Weekender`s - Tokyo Weekender

weekender
tokyo
Japan’s premier free English language magazine
Vol. 42, No. 8
May 20th - June 9th 2011
free
Since 1970
The Health
Issue
The Weekender’s guide to
Getting fit for the summer
Personal trainer’s
Top tips to get fit
Tokyo’s best
spas, bikes & veggie restaurants
On your bike!
Garlic Injections
Technogym
Family friendly Great Tokyo
Next big thing?
The most expensive
bicycle tour shows a hidden
Roppongi Doc jabs hundreds of
gym equipment
side of the city
people with garlic—for money!
you will ever buy
Also: Trends to make you look good, Off piste art, Bill Hersey’s Parties People and Places, Bin Laden’s death foretold and much more!
CONTENTS
MAY 20 ~
JUNE 9, 2011
CONTENTS
8
Tweet as you go
Technogym, the 1.5 million Yen high-tech
exercise machine comes to Japan
Next big thing?
15
Tokyo’s Best Bikes
20
Best Spa’s in the city
31
Tokyo Doctor injects people with super
Kinfolk, the Nakameguro bar
Feeling stressed? Relax in style in some of
strong liquid garlic, for money!
leading a bicycle revolution
the finest gyms and spa’s in Tokyo
10 Bin Laden is dead
16 Get fit for summer!
26 People, Parties, Places
But is this the end?
Tokyo based personal trainer gives his
top-tips to get fit and health
Tokyo legend Bill Hersey gives his view
on recent events in the city
Off Piste art, punk rock and heavy metal
18 Tokyo Great Bicycle Tour
32 Announcements
14 Trends
Get on your bike and see a hidden side of
the city on a family friendly bike tour
The city’s page devoted to weddings,
birthdays and bar mitzvahs!
Healthy iPhone Apps, Issey Miyake’s new
spring scent and neon cakes
24 Kids fold one million cranes for Japan!
34 Footy Japan
International volunteers raise a fortune
for Japan’s tsunami relief fund
Charity soccer tournament is massive
success
12 Agenda
WEEKENDER
5
weekender
tokyo
May 20 ~ June 9, 2011
Volume 42
Publisher
Editor-in-Chief
Editor
Art Director
Media Manager
Media Consultants
Editorial Associate
Archivist
Researcher
Advisor to the CEO
Number 8
Ray Pedersen
Pia von Waldau
Stephen Parker
Liam Ramshaw
Tomas Castro
Mary Rudow, Nick Nakazawa &
Emilie Aninat
Nisha Soni
Vika Maslyuk
Rene Angelo Pascua
Hiro M. Ishibashi
HMI & Associates Inc
Contributing Editors
Bill Hersey
Ian de Stains OBE
Society
Opinion
Contributors
LG Williams
Aimee Weinstein
J.K. Whelehan
IT Manager
Web Developer
Business Manager
Nick Adams
Ali Ahmad
Scotty Oshiro
EST. Corky Alexander and Susan Scully, 1970
Published by Bulbous Cell Media Group
www.bulbouscell.com
Published bimonthly at the Regency Shinsaka Building, 5th floor
8-5-8 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052
(03) 6846-5615 / (03) 6846-5616 (fax)
[email protected]
For subscription inquiries, please call
(03) 6846-5615 or email:
[email protected]
For ad sales inquiries, please call
(03) 6846-5615 or email:
[email protected]
www.tokyoweekender.com
Opinions expressed by Weekender contributors are not
necessarily those of the publisher
6
WEEKENDER
TECHNOGYM
Technogym
The future of
exercise?
by The Weekender
L
et’s face it, constantly checking
your email, watching Youtube, or
updating your Facebook status—
is the antithesis of a healthy
lifestyle. Modern technology
has undoubtedly improved the lives of
many people through ease of use and pure
convenience but it could also be responsible
for rising levels of diabetes, obesity and
cancer. For many city dwellers, modern life
presents a stark choice; hit the gym, or switch
on the iPad—until now.
Technogym’s “Run Personal”, is a new
creation by Milan based furniture designer,
Antonio Citterio, and has just been released in
Japan. The jaw dropping treadmill combines
cutting edge, multi-media technology with
professional gym equipment. The result looks
so good, it would be a shame to let overweight
Twitter nerds near it.
For busy professionals this may be the
most useful (and the most expensive) piece of
kit you buy this year. From fun games, iPhone
docking, TV and web access—to truly useful
fitness programs, the technogym feels like the
future of exercise has finally arrived.
Best feature? Train correctly and effectively
with video-training support and save both
your workout program and results onto a
memory device.
Run Personal costs ¥1,470,000 from
Technogym Japan.
www.technogym.co.jp
0120-576-876
8
WEEKENDER
The ¥2 Million workout
Technogym Kinesis Personal, is a work-out wall
station that lets you perform over 200 exercises to
improve strength, flexibility and balance. Designed
in collaboration with Antion Citterio, the Kinesis
personal is described as the “perfect designer
furnishing centerpiece”. This ¥2,247,000 piece of
kit allows users to discover the “four fundamental
physical abilities; endurance, balance, strength
and flexibility”. Luxury versions include “Vision”
with reflective panels that enable you to “check
and modify your posture” whilst exercising and
the more classy “Heritage” model with integrated
wall bars and front panels
in black, cream and
brown leather. If
that is not fancy
enough for
you, a limited
edition
featuring
gold leaf
will add
some extra
glamour to
your workout.
www.technogym.co.jp
Update Twitter, check
Facebook, watch the latest
news, check your stock
prices, or play a game.
Technogym does it all.
WEEKENDER
9
Images by Creative Commons
OPINION
A Death Foretold
by Ian de Stains OBE
A
fter one of the longest, most
extensive and surely most
expensive manhunts in history,
the West’s public enemy number
one is dead. Or is he?
Osama bin Laden, hated and reviled on
the one hand, worshiped and revered on the
other was reportedly the victim of a highly
secret, carefully planned and tremendously
brave operation by a crack team of US navy
SEALs. Reports of his death, said to have
been witnessed in real time by President
Obama and close colleagues in the White
House situation room, gave rise to jubilation
in Washington and at Ground Zero in New
York where thousands gathered to celebrate
the death of the man who claimed to have
masterminded the atrocities on 9/11 and
much else besides.
Yet almost before the echoes of jubilation
had waned, the conspiracy theories began.
How do we know it was really Bin Laden?
Why was his body so hastily buried, and at
sea at that? And why will the White House not
allow us to see the photographic evidence?
Useless to offer up the obvious answers—
and they are obvious: conspiracy theorists
always have a counter-argument because,
10
WEEKENDER
like the religious fanatics they most often
resemble, they so desperately need to believe.
And so the websites will proliferate, the
blogs will burgeon, the theories will take
root until, for some at least, they will become
commonplace truths, up for question no
longer. But there are other, more serious
questions that do need to be asked, and we
must be prepared for some uncomfortable
answers.
“...we cannot assume
that his particular
brand of evil has been
neutralized.”
It beggars belief that one of the world’s
most vilified men could have lived in the
highly visible compound he inhabited for as
many as five years, within walking distance
of Pakistan’s most distinguished military
academy without the knowledge of someone
in authority, whether that authority was
local or national. If indeed that was the case,
what does it tell us about Pakistan’s claim
to take security seriously? If it was not, it
speaks volumes about that country’s claim to
be a partner in the fight to defeat al-Qaeda.
Either way, the world has a right to know
whether indeed—as British Prime Minister
David Cameron recently claimed—the
nuclear-capable Pakistan faces both ways on
terrorism. For one thing is sure: just because
Bin Laden has finally met what many will see
as his rightful end, we cannot assume that his
particular brand of evil has been neutralized.
Far from it: the chances of revenge attacks
on major cities, in our skies and at sea seem
more likely than ever before. Remember, Bin
Laden himself had not been “operational”
for some considerable time but his poisonous
rhetoric continued to inspire many recent
attacks—both successful and less so—and in
death his hold over the hearts and minds of
those who would be his followers is likely to
be that much stronger; we have precedent
enough to understand how that works.
Ian de Stains is a writer and life strategies
coach. His “Business Traveller’s Handbook to
Japan” is published by Stacey International in
the UK and is also available at Amazon.
WEEKENDER
11
AGENDA
Image courtesy of Nike
5/28
Jordon Tokyo 23
May 28-29, Yoyogi Park, Harajuku
Taking place over the weekend of May 28th
to 29th, the finest basketball players of Tokyo
will grace the courts at Yoyogi Park, all to
compete in the Jordan Tokyo23 Tournament.
Hosted by Japanese hip-hop group Nitro
Microphone, this competition will see the
winning team, compete against a team of
professional athletes for the final. This event
will be sponsored by Nike brand Jordan, in
lieu of their new Air Jordan V Retro collection,
which is set to hit the Nike Flagship store
in Harajuku later this month. Available
exclusively in Japan, of course.
Venue: Station: Info:
agenda
5/28
Images courtesy of Creativeman
4/6
Image courtesy of Hors Pistes
Yoyogi Park
Harajuku (JR Yamanote line)
www.nike.com
Hors Pistes 2011
June 4th-12th , Various locations around Tokyo
6/3
Another motion of Images / Art and Images Festival. Hors Pistes (Off Tracks) is an art and
images Festival promoting experimentation of new forms of short and mid-length fictions,
organized by the Centre Pompidou since 2006. Well known for introducing international new
talents, HORS PISTES showcases a selection of works, a mirror ofthe uniqueness of the Cinemas
of Centre Pompidou, focusing on diversity (dance movies, art movies, documentaries, fiction,
experimental movies, etc…). Created to explore the most innovative and avant-garde trends of
today’s interdisciplinary creation, HORS PISTES brings together art and moving images through
screenings, live performances, installations and eventful workshops.
Every year HORS PISTES gives to diverse audiences the opportunity to be immersed in the
off-beat universe of multidisciplinary art and media, to explore the breaks and shifts which
emerge in contemporary forms of films and narrative and triggers new boundaries.
This year, HORS PISTES will launch its first new collaborative edition in TOKYO. Blending films
and creations from Japan with a selection of the Paris original program, it will also create new
bridges between France, Japan and the world.
Dates: Where: Info: 12
4th-12th June
Various location around tokyo
www.horspistestokyo.com/ja/program/
WEEKENDER
Sum 41
28th/29th May, Studio Coast
The Canadian rock band Sum 41 are back
in Tokyo! After releasing their greatest hits
compilation- 8 years of Blood, Sake and Tears,
2011 marks their return, with Screaming
Bloody Murder. Expect to hear new hits Baby
You Don’t Wanna Know & Screaming Bloody
Murder.
Dates: 28th- 29th May
Where: Info: Studio Coast/Zepp Tokyo
www.creativeman.co.jp
AGENDA
6/3
Image courtesy of Creativeman
5/21
Hardcore Superstar
Green Rooms Festival
Friday June 3rd, Studio Coast
Saturday 21-22nd May, Yokohama
This Swedish band, take their inspiration from Ironmaiden, fusing
sleaze rock with thrash metal. Regular visitors of Japan, they last made
an appearance at the Loud Park Festival, and after supporting the huge
Aerosmith at the Swedish Rock Festival they have decided to visit us
once again. For a real chance to feel a hard metal unique sound and to
party hardcore, please leave your manners at the door.
What better way to begin the summer than hitting the waves!
Greenrooms Festival is supporting the preservation of the beach
culture. From 21st to 22nd Yokohama will showcase music from bands
and DJs, with different kinds of art and film. Not only is this festival
being held to “Save the Beach”, but also a market will be held and the
proceeds will go to the “Love for Nippon” foundation.
Where: Price: Info: Dates: 21st - 22nd May
Where: Info: Yokohama red brick warehouse
www.greenroom.jp
Studio Coast Tokyo
¥6,900
www.creativeman.co.jp
WEEKENDER
13
TRENDS
Get fit Apps
The white iPhone 4 has (finally) been released in Japan,
now you can look cooler than a Shibuya girl—but why
not put all that tech to use and get healthy?! There are
thousands of Apps available out there, some are terrible,
but this fun selection is pretty good:
Image courtesy of Apple
You Booze You Lose—Shows how many calories in bar
drinks, etc saves you money and lbs.
Pump 10—Access to several workout videos.
Yogi Says—Quotes to inspire well being and fitness from the
Amrit Yoga Institute.
Bio Dictionary—Quick way to look things up and stay on top
of any health issues.
Restaurant Nutrition—Shows the nutritional facts for the
most popular chain restaurants, Burger King etc.
Designer Dumbbells
Henriette Melchiorsen Graduated from the
Danish Design school in 1994 specializing
in product and furniture design. Menu’s
mat polished, intertwined dumbbells—
each weighing one kilo—are as beautiful
as a sculpture, yet pick them up and they
immediately become a fitness aid and a
natural element in your training programme.
Perfect for posing in the home gym.
Image courtesy of Henriette Melchiorsen
Get fit/look good
www.menu.as
All Apps are available from the iTunes store, iPhone 4 is
available in Japan from Softbank. www.softbank.jp/en
A scent of spring
www.isseymiyakeparfums.com
Available from all good department stores.
This season’s color? - Neon!
Nike’s Free Run+ 2 running shoes are ipod
enabled, allowing wearers to track distance,
pace, time and calories burned in real time.
The teal/orange design owes its intricate design
makeup to the complex anatomy of the human
foot. All of the material choices and pattern
overlays are based on those found within
the structure of the human foot, serving as a
“barebones exoskeleton” for runners.
www.nike.com
With all this keep-fit, you need to take some
time out to relax with a summery snack,
Fauchon’s new “Éclair Rainbow” will be
available until August 31st, the vivid colors
match the vanilla and violet cream inside.
Fauchon Boutique in Takashimaya stores.
(Nihonbashi, Shinjyuku, Yokohama) www.
fauchon.com (¥525)
“Balitz” is what happens when trendy French
designers market a rustic Indonesian beach
trend, the neon colored scarfs are “light and
fluid—for both women and men, on the sand
or on your shoulders” the indispensable
accessory for this summer, all the rage at the
moment and will be seen on every beach
around Asia this summer
www.balitz.fr.
Images courtesy of Nike, Fauchon, Balitz
Image courtesy of Issey Miyake
Neroli Sunshine is Issey Miyake’s latest limited
edition creation, the company describes the
perfume as a “fresh, floral and solar Eau de
Toilette, ideal for spring” the floral scent is
created around the signature smell of the
Neroli blossom that is held to be a “flower
magnified by the rays of the sun”. Miyake make
some of the most popular scents in the world,
but with Japanese prices at an all time high,
you may want to ask a friend to pick up a bottle
in duty-free.
TRENDS
Garlic Shots: the next big health trend?
Fifty (50!) cloves of liquid
garlic directly into the blood.
The Garlic Diaries
Story and Images by Stephen Parker
Smelly potion works miracles, says top Tokyo Doctor
G
arlic has been used by
physicians for thousands of
years—but never like this:
Dr Takahisa Hiraishi injects
patients with super strength,
liquid garlic in exchange for cold, hard cash
and they keep coming back for more.
The doctor’s immaculate 6th floor clinic
in Roppongi’s Mid Town tower is one in
a portfolio around East-Asia offering the
incredibly popular injection. For 20 years
he has been the garlic shot leader, jabbing
thousands of arms with his specially
concocted, if rather smelly potion.
For the Weekender’s health and fitness
special, I decided to ‘take one for the team’
and test out this scientists creation.
Dr Hiraishi’s waiting was room full of
Tokyo’s most stylish office ladies—now I was
getting nervous, they couldn’t all be getting
garlic shots—could they?
In the corridor I bumped into Yohsuke
Itoh, president of Tokyo’s Blue Note club,
clutching a plaster on his arm,“all the
celebrities have it done”, he murmured.
I wasn’t convinced.
Mens Health claims “Just a couple of
cloves of garlic, mixed into food, will jumpstart your immune system and improve your
chances of fighting off an illness”.
Food I understand, but straight into the blood
stream seems crazy.
“It improves your liver function, 100%
pure, so perfect for absorption by the body”,
Dr Hiraishi explains. Patients can choose,
50 cloves of garlic, or double the dose at 100
cloves. If you are a heavy drinker Dr Hiraishi
recommends a visit once per week, with
most customers dropping by “2-3 times per
month”.
Dr Hiraishi first started this unique
method of intravenous garlic delivery 20
years ago—at first, exclusively for athletes “It
was for conditioning, to ensure victory” he
says. “I did the 2002 Korean World Cup soccer
team—they made top four! Japan only came
16th”,
Five years later the all sports injections
were banned to clamp down on illegal doping,
Dr Hiraishi’s business was affected, but he is
clear to point put “this definitely isn’t doping”.
Now garlic shots are heading abroad, Hong
Kong and Moscow already offer the injections,
L.A and London must be next.
“It will give you an energy boost. You can
visibly see the results in 20 minutes, perfect
for if you are tired, hung-over, jet lagged or
sick”. The injection Includes vitamin B1, 2, 3,
6, 12 and C, “with added placenta” he says.
“It’s perfectly safe—many singers come and
have a jab, it helps their throats”.
Still unsure of the benefits and not to
happy about 50 cloves of garlic and placenta
pumping around my blood, I hesitated.
“Old women get it done; it’s very popular.
Sumo champ Asashoryu had a shot yesterday”
he added with force.
Elderly ladies I can handle, but I can’t
have a yokozuna outdoing me—now the good
Doctor had laid down his garlic-gauntlet, I
had to pick it up: ‘If it’s good enough for a
champion wrestler, it’s good enough for me.
Hit me up Doctor!’
5:16pm Jacket off, Sleeves rolled up, wow this
room is really nice!
5:18pm Smells like garlic, that is a HUGE
needle.
5:20pm Mild pain, but feeling calm, reminds
me of the school nurse.
5:23pm I can taste garlic in my mouth! It’s ok,
all in the name of science.
5:25m Finished. Heart pounding, smells very
garlicky.
5:27pm Checked mirror, no visible change –
Ah! I didn’t wait for 20 minutes as instructed.
5:30pm In the elevator down to Midtown
mall. Feel normal.
5:33pm Walking aroung, feeling pretty genki!
5:36 Check my face in the bathroom mirror,
maybe it’s all in my head – do I look younger?
5:45pm Check out the price of garlic in
the supermarket ¥290 per bulb, feels like I
swallowed several.
6:30pm An hour later, I can still taste garlic.
6:40pm On the subway from Roppongi, feel
fine—where is my superpower?!
6:42pm A women next to me is staring, can
she smell garlic? Doesn’t she know about the
celebrities and sumo wrestlers?
8:22pm Need a strong drink. Coffee didn’t
work, still very garlicky.
9:45pm Two beers later. Still thinking about
garlic, paranoid—Can everyone smell me?
10:10pm I’m a walking bulb of garlic.
11:58pm Going to sleep. Showered twice and
can still smell garlic. I will probably dream
about garlic.
07:01am Next morning: feeling good! But
totally normal. Garlic taste has gone and no
hangover—maybe it worked!
“Sumo champ
Asashoryu had a shot
yesterday, he added
with force”
The Doctor is onto something lucrative. If
you can still taste garlic after the shot, have
several strong drinks to take the taste away. If
you drink too many, have another garlic shot
to relieve the hangover—It’s Genius!
Garlic shots start from ¥3,000.
www.tokyomidtown-mc.jp
WEEKENDER
15
TIPS
Top tips to get fit for the summer
Tokyo based personal trainer says exercise should be fun for all.
1. Basic diet
“A good rule of thumb is to think of your plate
in thirds” that means “protein, carbohydrates
and vegetables”.
“Most people skip breakfast or grab a bagle
and coffee on the way to work and eat a big
lunch to keep going then a huge dinner in the
evening, this is the wrong thing to do”.
“Flip it upside down and start with a
big breakfast and drink plenty of water
throughout the day. The body is like an
engine, it needs fuel to keep going or you
will have no energy”. Dinner should be the
smallest meal in terms of calories, Remember:
“You don’t need calories to fall asleep, your
body will just convert them into fat”.
Top tip:
Plan your meals and eat a balanced diet.
Final tip
16
2. Losing weight
“The biggest misconception is that if you
eat less you will lose weight. This is false, if
an engine doesn’t have food it slows down.
When you are young you can eat anything
and burn it off, you look great but as you age
your metabolism slows down, so you need to
be careful what you eat”.
“Your diet actually helps speed up your
metabolism, choose your food wisely and
you will naturally burn fat. Coupled with a
consistant exercise program, burn unwanted
calories and you have everything you need to
stay healthy”.
Top tip:
Consistency is the most important thing.
If you are planning on training, visit your
Doctor and get a full medical checkup.
WEEKENDER
3. What exercise is best?
“It actually doesn’t matter, again the key thing
is consistency. Find a balance in life; everyone
has a different schedule, with work or looking
after the kids. Try to do activites you enjoy
and incorporate them into our daily routine.
Power walk, play with your kids, take the dog
for a walk every day or go swimming. The
important thing is to have fun! If people have
more specific goals and want to lose weight
etc, it is always best to seek advice and get
help. Some people go on a spartan regime
and go the gym five times a week, once they
get injured they revert back to the unhealthy
state. People need to roll into it gradually and
safely. Biggest problem is starting too fast, or
going to hard, people inevitably get injured
then create a negative association with
exercise”.
Top tip:
Exercise should be enjoyable,
but don’t overdo it.
Clint Spence is an Australian fitness instructor based in Tokyo. He started
a career in fitness training after a stint in the Australian military.
For more information visit: www.superfit.jp
CULTURE
FEATURE
On your bike!
Family friendly bicycle tour offers
great way to see hidden Tokyo
01
02
03
04
(01) TGCT tour leader points out the sights
(02) The tour takes about six hours
I
f you are a health nut or haven’t
exercised in years, the relaxed pace of
the Tokyo Great Cycling Tour (TGCT) is
a great way to have a work out and see
a hidden side of the city at the same
time. Led by English speaking tour guides,
you will discover new sites, new muscles in
your legs and you could learn a thing or two
about this fascinating town.
On a recent Saturday trip TGCT tour
leader Kosuke Moriwaki took us on the
popular “Tokyo bayside ride”. The six hour
excursion crisscrosses often overlooked parts
of the city—and though perfectly designed
for tourists, offers a new perspective for longtime Tokyoites too.
“It is absolutely the best way to see Tokyo”
says Andres Kiger who was visiting the city
on a family trip from Shanghai “You are at
18
WEEKENDER
(03) The tour is ideal for families
(04) TGCT have been in business since 2006
street level and really experience a new side
of Tokyo, you are much closer to the people”.
“This is our third or fourth time in Tokyo—it’s
the best time yet”. Tourism is one of the main
industries to be most visibly hit by the recent
earthquake and tsunami, but the Kiger family
were not deterred, “We wanted to come to
“It is absolutely the
best way to see Tokyo”
Japan. Now is the time to visit, tourism can
help the country recover” says Andres.
After being measured up for a bike
we headed to Tsukuda island, home to the
(05) The famous Tsukiji fish market
(06) Helmets are optional for riders
Sumiyoshi shrine, the tiny fishing island was
founded by 30 fishermen from Osaka who
came Edo for work. Next we crossed town,
taking in bridges and water side footpaths
before reaching Tsukiji fish market for a brief
tour, a sample of sashimi and a chat with
some of Japan’s busiest fishmongers. The tour
took us across road bridges to the artificial
island Odaiba for lunch, then a water taxi
took us smoothly back to the mainland. After
a fun day of cruising the streets, hills and
bridges of downtown Tokyo—ending in the
impressive grounds of the Imperial Palace.
Tour leader Kosuke Moriwaki says “All
guides speak English and one even speaks
Portuguese. Most guides are students and
some have regular jobs in local businesses”
the local knowledge is something no
guidebook can provide and the enthusiam
FEATURE
05
Course A:
Tokyo Bay Ride (pictured)
Tokyo bay, seaside, Tsukiji fish market,
Odaiba, Water cruise, numerous
shrines and temples and the
Imperial Palace.
(Available on Tuesday and Saturday)
09
06
Course B:
Sumo Wrestler’s Ride
Asakusa, Ryugoku, Ueno, Hongo and
the Imperial Palace.
(Available on Tuesday and Saturday)
07
10
08
(07) The bay tour offered amazing views
(08) A water taxi takes riders across the bay
shows—historical facts taught along the way
are a fun way to punctuate the day and great
for learning about the landmarks of Tokyo.
Ayumi Higuchi, who studies at Tokyo
University was on the tour for the first time,
she told the Weekender that even residents
of the city can find something new “The tour
is very nice experience, I like the chance to
speak English with foreigners. I recommend
it for people who have lived in Japan for a
while—you could learn something” she says.
TGCT was founded in 2006 and has been
growing in popularity every since “Our tour
has grown by mouth to mouth reputation”
says Moriwaki “It’s not like work, more
like fun. The two best aspects are we get to
meet guests from all over the world and the
city itself, as through the seasons Tokyo is
constantly changing”.
12
(09) Kosuke Moriwaki says all guides speak English (11) Tokyo bayside
(10) Shrines and temples on route
(12) The tour is a great way to discover Tokyo
Moriwaki admits that the past few months
have taken their toll on tourism across the city
but an increase in bookings point to recovery
for the summer.
“We run tours in every season, but May
and June are the best times to go as it’s not
“This is our third or
fourth time in Tokyo,
it’s the best time yet”
too hot” Even in mid-winter tour guides don
multiple layers of clothes if tourists request
a tour. “We run tours in summer, we have
to stop at every combini we see for bottles of
water, but it is still very fun!”
“Sometimes we run into festivals and change
the course on the fly, we are very flexible and
like to alter the course to surprise visitors”.
The tour starts at 9am and finishes around
3pm, including a bento lunch box and drinks.
Both courses are family friendly and rated
“easy” but riders will have to cross many
bridges around the city.
Prices ¥10,000 for adults, ¥7,000 for
children. (including tax,rental bike, box
lunch, insurance, guide. And 1% of the fare
will be donated to ‘One percent for the planet’
project.
To book and for more information visit:
www.tokyocycling.jp or call (03) 4590-2995.
1-3-2, Shinkawa, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0033
WEEKENDER
19
Images by Weekender
Image by iStock
11
FEATURE
Kinfolk - Nakameguro
Building Tokyo’s best bikes
T
he narrow streets of Naka-Meguro
are at the center of a bicycle
revolution. On the second floor, of
a wooden shack is Kinfolk, a tiny
lounge dedicated to the purest
form two wheeled transport.
Kinfolk are Akira, John, Maceo, Ryan
and, Salah a group of international friends
obsessed with the geometry and build of
classic Japanese bike frames. Winners of
Wallpaper* magazine’s “Best ride” award
in 2010 and star of Nike’s “tied together”
campaign, the tiny company assemble
exclusive, bespoke bicycles, that are hand
crafted to the highest standards here in
Japan. While bicycles are everywhere in
Tokyo, the mass produced cheap and cheerful
mamachari are slowly being replaced by
expensive, custom frames with one of a kind
paint jobs and decals—once obscure vehicles
that are now taking the world by storm. This
revolution is not about money, it is all about
the love of craftsmanship—and the freedom
of the road.
Shuichi Kusaka “sensei” is Kinfolk’s 72
year old master frame builder, based in
Akashi, a small industrial seaside town near
Kobe, Kusaka has been crafting steel bicycle
frames for over 30 years, his workshop is
staffed by a small team consisting of a painter,
a polisher and one young apprentice.
“We are very honored to have him build
20
WEEKENDER
frames at the end of his career—he hasn’t
changed at all despite the fame (caused by
a recent surge in popularity worldwide), he
works on bikes monday to friday—and the
goes fishing at the weekends”, says John.
Kinfolk gained mainstream coverage
when the brand starred in Wallpaper*
magazine’s ‘Hand Made’ edition, and a special
exhibition at Salone del Mobile in Milan, the
UK design bible called the brand “the rising
stars of bespoke bike building”.
“No serious business
meetings here, lots of
beer and fresh fruit
cocktails and the
world’s best hand
made bikes”
Kinfolk created a special ‘international
bike’ that could break into two pieces “It
can be out in a leather suitcase instead of a
bulky bike bag or box”. The company actually
produced two bikes that were sent to a
specialist powder coater in Portland, Oregon
for the finest finish, a bespoke leather bag,
was made to carry the bikes, and a leather
engraver was hired to make custom designed
saddles—emblazoned with the Wallpaper*
logo. The bike just made it to Milan just in
time for the show, after a long journey from
Japan via the USA. After the show, the bikes
finally reached the UK, were they were
photographed for the magazine.
Another media coup came from Nike, the
sportswear giant approached Kinfolk in the
run up to the 2010 South Africa world cup,
the “Tied together” campaign was a charity
street sports event bringing together a cyclist,
jogger, skater and photographer (to document
the event) raising money for the (RED) AIDS
foundation, the event took place in Tokyo and
made its way around the world to finish in
Johannesburg, South Africa. The guidelines
for constructing the bike were simple: Use
the colors of the Japanese flag and fit it to
Tokyo’s most famous bike messenger, Shino.
The whole process was filmed by Nike and
the bike featured in a special window display
at Nike stadium in Tokyo. More recently,
trendsetters Hypebeast.com visited the bar
and offered to collaborate on a blog, adding
even more to the buzz.
In the first year of business orders came
mainly America, then the exchange rate
between U.S. dollar and Yen slowed trade
down, the second year orders poured in
from Europe and South East Asia—and in the
winter from Australia. “We just sent one to
FEATURE
03
02
05
Images courtesy of Kinfolk
01
04
(01) Kinfolk and Nike’s Tied together campaign (03) All frames are fully bespoke
(05) Inside the Kinfolk Lounge, handmade by
Mako from Hatos
(02) John Beullens, Kinfolks man in Tokyo
(04) Kusaka Sensei: Master Frame Builder at work
Germany, so we are growing internationally”,
the rising popularity abroad, particularly
in the U.S. is one reason the brand is going
global, by the end of summer the new Kinfolk
store will open in Brooklyn, New York with
an upstairs office taking care of the business
and creative sides and a downstairs cafe
and bar so refresh all those tired cyclists. “It
took a lot to set a bar up in New York, it was
surprisingly easier here in Tokyo”,
To begin with Ryan would visit bike shops
around rural Japan, buy up vintage frames
and take them back to the US to sell for a
profit, a hobby that paid for the airline ticket
and more. Three years ago prices increased
due to a surge in popularity and suddenly
fewer frames were on offer, the Kinfolk team
still wanted to be involved in the industry
and spent a lot of time at shops talking to bike
dealers.
“We had ideas of approaching builders
to collaborate on a brand, but they were
very humble. We aimed at audiences
outside Japan, no-one was doing the same
thing, basically the frame builders are very
traditional, they use a telephone and maybe
a fax, no computers or email”, if a foreigner
wanted to buy a Japanese frame they would
have to physically fly to Japan and order
one—in Japanese.
“The frame builders don’t care about
an audience overseas, or fame or fortune”,
unless you could speak Japanese you simply
couldn’t order one, “enthusiasts would have
to hope to find one on eBay and hope the
color, and price was reasonable and it was a
decent fit”.
This scarcity encouraged the group of
bike nuts to create a brand that bridged the
gap between the traditional craftsmen of
Japan and bicycle purists abroad. Strangely,
as Kinfolk frames became popular in New
York, Japanese kids were eager to buy them
back home, closing the loop back with Japan.
“The lounge by day is an office, and bike
checking place, orders get send here before
being forwarded on, people come to hang out
or if they have any problems, to get a service”.
The friends are now spread all over the
world, each with well defined roles within
the company. “Salah does the website, Maceo
is very creative, Ryan handles accounts”
and John does marketing and facetime with
Japanese customers and magazines.
While white-wheeled “fixies” abound
in Tokyo, John stresses Kinfolk is “not just
for trendy people, as these bikes will last a
lifetime, hipster bikes look good on the street
are are easy to purchase—but also easy to
throw away”.
Kinfolk claim their bikes will last decades
years, by using high-end materials, a quality
steel frame over weaker aluminum or more
fragile carbon types and real leather for the
saddle and handlebar tape—every component
is of the highest quality. A kinfolk bike is not
cheap, a basic frame costs ¥142,500 and a
complete package including all parts can cost
over ¥275,000—but that’s the point, “these
bikes are an investment that can last 20 -30
years—so long as you don’t leave it on the
balcony in the rain”.
Each bike frame is numbered, and every
detail is fully bespoke. Kinfolk are able to
produce up to 10 custom bicycle frames per
month, meaning they are still very exclusive.
“Some bicycle riders are weekend
warriors or simply posers, but we build solid
functional bikes to last. Hopefully in 20-30
years, they will be worth even more money”.
“We are not your typical business—it
all kind of happened by accident, no serious
business meetings here, lots of beer and fresh
fruit cocktails”.
Looking for a name for the bikes and the
shop at the same time, came together, more
like a family than a serious company.
Kinfolk’s badge features a double headed
rabbit symbolizing speed and an anvil for
strength, it was sketched by a tattoo artist and
scanned into the computer before being cast
in brass. A very apt symbol for this year; 2011
is the year of the rabbit, it may bring double
the luck to the company.
For more details visit:
www.wegotways.com/kinfolkbicycles
1-11-1 Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo,
Japan 153-0053
WEEKENDER
21
Your Move. Our World.
Full Relocation
Services anywhere
in the world.
Asian Tigers Mobility provides a comprehensive end-to-end mobility
service tailored to your needs.
Move Management – office, households,
pets, vehicles
Orientation and Cross-cultural programs
Visa and Immigration
Temporary accommodation
Home and School search
Tenancy Management
Family programs
Departure services
Storage services
Asian Tigers goes to great lengths to ensure the highest quality service.
To us, every move is unique.
Please visit www.asiantigers-japan.com or
contact us at [email protected]
Customer Hotline: 03-6402-2371
Vegetarianism goes
Mainstream
Growing number of healthy restaurants
appeal to veggies and meat eaters alike
In the expat haven of Azabu-juban, Eat more greens is doing a
roaring trade. The New York style cafe, sells “no meat, egg or dairy
products”. The interesting thing is that many diners are attracted
because of the health focussed menu—not the lack of meat. This is
good news for vegans and vegetarians and great for health conscious
Tokyoites looking for more healthy options when eating out. Finding a
vegetarian option on a Japanese menu used to be an impossible task—
let alone trying to find an entire vegetarian or vegan restaurant. In
the past few years though, a veggie friendly movement has started in
Tokyo, now all over the city small organic eateries are opening to serve
a growing demand for healthy (and meat free) food.
Lotus & Flower’s One
lotus-one.jp
Tel: 03-6304-9441
Higashi Koenji
(Marunouchi line)
Higashi-Koenji
Station
www.eatmoregreens.jp
Azabu Juban 2-2-5, Minato-ku, 1F Furenshia
106-0045, Tel: (03) 3798-3191
Eat more greens’ daily lunch sets start at ¥950, Taco-Rice of Black Rice
& Black Soybean (pictured above) comes with fresh organic coffee and a
dessert for ¥1200.
Kuumba du Falafel
Rainbow Bird Rendezvous
J’s Kitchen
Tel: 03-6416-8396
Shinsen
(Keio Inokashira
line)
Shibuya Station
ls-adventure.com
Tel: 03-3791-5470
Nakameguro
(Tokyu Toyoko Line)
Nakameguro Station
js-kitchen.com
Tel: 03-5475-2727
Hiroo
(Hibiya line)
Hiroo Station
Rainbow raw food
rainbowrawfood.com
Tel: 03-6809-6848
Hamamatsucho
(JR Lines)
Hamamatsucho Station
Merleau Pannonica
Tel: 03-3464-0100
Daikanyama
(Tokyu Toyoko Line)
Daikanyama Station
87
9
1
e
Sinc
Mexican Restaurant
Looking for a place to dine no matter what the occasion? Look no
further. At Restaurant MOSAIQUE we serve: Real food, wine,
cocktails, service and a friendly atmosphere. Come enjoy the fun.
Tel: 03-6419-3711 / Website: restaurant-mosaique.com
Minami-Aoyama 5-3-2 Minato-ku, Tokyo
Everyday: Lunch, Brunch, Dinner Closed: Sunday evenings
5-16-3 KOYASU BLDG2F HIRO-O SHIBUYA-KU TOKYO
TEL / FAX 03-3442-1865
http://www.la-jolla.co.jp
MY JAPAN
Image courtesy of Do Something
International kids fold
one million paper
cranes for Japan!
Over ¥40,000,000 raised for charity
F
or the past two month kids around
the world were challenged to
create 100,000 Paper Cranes
for Japan. Last week the hardworking volunteers at Students
Rebuild counted the one millionth crane,
dramatically exceeding the goal and inspiring
a US$400,000 donation to rebuild schools
from the Bezos Family Foundation and
US$100,000 from an anonymous donor (Over
¥40,000,000).
The effort, a collaboration between
DoSomething.org’s Paper Cranes for Japan
campaign and Students Rebuild, was
launched in response to the devastating
earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan
on March 11th to inspire young people
worldwide to support their Japanese peers.
From Armenia to New Zealand, from
rural Kansas to urban Philadelphia, from
elementary school classrooms to church
basements and community cherry blossom
festivals, young people came together to fold
paper cranes-and mailed them by the boxful.
Eight provinces in Canada and every state
in the U.S. participated. Children responded
worldwide from 36 countries, including
students in Haiti, who folded hundreds of
cranes for Japan during the groundbreaking
of a newly reconstructed school in Port au
Prince.
“The students in our school and the
community center are very excited to help
24
WEEKENDER
out, as they understand what it means to
be struck by devastation,” says Courtney
McCurdy, education programs officer at J/P
Haitian Relief Organization. “This project is
also a great learning tool for the kids in Haiti
to teach them that they too, can help those in
need.”
DoSomething.org and Students Rebuild’s
Paper Cranes for Japan campaign issued a
simple challenge to young people online:
make and mail in an origami crane, and
each crane received will be matched with
$2 to rebuild in Japan by the Bezos Family
Foundation. The goal: 100,000 cranes, which
would trigger $200,000 from the foundation
to fund Architecture for Humanity’s Sendai
reconstruction efforts in partnership with
Japanese designers and builders. The
thousands of cranes are planned to live on
as a permanent art installation in a youth
facility rebuilt by Architecture for Humanity
in Japan. After 29 days, when the crane
count exceeded 500,000, the Bezos Family
Foundation decided to double its gift to
reflect and further support the outpouring
of generosity from young people across the
world to help their peers in Japan and to
make a difference.
“Clearly, the support for this project has
exceeded our wildest expectations,” says
Jackie Bezos, president of the Bezos Family
Foundation, which founded Students Rebuild.
“If there’s any doubt that young people want
to contribute, here is the overwhelming
evidence.”
Inspired by the commitment of the Bezos
Family Foundation and outpouring of support
from children worldwide, an anonymous
donor has contributed an additional
$100,000. However, the boxes kept cominganother 500,000 cranes worth!
“I know it sounds corny, but it has been
emotionally uplifting,” says John Moquin, an
employee at the downtown Seattle UPS Store
who helps field the hundreds of boxes of
cranes a day pouring in for Students Rebuild.
“I’m a cynic at heart but the response has
been unbelievable.”
For more information:
www.habitat.org www.dosomething.org
One of the largest selections of English greeting cards in Japan,
International foods and all you favorite brands from home.
Hiroo station (Metro Hibya Line) Exit 1 or 2
3 minutes walk across the street from Arisugawa park
www.national-azabu.com
PPP
01
03
02
05
04
06
07
Imperial Hotel 120th Anniversary
(01)
(02)
(03)
(04)
Hideya Sadayasu, general manager of the Imperial Hotel, with
Mrs. Masako Konno, wife of the owner of Vitek electronics.
Imperial Hotel president Tetsuya Kobayashi, with Keidanren
chairman Hiromasa Yonekura.
Journalist Mark Schreiber and Le Monde correspondent
Philippe Mesmer.
(05)
(06)
(07)
U.S. ambassador John Roos, his wife Susan and
Tetsuya Kobayashi.
Japanese media personality Hiroshi Ikushima with journalists
Kaori and Saeko.
Keio University president Tetsuya Kobayashi and Tetsuya
Kobayashi enjoying the celebrations.
Peter Mesmer, actress Fumi Dan and P.R. guru
Nacio ‘Skip’ Cronin.
people, parties, places
With Bill Hersey, Tokyo’s Longest Running Society Page
S
o far, 2011 is really turning out to
be a strange year. There have been
some terrible natural disasters, the
earthquake in New Zealand, floods
in Australia and Colombia the
unbelievably devastating quake and tsunamis
here in Japan and the worst ever tornados
across seven states in the U.S.
Man has certainly done his part to add to
all this, there’s the nuclear plant problems in
Fukushima, the huge fire in Makati Manila,
and fighting, killing and misery in several
African countries and throughout the Middle
East.
I’m sure most of you will agree Tokyo’s
not the same since 3/11. There are power
shortages so our city’s darker at night we’re
lucky as many places have only periodically
scheduled power cuts now.
Traffic’s down, making driving a bit
easier but also gives taxi drivers the idea they
26
WEEKENDER
can break even more laws then they usually
do—and get away with it. Please be careful,
a law enforcement friend of mine told me
“I’m sure most of you
will agree Tokyo’s not
the same since 3/11”
the taxi business has been down and there
are more and more cases of taxis stopping
suddenly (so the car behind them bumps
them). As a result they can take a break and
collect more insurance then they would make
if they were working. Tokyo streets even in
Roppongi at night have been relatively quiet
but do seem to be getting busier—we and
businesses need that. I recently read that
the restaurant business is down 10 percent
but I’m sure it’s more. Hotel business is also
down, room occupancy in most is very low
but happy to hear a 30 percent increase in the
wedding business is really helping. You may
not believe this, but working on this column
at an outdoor table at Starbucks in Midtown,
an attractive office girl wearing a black t-shirt
with huge white letters on the front saying
“why” walked by—talk about timing! That, my
dear, I thought, is what we’re all wondering...
Like just about everyone I ask, I’m a bit
apprehensive about the aftershocks but sort
of getting used to them. I did have a very
realistic dream that I was laying in bed and
there was a quake. When I woke up, I got up
and checked the house, but everything was
OK. A doctor friend of mine told me many of
PPP
01
02
03
04
05
06
Sayonara Party at FOX TV Studios
(01)
(02)
Director of programming Yasunori Fukai, Senior V.P.
content David Shin and TV talent Kris Imai.
(03)
Outgoing Fox talent Kris Imai and film producer
Travis Close
Singer Rinko, Executive producer Dan Smith, TV talent
Soness Stevens, Fox diva Aya and Fox international
president Yoshitsugu, Koizumi.
his patients had similar dreams.
I am lucky to have run into a lot of friends
as well as meeting a lot of interesting people
for the first time lately and want to pass on
some good news as well as bad news about
the current situation I heard from them. On
the good side just about everyone I saw
wearing a mask told me it was for pollen
allergies and had nothing to do with fear of
radiation.
Really happy to see Yoyogi park has
stayed busy. Lots of people ignored governor
Ishihara’s rather thoughtless advise not to
have cherry blossom viewing parties. This
was at a time people really needed a to get
back to business. Yoyogi has offered an
escape and haven with an outdoors living
festival, a festival for pets and the super
earth day celebration… all with live music,
ethnic food outlets and bazaars.
Still on the good side Martin Webb of
Marc Jacobs fashion told me they have two
boutiques up in Sendai. The quake, of course
really affected their business in the beginning,
but sales have picked up and the shops in
Sendai as well as Tokyo are doing well. Also
(04)
(05)
(06)
Soness Stevens, Riho Sakai and Aya.
Producer Miki Asai, Universal channel manager Scott Mackenzie and
Senior marketing manager Akiko Takemura
Fox programming manager Yuki Ito, programmer Chihiro Imai, producer
Yuji Ueda, Madoka Koike and programming director Hiro Daigoh
happy to hear Martin’s father in law who’s a
well known architect already has a contract
for a big project in Fukushima.
Pulling together to rebuild is the Japanese
spirit at its best.
Easter was a great time, I started out
“Everyone I saw
wearing a mask told
me it was for pollen
allergies and had
nothing to do with fear
of radiation”
at the Franciscan chapel where it was
standing room only for the twelve noon
mass. After that joined friends at the French
kitchen in the Grand Hyatt for a bountiful
brunch. People there included Bill and
Charo Ireton, Father Bill Grimm, Matthew
Ireton, his grandmother Kiko and Koichi
and Daniele Yoshikoshi. The two of them
had just returned from their annual two
weeks in Hawaii. When I was leaving, I ran
into ex German restaurant owner Horst
Pijan and three of his friends at the hotel’s
outdoor cafe. All very interesting people.
When it comes to bad things, anxiety,
stress and uncertainty much caused by
unreliable sources and sensationalist media
are the major contributing factors. Other
less important things include the price of
gasoline, which is up to almost six dollars a
gallon in some parts of the U.S. now—and
almost the same here. Prices of gas are about
the same in most of the stations in Japan but
when it comes to repairs, maintenance, car
washes, etc they can really differ. Much of
this I discovered depends on the area where
the station is located. “Our rent is higher so
we have to charge more”, one service station
attendant told me. It’s a good idea to check
around when you need work on your car. I’m
sure you’ll end up saving money.
We all know there were countless
cancelations of all kinds of events here in
Tokyo on and after 3/11. These included
WEEKENDER
PPP
01
02
04
05
In and Around Town
(01)
(02)
(03)
Spice & Herbs execs Kazuhisa Takeda, Kazumi Yamada,
James Yellowleese and Anri Schroff at her charity
cooking workshop in the Grand Hyatt’s French Kitchen.
Easter Sunday get together at the Grand Hyatt, Jan
Voortman, Thomas Paehne, Peter Naef and Horst Pijan.
Bill and the late great Elisabeth Taylor at a dinner party
hosted by the late diplomatic couple U.S. Ambassador
Mike and Maureen Mansfield.
national day receptions, sayonara parties,
concerts, baseball, and other sports games,
movie premieres, etc. It’s still pretty quiet
on the social and entertainment scene. My
mailbox has been pretty empty (except for
phone bills, gas bills, electric bills, etc). For
some reason it’s seems like there’s more of
that kind of mail then before and it’s on or
ahead of time. Two friends have told me they
feel they were overcharged on their phone
bills and are going to check it out. There were
a couple of ¥4000 calls I made from Manila
to Tokyo on my Docomo, as well—all were
just for a few minutes and I plan on checking
this out myself. I got screwed last year when
I canceled my Wilcom service, half the time
it didn’t work and no one had explained
to me that I would have to pay a pretty big
cancelation fee, I live and learn.
I have been talking with all kinds of
friends and as before most hope their leaders
will take more responsibility, not only to
rebuild Japan but also let them know what the
truth, good or bad really is. I also find many
people are really unhappy about the way
much of the media have been handling things.
People really want to know the truth about
28
WEEKENDER
03
06
(04)
(05)
(06)
Koichi Yoshikoshi, Bill Ireton, Daniele Yoshikoshi, Charo, Matthew
and Kiko Ireton celebrate Easter Sunday at the French Kitchen.
Yes band guitarist Billy Sherwood was in town with bandmate.
Tony Kay to do a series of charity shows, he dropped by his
old Roppongi hangout, the new Lex and joined manager Taka
Masuda and chef Higa-san to help out.
Tabasco’s Mark Gleason, Peninsula Hotel G.M. Malcolm
Thompson and Dr Eugene Aksenoff at “24” for Eugene’s birthday.
things and don’t need all the sensationalism.
The facts are what are important.
Will close this part of the column with things
as they are and will continue to get better,
please support Japan!
Legendary Imperial hotel celebrates
120th anniversary
The prestigious Imperial hotel recently held
their annual spring party for the media
and it was a very special evening in ever
way. The hosts included all of the hotel’s
top executives as well as several from their
partners from the stunning Halekulani
hotel in Hawaii. Guests were mostly from
the media and there were a few well known
entertainment personalities as well. Several
party crashers, who were certainly not
dressed for the elegant evening somehow
got in and spent their time loading up their
plates at the beautiful buffet. I find it difficult
understanding how people can do this, but
come on Bill, nobody was hurt, so chill out.
Sayonara at Fox studios
It was wall to wall people at FOX studios over
on Meiji dori when staff members held a
sayonara for several of their co-workers that
included Kris Imai, who has transferred to
Hong Kong and Yuji Ueda who’s off to Dubai.
It was sort of like Old Home Week laying back
with all those good people from FOX. I’ve had
the privilege of getting to know the last year
or so. I will really miss the very talented Kris
who did some pretty clever skits on FOX. The
food, a mountain of McDonald’s hamburgers,
french fries and apple pie was fun and filling.
I wish Kris and Yuji all the best, they’ll sure be
missed here.
So long and God bless
So long to one of the most beautiful and
talented women in the world, Elizabeth Taylor
who passed away recently. I got to know
this fantastic lady through the late and great
couple, U.S. ambassador Mike and Maureen
Mansfield believe me, she really was very
special.
I lost a good friend and the world lost a
good man when Sony’s honorary chairman
Norio Ohga passed away on April 23.
I first became friends with Norio through
his wife Midori’s best friend Chichan Plessner.
Over the years I went to many of his concerts
PPP
07
08
10
(07)
(08)
(09)
09
11
‘Country Western Enka’ singer Miyamoto celebrated his CD
launch with entertainer Steven Haynes at Roppongi’s New Lex.
Actress Miki Maya with Sony entertainment’s Masao Morita at a
Sony press event at the Ritz Carlton.
National Azabu supermarket’s Tomoya Nakamura and Dale
Toriumi help load donations the store collected for Sumo star
Konishiki to take to disaster areas of Sendai and Fukushima.
and had the opportunity to get to know him
at small intimate dinner parties. I also had
the great privilege of being his guest at the
four day opening parties and events for the
opening of the Sony center in Berlin. The
highlight of the fabulous event was when
Norio conducted the Berlin philharmonic. I’ll
never forget the pride and joy this justifiably
gave him. The man accomplished so much in
his life and will really be missed by all who
knew him.
(10)
(11)
Hawaiian brothers Paul and Aaron hang out after trying a
serving of Segafredo’s new Italian gelato.
Italian brothers Aldo and Fabio la Cavera of Mirari (Rayban and
other top brands of sunglasses) at the prestigious company’s
recent ‘family sale’.
No one really seems to know her name so we
called her ‘Hana chan’. I’m talking about the
little lady probably in her 80’s that owned
and ran the San Francisco flower shop across
the street from National Azabu, she was quite
a character with her blonde ponytail, mini
Sue, Jon, Natalie and Poppy
Band relax at Segafredo
skirts and wedges. Hana-san spent much of
her spare time in Hiroo’s Segafredo coffee
shop. During the holiday season she not
only colorfully decorated her flower shop,
but Segafredo as well. She went all the way
and wore a Santa design top and miniskirt
in December and January! Heard she had a
bad fall and died a few weeks later. She was
a real individual who will be sadly missed.
Bosnian ambassador Pero Matic and Greek ambassador
Tsamados Nikolaos battle it out at Hiroo’s Segafredo.
WEEKENDER
29
Discover Tokyo’s Best Spas
Relax in style and discover a new you
PROMOTION
Spa Treatments
The Westin Hotel
Le Spa Parisien
Le Spa Parisien is a truly unique experience, designed by French
architect Albert Abut, the soothing decor will help take your relaxation
to another level. This spa holds Tokyo’s first copper bath, 11 treatment
rooms and boasts traditional European techniques.
Address: 1-4-1 Mita, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8580
Telephone: +81-3-5423-7000
Website: www.westin-tokyo.co.jp/spa
Park Hyatt Hotel
Club On The Park Spa
Ever wanted to swim 47 floors high? At the Club On The Park Spa at
the Park Hyatt you can, with the sun light flooding in for added effect.
The 45th floor is host to seven private treatment rooms, wet and dry
saunas, 360° Body Showers just to name a few. This spa also includes
the unique Vichy hydrotherapy experience- not to be missed.
Address: 3-7-1-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Tokyo, 163-1055
Telephone: +81-3-5322-1234
Website: www.tokyo.park.hyatt.com/
The Ritz Carlton Hotel
The Ritz Carlton Spa by ESPA
The Peninsula
The Peninsula Spa by ESPA
Panoramic views of the Tokyo Tower and Roppongi Hills, a rain
shower and a spa suite for two. For ultimate tranquility visit The Ritz
Carlton Spa by ESPA where you can indulge in the tailored Day Spa
Rituals, treatments suitable for pregnant women and even a Jet Lag
revival.
Located just around the corner from the Imperial Palace, this
globally known spa promises to revitalise your mind, body and
spirit. Including the famous combination of Oriental, Ayurvedic and
European approaches, you are spoilt for choice. If that is not enough,
you can have a highly trained therapist develop a customized spa
treatment to meet your every need.
Address: Tokyo Midtown, 9-7-1, Akasaka, Tokyo 107-6245
Telephone: + 81-3-3423-8000
Website: www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Tokyo/Spa
Address: 1-8-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, 100-0006
Telephone: + 81-3-6270-2888
Website: www.peninsula.com/Tokyo
WEEKENDER
31
ANNOUNCEMENTS
annoucements
Congratulations Megumi & Toshiaki
Happy Birthday Emi-Chan
Congratulations to Megumi and Toshiaki on their 10 year wedding anniversary on the
13th May. Also Happy Birthday to Megumi for the 5th May. Lots of love from all the family.
Happy Birthday Emi. Lots of love from all the
Sakura Girls xxx.
Hello Baby Sumiha
Happy Birthday Tomomi
Congratulations to Issei & Mai-Chan on the
birth of their daughter, Sumiha.
Happy Birthday Tomomi. Lots of love from
Rina & Liam.
Kazuko & Takeshi
Happy Wedding Anniversary. Lots of love
from Rina, Aya & Tama Chan.
Happy Birthday Hannah
Happy Birthday Alaister
Wishing a very Happy Birthday to Hannah.
With lots of love from Alister
Happy Birthday “Mr Handsome” from all the
guys at TGRFC.
share the love
If you know of anybody who is celebrating a birthday, a marriage, a wedding anniversary
or has an annoucement to make, then we would love to hear about it. You can email in a
picture and a short messsage to [email protected]
32
WEEKENDER
Congratulations Warren
Congratulations to Warren on his marriage to
Haruka. Hope the leg gets better soon mate,
All the best from everyone at TGRFC!
Soccer 7’s in Yokohama
Image courtesy of Footy Japan
Charities are real winners with YC&AC a close 2nd
Yokohama Country & Athletic Club, Sunday 8th May 2011
G
lorious sunshine greeted the
16 teams who competed in
this years Charity Soccer 7’s,
when they arrived at Yokohama
Country & Athletic Club (YC&AC)
a full seven weeks after the original scheduled
date, the Tohoku earthquake and subsequent
nuclear panic having wreaked havoc on
numerous lives and planned events during
the aftermath. This event has been one of the
biggest on the international amateur football
calendar in recent years, attracting a large
crowd of spectators as well as the 160 or more
players to this prestigious ex-pat sports club.
This year it was YC&AC’s own team, who’d
been runners up in 3 of the last 4 Charity 7’s,
who finally took the winners trophy coming
from behind to beat NSP 3-1 in the final.
It was the Charities themselves who
were the true champions though, earning
a whopping ¥1,055,756 from the efforts of
the Centre Circle and Footy Japan team who
organized this event and the kind Sponsors
(Robert Walters, Amway, Dunhill & Virgin
Atlantic to name but a few) who supported it.
The funds raised will once again, concurrent
to last year, be donated to Refugees
International Japan and Jeannie and Billy’s
Children’s Foundation in Cambodia. The tournament, involving many teams/
players from the Wahl & Case Tokyo League,
kicked off in the usual fast paced fashion,
players seemingly oblivious to the rising
temperatures. YC&AC took their first big scalp
of the afternoon beating ex-champions Azule
FC 3-0 in the opening match on pitch A, while
newcomers Nepal FC were narrowly defeated
2-1 by the ever improving Bloomberg on
pitch B. Far East Utd, one of the tournament
debutants, found it a gruelling task being
drawn in one of the hardest groups in the
competition—facing NSP, Geckoes and last
years champions YCFC, they were unable
to secure a point and hit a low by suffering
a 9 – 1 defeat to Geckoes. However, the
students from Tsukuba University (where
Japan ex-captain Iihara played) made a
impressive start to the campaign, teaching
the Astavita crew a lesson with a 2 – 0 win,
then making Swiss pay with some after school
detention whipping them 5 – 0. Fellow group
compatriots Panthers held their own and with
a superior goal difference finished the group
on top with YC&AC, British FC and NSP all
winning their respective groups.
After a lunch break where players gulped
down vast amounts of BBQ burgers & hotdogs
laid on by YC&AC, the teams came out to do
battle in the knock-out rounds of the cup &
plate dependant on where they finished in
their groups. With an early bath at stake, the
pressure was now on to step up a gear and go
for broke. In the plate competition, Swiss Kickers
had obviously learned their lesson from
earlier in the day, seeing off Nepal 1-0
then Geckoes 3-2 to reach the final against
Bloomberg, who themselves had beaten
Astavita 5-0 and un-Real Celts 4-1 to get there.
It was the Swiss Kickers who took the plate
with a solid display in the final winning 3-1.
In the cup competition, YC&AC’s
experience told against Tsukuba University
with a 3 – 2 victory whilst British FC suffered
at the hands of last year’s champions YCFC.
Panthers continued their fine form beating
Azule 4 – 2 and NSP saw off Robert Half with a
comfortable 2 – 0 win.
The semi-finals were a bit of a strange
affair, with a repeat of last years final in one,
YC&AC vs YCFC, but with a totally different
outcome. It seemed that YCFC succumbed to
the heat of the day(or wanted to get to the bar
earlier) and were rather unceremoniously
dumped out 8-0. They didn’t seem too
perturbed though, as they are actually all
YC&AC members & teammates. Panthers also
faltered and ran out of steam, losing to the
young NSP lads 3-0
So it was hosts YC&AC and the NSP boys
– New Year 7′s winners 2009 – who were to
meet in the final. Heat fatigue and extended
match time would be an important factor in
the outcome of this result especially since NSP
had been playing all day with no substitutes.
It was the young lads who struck first though,
taking a 1-0 lead for about 10 minutes until
YC&AC struck 3 times in succession to take
the match 3-1. A valiant effort by NSP
but ultimately outclassed by moments of
brilliance within the YC&AC ranks – their
names now etched in Charity 7′s history as
cup winners 2011.
For more stories & photos please visit:
www.footyjapancompetitions.com
www.facebook.com/footyjapancompetitions
Footy Japan & NPO Centre Circle wish to
thank all the sponsors of this event: Amway,
Dunhill, Robert Walters, Virgin Atlantic,
Slate Executive Search, Crown relocations,
Specialized Group, Asian Tigers. and raffle
sponsors: Hobgoblin, Okinawa harbor view
Crowne Plaza, bc-services KK, Wall Street
Associates, kiwi Kitchen, Fifty Seven, Boyd &
Moore, Biervana and Robert Half.
(Sid Lloyd, Director of Footy Japan KK)
WEEKENDER
33
EXPAT LIFE
faces & places
Footy Japan charity 7’s
A wonderful day of football in Yokohama. All in the name of charity
Read the full story on page 33!
Want to be featured in Tokyo’s premier English
magazine? We would love to hear from you.
Drop us a line. [email protected]
34
WEEKENDER