DIGEST

AWARD EDITOR

NACÁSA & PARTNERS

YUUKI IDE

Superior Interior Attention to Detail

The Nihonbashi Club has won a second prestigious award for its interior design. The iF Design Award follows the Club’s Good Design Award last year.

“The consistent use of fine materials and detailing, lighting technique, original furnishings and art collection make the spaces of a truly exceptional quality,” the Hanover-based award judges noted.

Architect and Nihonbashi Club Member Daishi Yoshimoto oversaw the design of the Club, which opened in March 2021.

“We are very proud and excited that our design was recognized by a major international design award program,” he says. “It’s another win for the Nihonbashi team and Members.” NJ

MEMBERSHIP

Spreading the Joy

“Shared joy is a double joy” goes the Swedish proverb. And from June 1, the Nihonbashi Club is inviting Members to introduce their friends and coworkers to the joys of membership.

In addition, whenever a Member accompanies an interested guest to the Club in June, they will be entered into a draw to win a prize from a lineup of spectacular Club experiences, including dinner for four and personal training sessions.

And if the guest applies to join the Club by August 31, the Member will receive a voucher worth ¥20,000 for spending at either clubhouse. Visit the Club website for details or contact membership@tac-club.org. NJ The fact that a guitar stolen more than four decades ago was ever found was incredible enough. But the way in which it was discovered makes the episode particularly extraordinary.

In 2021, an amateur sleuth in Canada uncovered the whereabouts of the treasured 1957 Gretsch guitar of rock legend Randy Bachman, who shares the story ahead of his Club performance next month on page 22.

After scouring online images and videos for clues, William Long chanced upon a video of a guitarist playing in a Japanese bar. He had struck gold. The three telltale marks on the guitar that Long had identified from an old Bachman video were clearly visible.

Remarkably, the guitar looked in the same condition as the day it went missing from a hotel in 1976. Maybe we’ll never know how it arrived in Japan, but Bachman is lucky that it did wind up in a Tokyo guitar shop.

Anyone who has bought anything vintage or secondhand in Japan knows that Japanese owners—particularly hobbyists—look after the object of their interest. They care about every detail. It’s no surprise that vinyl collectors from abroad visit Japan to pick up mint-condition records.

In this case, the guitar shop that sold Bachman’s orange 1957 Gretsch knew exactly the value of the guitar, as did its discerning purchaser, the Japanese musician Takeshi.

When the Gretsch is returned to its original owner when Bachman and Takeshi meet in Tokyo in July, the Canadian rocker can be thankful for a nation’s appreciation for craftsmanship.

Since joining the Club with her husband last year, Yuka Tanaka has been exploring the shelves of the Library and immersing herself in titles recommended by staff and fellow members of the Club’s Book Lovers’ Group.

LIBRARY

From the Shelves

What was your favorite childhood book?

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. I was 5 years old when my mother bought me this book. It’s about 12 girls at a Paris boarding school, with Madelaine the smallest but bravest girl. She gave me so much courage and help in how to grow up. At that time, I faced my own challenges after moving from Japan to New York, where I had to speak English and make new friends at my kindergarten.

What inspired your love of books?

Barnes and Noble in Irvine, California. I was raising two boys at the time and the bookstore was a place where I could find peace. The boys would run to the children’s book section, and I would pick my favorite books and head to the store’s Starbucks, where they had the best banana and nut muffins!

What genre do you most enjoy?

As I traveled so much, I always seemed to encounter the latest bestsellers. I ended up loving self-help books, especially ones with tests to measure your strengths and weaknesses. They also provided me with some useful advice to pass on to my kids. Since joining the Book Lovers’ Group, I have been reading more genres.

What are you reading now?

I just finished The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera and No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai. Both deal with the hardships of life and the meaning of existence. There is so much depth to these books, and I am keen to reread them to better understand them.

SPA

Yuka Tanaka

KAYO YAMAWAKI

When were you last unable to put down a book?

How Will You Measure Your Life? by the late Harvard professor Clayton Christensen is a book I keep going back to in quiet moments. I especially like the part about relationships. He says the path to happiness in a relationship is not just finding someone you think is going to make you happy. Rather, it is about finding someone you want to make happy, someone whose happiness is worth devoting yourself to.

KAYO YAMAWAKI

Me-Time Moments

Since everyone deserves a break from the rigors of life, The Spa is helping Members unwind with two weekday specials.

With a Time-Out Special, book a 60- or 90-minute rejuvenating therapy or facial treatment together with a reservation at the Childcare Center and enjoy 20 percent off your treatment and 50 percent off childcare while you lie back in bliss. Available between 10am and 3pm.

If evenings are better for you, why not take a Weekday Spa Vacation when all treatments are 15 percent off after 6:30pm? Contact 03-4588-0714 or spa@ tac-club.org to book a pampering. NJ

RECOGNITION

More Than Words

CLARA GARCIA

“The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library,” Albert Einstein once declared. Only when Drew Damron took over as manager of the Club Library in 2017, he wasn’t convinced that all Members knew the whereabouts of the second-floor repository.

“By their own nature, libraries are a hub for whichever community they’re situated within,” he says. “It was clear that our Library is important for families, and it continues to be, but I found that it doesn’t benefit from regular traffic patterns in the building.”

Damron and his team set about putting the Library on the map. They expanded programs for children and adults, developed the Library’s digital offerings and quickly adapted to the increased demand for the Library’s services during the pandemic.

Member Betty Noguchi says Damron has used his experience from working in public libraries in the United States to build the Library into a “vital and valued center for the Club community.”

But, she says, his influence goes further.

“What I would like to commend about Drew is how he has shared his many personal talents in creating other educational programs,” says Noguchi, citing the comic book workshops and genealogy classes Damron established and the monthly TAC Talk lectures he helps organize.

Noguchi was a member of the organizing committee for the 10th anniversary celebrations for the Azabudai Club in 2021. The organizers turned to Damron for his help.

“We learned of his past work as an archivist and that he had already been quietly researching the Club’s history on his own,” she says. “What he did for us was to take us on a fascinating walking tour to specific sites around Tokyo related directly to the Club’s history and, from this, he developed a wonderful presentation that he gave at the 10th anniversary event.”

Damron and his librarians have been steadily building a Club archive, which they aim to digitize and turn into an exhibit to open next year. It’s hoped a book on the Club’s history will follow.

“At times, communities can lose their sense of self, and it’s through sharing and celebrating our heritage that we can reconnect to that shared story again,” Damron says. “The Club has gone through a lot of incredible changes, and the more we uncover, the more interesting this place becomes.” NJ

Members can recognize Club staff by submitting a Tell TAC online or by filling out one of the cards available around the Club.

Photo: Drew Damron and Betty Noguchi WINE

Pink Perfection

WORDS DEMIR SADIKOGLU IMAGE KAYO YAMAWAKI

With summer’s humidity beginning to grip Tokyo, it’s time to think cool and refreshing when selecting something from The Cellar. And I have three great-value rosé wines that fit the bill.

Viña Real’s 2019 Rosado (¥1,980) from Spain’s Rioja region is an elegant rosé with a deliciously balanced palate, lightly acidic aftertaste and long, fruit-driven finish. Pairs well with most summer foods but is equally enjoyable on its own.

Moving onto southern France, Hecht & Bannier’s 2020 Côtes de Provence Rosé (¥2,400) is a fresh wine of immense charm and minerality and perfect for sipping outdoors with anchovies and olives.

Wölffer Estate’s Long Island vineyard (one of only three in the Hamptons) might be located on former potato fields, but you wouldn’t know it from the quality of its wines, including its 2019 Estate Rosé (¥3,520). Bursting with fresh fruit aromas and flavors, this lively wine is well structured with an elegant mouthfeel.

It’s an incredibly versatile rosé that would enhance a range of dishes, from grilled meats and smoked salmon to poached lobster and soft cheeses. Sounds like the perfect summer partner!

Demir Sadikoglu is a member of the Club’s Wine & Beverage Committee.

For the month of June, receive a 10 percent discount on purchases of at least three bottles of any of these recommended Cellar wines.