoshizawa and John Durkin

EVENT ROUNDUP

33

Thanksgiving Grand Buffet November 26

Families celebrated the American Thanksgiving holiday

with a time-honored spread of turkey and other

traditional dishes and kids’ arts and crafts in the New

York Ballroom.

Photos by Ken Katsurayama

1. (l–r) Noa Sofia, Izumi, Randy, Maya and Aria Laxer and Yasuko Iwaya

1


1

2

Sportsman of the YearAward Ceremony

December 1

Japanese tennis star Kei Nishikori dropped by the Club to

pick up his Sportsman of the Year award, before answering

Members’ questions during a Q&A session and posing for

group photos. Previous award recipients include baseball’s

Ichiro Suzuki (1995), swimmer Kosuke Kitajima (2005) and

Olympic hammer thrower Koji Murofushi (2014).

Photos by Yuuki Ide

1. Kei Nishikori and Club President John Durkin 2. (l–r) Kei

Nishikori, John Durkin and Jeff McNeill

EVENT ROUNDUP

35

First Friday:Member Bonenkai CelebrationDecember 4

For a second consecutive year, hundreds of Members

wrapped up the year at a complimentary evening of drinks,

signature eats, live music and holiday cheer and chat at the

Winter Garden and CHOP Steakhouse.

Photos by Yuuki Ide


J apan is a land of convenience and convenient stores. Yukiyo Yatsu discovered how much she had

taken this for granted when she moved to rural Australia.

There, amid the country’s majestic—and untamed terrain—she found a life much closer to nature, where people grew vegetables, milked cows and slaughtered livestock.

In particular, her months working at a small bed and breakfast in Stanthorpe, a town in southeast Queensland, proved formative. “That’s the place where I learned a lot about real Australian life,” she says. It’s also where she first saw a honking goose prepared for the oven for Christmas.

Yatsu’s relationship with Australia stretches back to her high school days, when she spent two weeks in a town southwest of Sydney as part of an exchange program. After graduating

Yukiyo Yatsuby Nick Jones

from Rikkyo University with a degree in tourism and working at a travel agency in Tokyo for two years, she decided to head back down under.

“I wanted to see something totally different. I hadn’t lived abroad,” Yatsu, 35, says. “Since we have this working holiday system, I thought, ‘Why not use this opportunity?’”

She could never be accused of wasting her six and a half years in Australia. First picking olives and mushrooms in South Australia, she moved north to Queensland, where she served guests at a Cairns hotel, later studied at James Cook University

in Brisbane and finally worked in the breathtaking surroundings of Tangalooma Island Resort, with its chances to dive, snorkel, sandboard and see whales and dolphins in their natural habitat.

Yatsu returned to Japan in 2013, joining the Club the following year. Now a member of the reservations team, she was named Employee of the Month for November.

“I built up an open-mindedness in Australia and can be open to anyone,” she says. “At the same time, I think I can appreciate better what I have here. Half my soul is Australian.” o

Why did you decide to join the Club?“We recently moved to Tokyo, and we were looking for a place where we could connect as a family, as well as socially with the community. We were very impressed with the selection and quality of programs, facilities and, most of all, the cultural diversity at Tokyo American Club. Since joining, we have each found something that we enjoy doing at the Club and are looking forward to more new experiences.“

(l–r) Jonathan and Tze Hian Tan and Penny Quek

Why did you decide to join the Club?“After living for the last five years in Geneva, we moved to Tokyo with our children, Eliot, 4, and Sophie and Leah, age 2. Ilana was born in Colombia and speaks Spanish with our kids. With three little kids, we spend our time at the different parks in Tokyo, and we are excited to join the Club to meet new people and engage in many activities for our kids. Eliot recently started his first swim class.“

(l–r) Ilana, Leah, Sophie, Eliot and Adam Dashe

Tze Hian Tan & Penny QuekSingapore—Biogen Japan Ltd.

Adam & Ilana DasheUnited States—Edwards Lifesciences Ltd.

employee of the month

new members


Jason & Rachel FreedmanUnited States—Ernst & Young ShinNihon LLCTimothy & Maya McIntoshUnited States—MasterCard Japan K.KLeon & Riya Rapp Australia—Rogers Investment AdvisorsDavid & Hiroko CollinsUnited States—State Street Global AdvisorsPaul RileyAustralia—Philip Morris Japan K.K.Roslyn Hayman & Shuji SakumaAustralia—Sangi Co., Ltd.Marc BervoetsBelgium—AccentureNobuaki & Yuko ChibaJapan—SEN Corporation Beaux & Denise PontakUnited States—Deutsche BankAvijit BanerjeeIndia—Techno-Metal Amtek Japan Investments Ltd.

Nandan MerUnited Kingdom—MasterCard Japan K.K. Rika KannoJapan—CLIS K.K.Akiyoshi & Naomi SugawaraJapan—Sugawara Dental ClinicBrian Burns & Clarissa Dimacali United States—Hortonworks JapanJoel Leung & Man Yiu LamChina—Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K.Susumu & Hiromi FujitaJapan—Cyber Agent, Inc.Yewki TomitaUnited States—Robert Half Japan Ltd.Mark Taro GreenanIreland—Credit Suisse Securities (Japan) Ltd.Satoshi SenooJapan—Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), Inc.Adam GermanCanada—Housing Japan K.K.

Masamitsu & Shizue IkeuchiKimiaki & Michiyo UenoKazuo & Yuko NinomiyaPhilip & Betsy PrattWilliam & Deborah SkipperAlan & Linda Selbert

Andrew McCarthy United States—Apple Japan, Inc.Matthew & Harumi Stuart-BoxUnited Kingdom—BlackRock Japan Co., Ltd.Hank & Paula MarcyUnited States—Johnson Controls K.K.Makiko & Kan Sugimoto JapanTrista & Mark BivensFrance—Vizane K.K.Joachim Zagrosek & Kikoc VeopraseutSwitzerland—Swiss Reinsurance Co., Ltd.James DixonUnited States—Visa Worldwide (Japan) Co., Ltd.Jacques & Agnes de Peretti France—AXA Life Insurance Co., Ltd.Antony Strianese & Laura SerraItaly—Barilla Japan K.K. Ivar & Barbara JohanssonSweden—Correns Corporation

yokoso

sayonara

Donald & Carol KelleySatoshi KuwanoAndrew & Reiko OguraJustin Hirsch & Nicole WuVipan & Megumi SharmaSayoko Koto

Paul & Rosemary LancosNeil Ostrower & Coleen Curley-Ostrower Desiree ParsonsDavid & Angela Wallis

CLUB PEOPLE

39

Photography by Craig LaCourt

#MakeTime©2015 Dow Jones & Co. Inc. All rights reserved.

Find out why you should make time for the Journal. Visit WSJ.com/MakeTime

PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE TIME MAKE TIME TO READ THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

Karlie Kloss. Model, entrepreneur, philanthropist and Wall Street Journal reader.

From manga to anime to Hello Kitty, Japan consistently contributes something new to the pop culture lexicon, but few

have been as globally pervasive as the emoticon, or emoji.

by Dave McCaughan

Reading between the Emoji

The ideograms used in electronic messages were invented in the late ’90s for Japanese mobile operators and today emoji are prevalent in everyday communication, whether it’s through messaging apps like Line, the most popular messaging service in Japan, or social media platforms.

Even prior to cell phones, when pagers were all the rage, users of these devices were combining keystrokes to represent facial expressions and other icons.

In reality, we have been using pictorial shorthand ever since we started painting on cave walls. There is an argument that what we identify as literacy—the reading and writing of an alphabet—is actually an anomaly in the history of mankind, as “reading pictures” is much more widely understood.

Take manga, for example. Thanks to commonly understood facial expressions, my 19-year-old son is able to “read” the latest volume of the popular Naruto manga series, without being able to decipher the Japanese characters.

Some people argue that emoji are a better way to express feelings and say

things that are too complicated to put into words.

It seems natural that emoji were developed in Japan, a country where unspoken communication is regarded as an essential skill, along with body language, social cues and customs.

The use of emoji tripled from 2014 to 2015, and for millions of people around the world the emergence is more than just a cute form of shorthand. Oxford Dictionaries selected a tearfully happy emoji face as their 2015 word of the year, stating that emoji have been embraced as a nuanced form of expression that can cross language barriers.

“Emoji have come to embody a core aspect of living in a digital world that is visually driven, emotionally expressive and obsessively immediate,” announced Oxford University Press, the publisher of the dictionaries.

Perhaps I’ll try one of my Back Words columns entirely in emoji. o

Club Member McCaughan builds stories for brands.


BACK WORDS

Photography by Craig LaCourt

#MakeTime©2015 Dow Jones & Co. Inc. All rights reserved.

Find out why you should make time for the Journal. Visit WSJ.com/MakeTime

PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE TIME MAKE TIME TO READ THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

Karlie Kloss. Model, entrepreneur, philanthropist and Wall Street Journal reader.


www.moriliving.com



www.moriliving.com


AZABUDAIA N N I V E R S A R Y

CELEBRATING THE CLUB’S FIRST FIVE YEARS BACK HOME

Fitness TipsThe Club hosts its

annual wellness fair

Tech TrainingClub classes for

budding engineers

Mountain RetreatsThrills and spills in the Nagano snow

TOKYO

AM

ERICAN

CLUB

iN

TO

UC

HIssue 609 • January 2016

January 2016

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

毎月一回一日発行　

第四十七巻六〇九号　トウキョウアメリカンクラブ　

インタッチマガジン二〇一六年一月一日発行　

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

Documents

January 2016 iNTOUCH Magazine