December 2021 INTOUCH Magazine by Tokyo American Club

natural extensions of your living space, Toranomon Hills Residential Tower offers a new way to experience life in

We Have Liftoff

Tokyo. One- to five-bedroom units available for lease. Site visits begin spring 2022.

Renderings are based on blueprints from the planning stage of the project and actual objects, colors, and other details may differ. Furniture and furnishings are not included in the price. The view is not guaranteed due to future changes in the area.

DECEMBER 2021

Toranomon Hills Residential Tower

DECEMBER 2021

INTOUCH

comfort in mind, and common areas that feel like

TOKYO AMERIC AN CLUB

luxuriously appointed units designed with the utmost

毎月一回一日発行第四十七巻六八十号トウキョウアメリカンクラブインタッチマガジン二〇二一年十二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円本体七二八円

The essence of urban living

Featuring expansive, panoramic views of the city,

TOKYO AMERIC AN CLUB

December’s TAC Talk speakers on Japan’s burgeoning space startup scene

PA R T Y C U L T U R E + G A M E - H O N I N G G O L F H U B + S L A L O M T H R I L L S

Welcome Home Brand New HOMAT SHARON Located in the exclusive neighborhood of Minami-Azabu, HOMAT SHARON offers spacious units that harmoniously blend Western and Japanese aesthetics.

www.nskre.co.jp/english/business/lease

Each unit has been designed with the utmost comfort in mind, and property amenities include a ﬁtness room with state-of-the-art equipment and bilingual concierge service that is available 24 hours a day.

Contents 20 THE SKY’S THE LIMIT

Aerospace engineers, policy experts and zero-gravity startup mavens ponder what it’ll take to launch Japan’s private space sector into orbit.

LE ADER SHIP

DIGE ST

AGENDA

INDEPTH

17 C AUSE FOR CELEBR ATION

Two Members explain why year-end and New Year company events at the Club carry much more meaning this holiday season.

SKIING

EVENTS

GOLF

FO CU S

15 SL ALOM SENSATION

Ahead of next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, one Member reflects on his years careening down slopes as a competitive skier.

COMMUNITY

WELLNE SS

VOICE

HIGHLIGHTS

PURSUIT

COVER IMAGE OF JAPANESE ASTRONAUT SOICHI NOGUCHI BY SPACEX

DECEMBER | 1

TOKYO AMERIC AN CLUB

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

INTOUCH

Representative Governor Michael Benner (2022)

Editor Nick Jones

First Vice President Sam Rogan (2022)

editor@tac-club.org

Second Vice President Trista Bridges Bivens (2022)

Assistant Editor Owen Ziegler

Secretar y Jeffrey Behr (2021)

Designer Kohji Shiiki

Treasurer Kenji Ota (2021)

Designer Clara Garcia

Governors Michael Alfant (2021), John Flanagan (2021), Anthony Moore (2022),

Production Administrator Yuko Shiroki

Tetsutaro Muraki (2022), Catherine Ohura (2021), Alok Rakyan (2021)

GENERAL MANAGER

Heidi Regent (2021), Dean R Rogers (2022), Christina Siegel (2022)

Darren Morrish

Statutor y Auditors Koichi Komoda (2022), Paul Kuo (2021) Parentheses denote term limit.

ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGERS Business Operations Wayne Hunter

CLUB COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Business Suppor t Lian Chang

Compensation Anthony Moore Culture, Community & Enter tainment Miki Ohyama (Jeffrey Behr)

DIRECTORS

Finance Joe Moscato (Kenji Ota)

Communications Shane Busato

Food & Beverage Kristina Wright (Sam Rogan)

Facilities Toby Lauer

House Douglas Hymas (Catherine Ohura)

Finance Naoto Okutsu

Human Resources John Y Sasaki (Tetsutaro Muraki)

Food & Beverage Suranga Hettige Don

Membership Risa Dimacali (Trista Bridges Bivens)

Member Services Jonathan Allen

Nihonbashi Ginger Griggs (Alok Rakyan)

Membership Mari Hori

Nominating Ray Klein

Nihonbashi Noriaki Yamazaki

Recreation Nils Plett (Christina Siegel)

Recreation Susanna Yung

Risk Control Justin Keyes (John Flanagan)

CONTRIBUTORS

TAC Sustainability Task Force Trista Bridges Bivens

Writers

Parentheses denote Board liaison.

David McElhinney

SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRS

Brendan Morris

Community Relations Hideki Endo

Tetsutaro Muraki

Frederick Harris Gallery JoAnn Yoneyama

Ursula Williams

Golf Charles Postles

Photographers

Squash Jeremy Markwick Smith

Shane Busato

Swim Agnes Ouellette

Yuuki Ide

TAC Talk Simon Farrell

Nick Jones

Wine & Beverage Keith Truelove

Nacása & Partners Kayo Yamawaki Illustrator Tania Vicedo

ADVERTISING IN INTOUCH

JOINING TOKYO AMERICAN CLUB

Explore the Club’s range of advertising possibilities by talking to

To arrange a tour of the facilities,

the Club’s exclusive advertising agency, Custom Media.

contact the Membership Office.

Custom Media President Robert Heldt

Tokyo American Club

Custom Media Publisher Simon Farrell

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

adver tising@tac-club.org

membership@tac-club.org

03-4540-7730 | www.custom-media.com

03-4588-0687 | www.tokyoamericanclub.org

All prices referenced in INTOUCH include consumption tax.

2 | INTOUCH

Luxury Homat properties for expats in Tokyo Ever since it was established in 1954, Sun Realty has been the exclusive agent for Homat properties. These apartments are spacious units like none other, featuring beautiful Western–Japanese mixed interiors. They are designed to meet the discerning tastes of expat families, and situated in Tokyo’s best locations.

Since 195 4

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We design for ONE’S life and dreams. Interior Design and Renovation in Tokyo TOKYO OFFICE Ryoshin Onarimon Bldg. 7F 6-17-15 Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Tel: +81 (0)3 6758 3535 For more information, please email: post-onesd@koyou.co.jp

www.koyou-onesd.co.jp/en

I love my school Join me at ASIJ ASIJ’ss Early Learning Center Now accepting applications for 3-, 4and 5-year-olds for August 2022.

Fostering a community of inquisitive learners and independent thinkers, inspired to be their best selves, empowered to make a difference.

LEADERSHIP

A Season Worth Celebrating WORDS TETSUTARO MURAKI IMAGE KAYO YAMAWAKI

his year has had everything. Following the turmoil and uncertainty from the effects of the pandemic and numerous states of emergency, the Club started on the road to recovery. The Club has faced many difficult moments over its 93-year history, but this most recent period presented some unprecedented challenges. It also revealed the determination of Members and staff to come together and find solutions at a critical time. As the Board liaison for the Club’s Human Resources Committee, I heard about the stress and unease felt by so many of our staff from the early days of the pandemic. Many people saw no light at the end of the tunnel. The committee quickly set about ensuring that our staff were supported and felt safe while doing their jobs. Before different parts of the Club were reopened, the Board and Club management spent many hours discussing how best to provide a safe environment for everyone. Protecting the health of all Members and staff was—and continues to be—the Board’s priority. This was our guiding principle when we introduced measures like temperature screening at entrances, mandatory masks, Member capacities in facilities and contact-tracing requirements for guests. When Covid-19 cases did occur within our community, we always erred on the side of caution by keeping Members informed, asking staff to self-isolate when necessary and regularly updating officials at the Minato Public Health Center. In return, those same officials provided important guidance and information about the virus and its transmission. Of course, we renewed our ties with the center when we launched the Club’s public vaccination hub in the summer. It hasn’t been an easy time over the last 20 or so months, but the Club’s volunteer leaders, management and staff have learned a great deal along the way. By pulling together, our community has helped to put the Club on a much more secure footing—and without sacrificing the safety of Members and staff. In time for the holiday season, many more Club services have resumed, and it’s a delight to see so many Members at both our clubhouses. While the pandemic is clearly not yet over, we can take pride in the resilience and spirit we have shown and look forward to a brighter year in 2022.

“BY PULLING TOGETHER, OUR COMMUNITY HAS HELPED TO PUT THE CLUB ON A MUCH MORE SECURE FOOTING.”

Tetsutaro Muraki is a Club governor.

DECEMBER | 5

D I G E ST E D I TO R

Seal of Approval

Giant Leaps

NACÁSA & PARTNERS

AWA R D

In October, Tokyo American Club Nihonbashi picked up a prestigious Good Design Award for its interior concept. The award program’s panel of judges complimented the use of design features like the Club’s pitched, walnut ceiling, lighting and carpeting to create a “large home” ambience. The Club, which opened in March this year, was designed by architect and Nihonbashi Club Member Daishi Yoshimoto. “[The award] is very rewarding as a designer, but I see this as the result of a collective effort by many individuals,” Yoshimoto says. “I congratulate the entire Club community for this recognition.” The Good Design Award program was established in 1957 to highlight exemplary design in all areas of society, from architecture to packaging. NJ

CELLAR

NICK JONES

Golden State Sippers

Members may have their favorites wines, but the Club has three brand-new, go-to pours. Produced from California vineyards and sporting staff-designed labels that evoke the Club’s values of connection, relaxation and exceptionalism, the great-value 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2018 Pinot Noir and 2019 Chardonnay promise to be the perfect addition to any gathering. “We selected these three food-friendly varietals for their classic expressions of California,” says Kanako Ijichi, the Club’s wine program manager. “And the only place they are available in Japan is right here at the Club.” Available from December 1 at The Cellar and through the online Wine Shop for just ¥2,400 per bottle. OZ

6 | INTOUCH

Securing the cash to fund his expedition to the Indies was no easy task for Christopher Columbus. The Italian navigator was turned down by a series of monarchs (England, France and Portugal) before Spain’s King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella agreed to finance the 1492 voyage. That’s been the pattern throughout history. Pioneering missions and exploration are expensive, and generally only governments have the levels of money required to bankroll them. Understanding this, US President Thomas Jefferson convinced Congress to fund an expedition to explore the territory west of the Mississippi River. The Lewis and Clark expedition set off in 1804. The following century, another US president revealed a bold ambition. Eight years after that speech by John F Kennedy, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon. In total, the Apollo program cost more than $25 billion. Every area of the project enlisted the expertise of American industry and, in some cases, served as a launchpad for greater business success. Velcro’s fasteners kept things secure in space, Black & Decker developed the program’s tools and Hammond Organ built the spacecraft’s mechanical timers and clocks. As NASA prepares to return to the moon later this decade, the Artemis program is set to be another collaborative effort—this time with both commercial and international partners. In this month’s cover story, “The Sky’s the Limit,” we assess how Japan’s own space sector will contribute to the next era of out-ofthis-world exploration.

L I B R A RY

From the Shelves If Member Adam Donahue had it his way, he would spend a lot more time browsing the shelves of the Club’s second-floor book hub. For now, though, he makes the most of his once-a-week visits to the “fantastic facility.” What was your favorite childhood book? Lynne Reid Banks’ The Indian in the Cupboard, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Hardy Boys mysteries inherited from my parents and Marvel and DC comics. What inspired your love of books? Wanting to travel and experience as much as I could. You can cover a lot more ground and travel to different worlds through the power of books.

What are you reading now? John Bolton’s The Room Where It Happened, Walter Isaacson’s Leonardo da

Adam Donahue

Vinci and David Wallace-Wells’ The Uninhabitable Earth. Members also have access to the Club’s Overdrive digital library, and the author narrations of Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog and Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights were fun listens.

KAYO YAMAWAKI

What genre do you most enjoy? A wide swath of genres, from historical fiction (A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles) to social commentary (Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents) to history and futurism (The Three-Body Problem trilogy by Cixin Liu).

When were you last unable to put down a book? Robert Whiting’s Tokyo Junkie, which is a fantastic memoir of his time spent with so many colorful characters from all walks of life and living through 60 years of immense change in Tokyo.

S PA

Bright Eyes In this age of ubiquitous masks, we scrutinize one another’s eyes more than ever. To help you make a good first impression, The Spa is offering a brand-new Dermalogica treatment that tones and brightens the skin around the eyes. For all of December, receive 10 percent off a 60-minute Pro Eye Flash + Skin treatment (now ¥12,600) that uses an exfoliating and hydrating under-eye patch and intense stimulation to produce a smoother, refreshed look. Or pair a 15-minute Pro Eye Flash treatment with any Dermalogica facial for an additional ¥1,000 (usually ¥3,300). Face the world with a fresh pair of eyes this holiday season. NJ

DECEMBER | 7

PHOTO GLEN CL AYDON / NISEKO

Honey, My cure fo r Co vi d blue s. Let’s bo ok ASAP!

SPECIAL OFFER: 15% OFF FOR CLUB MEMBERS ONLY Book Setsuin for your ski vacation. The 260 m2 , three-bedroom chalet is just a three-minute drive from the Hanazono ski resort, arguably the most dynamic area of Niseko today. Free use of a Toyota HiAce van is included. When booking use the code TACMEMB22 to receive your discount. Please go to www.niseko-setsuin.com for reservations and information.

D I G E ST DINING

WINE

Epicurean Feast

Holiday Cheers WORDS BRENDAN MORRIS

KAYO YAMAWAKI

IMAGE KAYO YAMAWAKI

Since food is so central to the New Year’s holiday in Japan, Member Yugo Yamamoto makes sure to cover his culinary bases for the first meal of the year. “We also order a traditional Japanese osechi, but the Club osechi, given its Western taste, is great for those family and friends who prefer variety,” says Yamamoto, who has ordered the Club’s New Year selection every year since 2017. This year, Members can expect another exceptional assortment of gourmet fare, including American wagyu tenderloin from Idaho’s Snake River Farms, soy-glazed duck and Irish blue lobster, paired with a bottle of Pommery Brut Royal champagne. Order through the Club website by December 20 for pickup from The Cellar on December 31. NJ C O N N EC T I O NS

KAYO YAMAWAKI

On a Mission

After two years of pandemic-disrupted projects, Member Olivia Smith is hoping for a reinvigorated Club in 2022. Taking over as president of Connections earlier this year, the American faced an uphill task, with numerous events either postponed or cancelled and some Connections members fearful to visit the Club. After mobilizing Connections volunteers to help set up the Club’s vaccination center in the summer, Smith challenged the Connections board (pictured) to develop programs to entice people back to Azabudai. “Together, we will design new and exciting events and opportunities to ‘unleash your potential’ and…experience new possibilities at Connections and the Club,” she says. NJ Photo (l–r): Kristina Wright, Gabriele Kirschner, Olivia Smith, Donna Beeman, Grace Lee, Tomomi Fujita, Jennifer Warren, Vanessa Thomas, Laura Kozloski, Sawa Okano and Kazuko Morio

It wouldn’t be the holidays without the popping of corks, and The Cellar stocks a good-value, dry sparkler to help you bring in the New Year. De Bortoli’s La Bohème Cuvée Blanc (¥3,000) from Australia’s Yarra Valley is a nice drinking bubbly with scents of apple and citrus. Victoria’s Yarra Valley specializes in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and this is an agreeable blend of both. It might not be champagne, but its fresh flavors are well worth a try. Ca’ Momi is based in Napa, but the winery is rooted in soulful Italian tradition. Its 2019 Merlot (¥2,650) is a versatile red wine that can be enjoyed with an array of food or as an après-ski accompaniment. Eight months of aging in French and American oak produces a wine with texture, fine-grained tannins and elegance. I see tawny as the Pinot of ports. Aged in smaller barrels, it is a distinctive wine that the Portuguese mostly drink themselves. Less sweet than ruby port, its long aging gives it its orange-brown hue. Fonseca’s Tawny Port (¥2,860) from the Douro Valley is richer than a typical tawny and pairs well with most desserts and cheeses— the perfect combination with which to wrap up a holiday meal. Brendan Morris is a member of the Club’s Wine & Beverage Committee. For the month of December, receive a 10 percent discount on purchases of at least three bottles of any of these recommended Cellar wines.

DECEMBER | 9

AG E N DA

Events in December Since some events may be postponed or cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, please check the Club website for the most up-to-date information.

TAC Talk: A New Space Age Three experts share their thoughts on private-public partnerships in space projects, the new space race and the increasing need for space governance. Read more about Japan’s space business environment on page 20.  6:30–8pm  Brooklyn rooms & online  ¥1,650 (online: ¥550); guests: ¥1,980 (online: ¥660)  Details online

Wednesday Storytime Youngsters pick up a lifelong love of books at these weekly readings of children’s tales.  4–4:30pm  Children’s Library  Free  Ages 2–6  Details online

1 & 15

Let’s Do Lunch Meet fellow Nihonbashi Club Members at these semimonthly American Room luncheons hosted by the Nihonbashi Committee. Reserve your spot by calling 03-6262-6976.  12–1:30pm  ¥1,100  American Room  Nihonbashi Club Members only  Details online

1 & 15

Toastmasters Luncheon Build podium confidence at these peer-supported meetups of the Club’s Toastmasters cohort. The December 15 session includes a special speech contest.  12–1:30pm  ¥2,420 (online: ¥550)  Sign up online

1–25

Holiday Season Saddle Challenge Get a head-start on those New Year’s resolutions and win prizes by powering your way through five Les Mills on-demand indoor cycling workouts by Christmas Day.  The Studio  ¥2,750  Details online

10 | INTOUCH

Gallery Exhibition: Yuko Asanuma Most artists hope to leave a legacy of work to be appreciated long after the muse has departed. Not many would expect that to be a few thousand years though. Lacquerware artists like Yuko Asanuma are aware that their chosen medium of expression has the potential to last millennia. Lacquered wooden utensils and earthenware uncovered in Japan date back thousands of years to the Jomon period. “Lacquer is a natural material with unparalleled durability,” Asanuma says. “I feel that the life of the [lacquer] tree remains within those items.” The invention of maki-e decoration techniques, where metal powder is attached to the urushi sap lacquer, inspired different design styles on a wider array of items. Through January 11, a selection of Asanuma’s lacquerware works will be on display at the Frederick Harris Gallery, from traditional combs and tea utensils to pictures adorned with holiday season imagery. The Hokkaido native last exhibited at the Club in 1993. NJ

Moment I realized I wanted to become an artist. At 17 and unsure of my future path, I heard that my friend had decided to go to art school. What I would tell my 20-year-old self. I was studying painting at 20 and hadn’t yet encountered lacquer art. “You’ ll discover something new soon,” I would tell myself. My perfect creative environment. By a lake in a forest. Artist, living or dead, I’d most like to share a meal with. Yayoi Kusuma, Zeshin Shibata [19thcentury lacquer artist and painter], the creators of the Chojugiga scrolls of animal caricatures, Giorgio Morandi [Italian painter and printmaker], Kate Greenaway [English Victorian artist and writer] and Michelangelo.  Through January 11  Frederick Harris Gallery  Artworks available for purchase through Member Services  Details online

Let’s Jingle & Mingle At this final Connections event of the year, celebrants enjoy an exquisite, three-course meal, gift bags from Santa and musical entertainment.  11:20am–1:30pm  Manhattan II & III  Connections members: ¥8,690 (non-Connections members: ¥10,340)  Details online

3–5

Pearl Sale Whether you’re shopping for that special someone or looking to treat yourself, this three-day sale with 40 percent off Sanwa Pearl jewelry and accessories won’t disappoint.  December 3 & 4: 10:30am–7pm; December 5: 10:30am–5pm  Beate Sirota Gordon & Haru Reischauer classrooms  Details online

Youth Toastmasters Club Youngsters pick up tips on public speaking and how to hold an audience’s attention from members of the Club’s own Toastmasters group.  2–3pm  Washington & Lincoln rooms  ¥1,100  Ages 10–18  Sign up online

4 & 18

Show & Tell Jamboree Ages 6 to 9 learn how to wow a crowd at afternoons of games, music and confidence-boosting activities.  December 4: 12:30–2pm; December 18: 2–3:30pm  December 4: Washington & Lincoln rooms; December 18: Toko Shinoda & Yukiko Maki classrooms  ¥1,000 (guests: ¥1,200)  Sign up online

Big Issue Food Drive This holiday season, pay your good fortune forward by giving back to Japan’s oft-overlooked homeless men and women through this collection of rice, pasta and canned goods.  9:30am–5pm  Connections Office  Details online

Festive Friday Night Live After a year of showcasing artists from across the musical spectrum, Friday Night Live relocates from the Winter Garden to the New York Ballroom for a spectacular yearend bash. Talented singer and local television celebrity Maria Theresa Gow (pictured) takes to the stage for an evening of pop, jazz, Latin and Broadway hits guaranteed to have Members crowding the dance floor. Sharing the spotlight with Gow will be pianist Kevin McHugh, Zak Croxall (guitar) and Christopher Hardy (drums). McHugh, who has performed at the Club numerous times, says he’s excited to play again after the chal-

lenges of the last 18 months. “Throughout [the pandemic], I’ve been hopeful that the need for live music hasn’t gone away, and talking to people, I hear how much they miss it, too,” he says. “I can’t wait to put on a fun and safe show for the Club community.” In between dusting off their dance moves, partygoers can refuel from the selection of free-flow drinks and eats at this all-seated event. Time to kick up those heels! NJ  6:30–9pm  New York Ballroom  ¥6,050 (guests: ¥7,700); walk-ins (if space available): ¥7,700 (guests: ¥11,000)  Limit: two guests per Member  Details online

Mingle with friends and new acquaintances while learning about the culture, cuisine and history of one another’s home countries.

Not only is Tuesday the only day you can order a Snake River Farms American wagyu T-bone steak for just ¥16,500, but when you do, you’ll receive a rib eye filet on the house.

Culture Connections

 10am  Connections members only  Details online

T-Bone Tuesday

 American Bar & Grill  Details online

DECEMBER | 1 1

AG E N DA

Board Together Test your wits at the Library’s monthly tabletop game club while learning the finer points of old-school games like Risk and D&D.  5–6:30pm  Teen Connection  ¥1,100  Recommended for ages 12–18  Sign up online

Winter Garden Melodies Pull up a seat, order a glass of something and take in the soothing jazz and classical standards of local pianists and violinists. Continues December 17 and 24.  6–9pm  Winter Garden  Free  Details online

10–12

Luxury Leather Sale Enjoy up to 60 percent off chic leather accessories by Italian fashion brand Furla at this three-day holiday season sale.

SHANE BUSATO

 December 10 & 11: 10:30am–7pm; December 12: 10:30am–5pm  Beate Sirota Gordon & Haru Reischauer classrooms  Details online

DIY Comic Book Club Creative kids craft their own comic book with Library manager Drew Damron. The fun continues every second Saturday of the month.  11:30am–1:30pm  Teen Connection  ¥2,200  Ages 6–14  Sign up online

Cocktail Connections Mingle with friends over seasonal, happy-hour drinks during this final mixer of 2021.  5–7pm  Connections members only  Details online

Camp Discovery: Winter Edition When the temperature drops, Camp Discovery’s days of games, crafts and counselor-led fun are just heating up.  Session 1: December 20–24; Session 2: December 27–30; Session 3: January 4–7  9am–3pm  Ages 3–12  Sign up online

12 | INTOUCH

Winter Reading Challenge Amid the stacks of the Children’s Library, the Takamiya sisters trade boasts over the title of the family’s fastest reader. “I’m going to read 20 books,” says Anna (pictured right). “I’ ll read a hundred,” answers Marina. “A thousand!” retorts Anna, 8. “A billion!” exclaims Marina, 6. With the Library’s latest page-turning contest kicking off on December 8, Marina’s ambitious pace of roughly 23 million books per day would surely set some kind of record, though even leisurely readers are welcome at this bookworm battle. After choosing to represent Team Polar Bear or Team Penguin (the Takamiya sisters’ choice), young read-

ers dive into picture books, chapter books, graphic novels or other age-appropriate reading material while updating progress cards as they go. Completed progress cards earn readers the right to add “snowballs” to their team’s basket in a bid for bragging rights and prizes. “One time, I got a pink, sparkly bracelet with a bumblebee on it,” Marina says of a past reading challenge. “I’m going to tell all my friends to be on Team Penguin,” Anna says, “but only because I want them to read more.” Whatever keeps their noses in a book. OZ  Through January 19  Library  Free  Ages 2–12  Details online

Christmas Bonanza The Gymnasium transforms into a winter wonderland complete with holiday games, candy galore and a Christmas magic and music show.  10am–3:45pm  Gymnasium  Ages 2–4: ¥2,200; adults (ages 15 & above) & infants (ages 2 & under): free; guests & walk-ins: ¥2,750  Sign up online

17–27

Homemade Eggnog Fresh cream, eggs and milk. Grated nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. A splash of bourbon, brandy and rum. A glass of holiday cheer. KAYO YAMAWAKI

 Club dining outlets  ¥1,080 (alcohol-free: ¥860)  Details online

Visit with Santa

Christmas at the Club 1

Before 12pm on December 12, drop off your wish list in Santa’s mailbox at the Family Lobby (B1) for express shipping to the North Pole and a reply from St Nick himself.

Gather around the Christmas tree for a morning of yuletide tales and holiday arts and crafts.

Letters to Santa

 ¥770  Details online

1–25

Festive Flavors Get your fill of scallop carpaccio, parsnip and chestnut soup and your choice of three entrées (vegetarian options available) during this monthlong, multicourse celebration of yuletide eats.  Dinner  American Bar & Grill, Traders’ Bar  ¥11,000  Details online

1–26

Holiday Feasts Let the Club do all the heavy lifting while you kick back this holiday. Visit the Club website to order your seasonal spread for delivery or pickup.  Details online

Christmas Storytime

 11:30–12pm  Washington & Lincoln rooms  Free  Details online

6–24

Christmas in the City Head to the Nihonbashi Club for a celebratory dinner of amberjack ceviche, spiced duck breast and your choice of beef tenderloin, lamb chop or turbot and scallops.  Dinner  American Room, Muromachi Bar & Lounge  ¥15,000  Details online

11–12

Gingerbread Workshop Families don aprons and decorate their own gingerbread man and gingerbread Christmas tree with icing and sweet treats at this annual Club event.  One-hour sessions: 11am, 1pm & 3pm  Brooklyn I & II  ¥2,550 (guests: ¥3,050)  Recommended for ages 12 & below  Sign up online

The Club’s good little boys and girls are offered one last chance to share their Christmas wishes with the Man in Red, who visits the Club virtually.  10am–5pm  Toko Shinoda & Yukiko Maki classrooms  ¥1,100 (guests: ¥1,380)  Sign up online

20–26

Christmas Favorites Recreate the family feasts of your childhood with roasted butternut squash, pan-seared king salmon and juicy slices of herb-roasted turkey from a special carving station on December 25 and 26.  Lunch & dinner  Rainbow Café, Café Med  Details online

24 & 25

Christmas Grand Buffet A feast fit for Santa’s whole workshop.  December 24: 4:30–8pm; December 25: 11am–2pm & 4:30– 8pm  New York Ballroom  Adults (food only): ¥7,480; adults (food + two-hour, all-you-can-drink beverage package for ages 20 & above): ¥10,560 (wine upgrade: ¥11,110); juniors (ages 13–17): ¥4,890; kids (ages 4–12): ¥2,450; infants (ages 3 & under): free  Details online

DECEMBER | 13

Where Hakuba Magic Happens Located in a mountain forest in Hakuba Valley and surrounded by some of

Japan’s finest powder snow, Canopy Cortina offers the perfect setting for a ski or snowboarding holiday.

The lodge features seven different rooms that can sleep up to �� guests in total and includes

amenities such as underfloor heating, fireplace, private spa, movie room and fully serviced bar and restaurant. With ski-in, ski-out access to Cortina Ski Resort, you’ll be able to reach the slopes in minutes. The lodge offers a convenient shuttle that can quickly take you to the �� other ski resorts in Hakuba.

Canopy Cortina is run by Mike and Emily Milner, a husband-and-wife

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INDEPTH | SKIING

Slalom Sensation

As Japan’s ski slopes open up for another season, Member Rei Aiba reflects on his years careening down mountains.

WORDS DAVID McELHINNEY

or a former competitive slalom skier, Rei Aiba had little affection for the sport at first. “I started skiing when I was 3 and I absolutely hated it,” says the American, whose initiation was on the slopes of Mohawk Mountain in Connecticut. “For the first few days, I just lay on the snow balling my eyes out.” What the instructors did to change his attitude, Aiba can’t recall. But by 8 years old, he was skiing every winter weekend and had been nominated for the local racing program. “It was never my ambition to be an Olympic gold medalist,” he says. “I always just proceeded to the next level because somebody said, ‘You can, and you should.’ I was just enjoying the ride.” That “ride” took him to Burke Mountain Academy, a ski school in Vermont that combines academia with an intense training program on the piste. During his five years at the academy, Aiba competed in slalom, giant slalom, super-G and downhill events

in the United States and internationally, including in South America, Europe and Japan. Although he admits that hitting speeds of more than 120 kilometers per hour in downhill competitions “scared the hell out of [him].” In skiing, national rankings are dictated by points, which are tallied based on race times. Faster times mean fewer points and a higher ranking. Coming into an early season slalom event in Canada when he was 18 years old, Aiba was among the top 40 skiers in the country for his age. Following a few 30-point runs, which “blew [his] mind,” he shot up to fourth in the US and was ranked in the top 50 in the world. “That was a huge eye-opener for me,” he says. “I really started thinking there was more potential in terms of where skiing could go.” Aiba continued competing through his years at the University of Vermont and has fond memories of the “camaraderie” he shared with his teammates and the “grind” of off-season training.

Rei Aiba competing in 2006

Now running a body- and health-focused AI startup with his business partner, after moving to Tokyo in 2012, Aiba admits that his thrill-seeking side has had to take a back seat. “I like to drive fast, I like to ski fast, I like to take risks. But after having kids, you have to tone it down a little bit,” says the 34-year-old with a laugh. But Aiba points out that those years of maneuvering between poles at heart-in-mouth speeds have helped him in his current career. “The biggest [connection between skiing and business] is resilience,” he says. “A lot of ski racers are very successful in the business world because they understand that failure is not negative.” While race day routines are no longer a part of his life, Aiba hasn’t forgotten the slopes altogether. “Every time I do ski, it’s a beautiful sensation to be back on snow and feeling the cold air and seeing the blue skies,” he says. “I should probably do it more.” ALPINE GETAWAY  A Connections-organized day trip to Gala Yuzawa snow resort on January 27. Details online.

DECEMBER | 15

A DV E RTO R I A L

Healing Body and Soul Discovering the healthful powers of vegan and raw cuisine in Okinawa

eople visiting Okinawa often feel healed. With its relaxed pace of life, kind people, pristine nature and timeless traditions, the prefecture is filled with an atmosphere that touches hearts and soothes them. Okinawa also has a venerable food culture based on the philosophy that “medicine and food share the same root,” which has attracted countless tourists to visit its islands. Thanks to the wide range of agricultural products grown there, Okinawa is an excellent place to enjoy vegan and raw food. In recent years, many prominent professionals from the world of healthy food have come to work in Okinawa to connect with the prefecture’s cultural and culinary traditions. Mimi Saida, head of the Japan Vegan Society Okinawa Branch, is a leading figure in this trend. CULINARY EXPERTISE Saida did a full course of study at Living Light Culinary Art Institute in California, a renowned raw food school, and worked as a food instructor there. Through these experiences, she has learned how to prepare and present vegan and raw food that is both beautiful and delicious. Simply put, raw food is the practice of eating unheated, natural ingredients, which leaves nutrients, phytochemicals and antioxidants untouched. Ingredients can be “cooked” using novel techniques, such as dehydrating at 48°C or lower to achieve flavors and textures unlike any raw food. For example, Saida’s mushroom appetizer mixed with nuts, garlic and various spices tastes much like a pâté. Every dish she makes is an unprecedented culinary experience.

Based in Okinawa for six years, Saida produces concept cafés and hotel menus and actively engages in a wide range of activities, including the operation of raw food schools and tours of vegan stores and farms in Okinawa that use natural growing methods.

LUXURY SPA One destination where you can enjoy Saida’s cuisine while also treating yourself to luxurious spa treatments are the villas at Halekulani Okinawa. The five exclusive villas overlooking the ocean below come with private warm-water pools and natural hot springs, offering supreme relaxation amidst the peaceful flow of time. Menus are customized exclusively for each guest at SpaHalekulani. Treatments feature Okinawa’s traditional ingredients, cutting-edge techniques and massages that will relax body and soul, and serve as a perfect complement to the island’s healthy cuisine.

Saida advises many restaurants and hotels with their menus. These are a few places where you can enjoy her culinary influence. KUJAKU OKINAWA 2662-2 Maeda, Kunigami-gun, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0417 A completely vegan and gluten-free izakaya. There are plenty of alcoholic beverages available that go well with the variety of vegan dishes. Enjoy the raw roasted pizza and roasted cake that Saida developed.

EM WELLNESS KURASHINOHAKKO LIFESTYLE RESORT 1478 Kisyaba, Nakagami-gun, Kitanakagusuku-son, Okinawa 901-2311 A hotel where Saida serves as vegan advisor. The buffet and bar feature vegan food as well as organic and vegan wines. Reservations for beautiful kaiseki meals are available.

EARTHFUL CAFÉ 1868 Toguchi, Nakagami-gun, Kitanakagusuku-son, Okinawa 901-2302 A restaurant that specializes in vegan burgers and uses vegan patties developed by Saida. Some call them the safest and tastiest hamburgers in the world. To contact Mimi Saida: 080-3957-9186 info@33rawfoodacademy.com ê @mimioki33 (Instagram)

18 | INTOUCH 16 | INTOUCH

INDEPTH | EVENTS

Vijay Deol

Cause for Celebration

With the pandemic set to disrupt another season of year-end company parties, Members explain the importance of these traditional get-togethers.

ames Bond is well known for his dramatic entrances, but the world’s most famous spy would likely have been upstaged at Vijay Deol’s 2019 year-end company party. “It was a Casino Royale theme,” says the Canadian Member of the New York Ballroom bash just months before the Covid-19 pandemic took hold in Japan. “We had about 270 people dressed up in tuxedos and evening gowns, and we had kind of mock games of blackjack and things like that with fake money.” The president of recruiting firm en world Japan still remembers how well received the event was among staff, and it gave him a new appreciation for what traditional, year-end parties can add to an international workplace. “We’ve tried to do the virtual Christmas parties and things like that, but it’s not the same,” says Deol, 42. “A lot of people are saying, ‘You know, when can we start to do stuff like that again?’

WORDS OWEN ZIEGLER

Because people really miss it. I think people realize how much team bonding and culture building happens at those types of events. We’ve been missing that for almost two years now.” Given the Club’s long history as a cultural nexus, it’s only natural that its event spaces would host a range of functions and celebrations during the festive period. “Every year, we like to invite our most important clients and partners to a formal affair at the Club,” says Tomosaburo Uno, 71, president of Osaka Sanitary, a manufacturer of equipment for various industries. Before the pandemic, Uno kicked off each year with a gashikokankai, a formal New Year’s greetings event, with about 300 invitees. Unlike an end-of-year bonenkai, which, Uno explains, is usually a more informal drinking party among colleagues, New Year’s shinnenkai are an opportunity for attendees to renew business ties.

During a typical evening of speeches, drinks and milestone-marking ceremonies like the kagami biraki, where a sake barrel is broken open, it’s not uncommon for a business deal to be sealed, according to Uno. “In Japanese culture, being able to sit down across from someone and understand their energy is incredibly important,” Uno says. “Sometimes, our gashikokankai is the only time all year we get to meet our clients in that kind of environment. Especially since it’s been so hard to meet face-to-face recently, we very much hope we can hold another gashikokankai at the Club in 2022.” Deol, too, is exploring dates in the New Year to treat his employees to a belated seasonal get-together. Given the context, it might just be the most important holiday party yet. “If we can have a big, in-person event,” he says, “people can feel some relief that, you know, we’ve come to the light at the end of the tunnel.”

To book your next party, contact the Club’s event-planning team at 03-4588-0308 or banquet@tac-club.org.

DECEMBER | 17

FESTIVE CELEBRATION COURSE MENU AT THE BLUE ROOM 17–26 December 2021

A splendid feast with friends and family is one of the indispensable pleasures during the holiday season. The Blue Room restaurant at The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon offers a limited-time festive celebration course menu using seasonal ingredients such as lobster, salmon, winter truffles and monkfish. Enjoy a series of Christmas-inspired delectable winter delicacies alongside spectacular views of Tokyo at night. Salmon Tartare and Cauliflower Mousse Beetroot, Cream, Orange, Blueberry Poached Lobster and Kale Celeriac, Canola Flower, Meringue Roasted Monkfish and Champagne Sauce Caviar, Herbs, Hazelnut, Celeriac, Flowers Two Cuts of Japanese Wagyu Beef Truffle, Potato Waffle, Egg Yolk, Parsnip Christmas Tart Strawberry, Pistachio, Strawberry Sorbet, Griotte Cherry and Almond Tart, White Chocolate 5 course JPY19,000 for 17–23 and 26 Dec | JPY25,000 with a glass of champagne for 24 and 25 Dec 3 course JPY13,000 Prices include 15% service charge and consumption tax. For inquiries or booking your festive lunch or dinner please contact us at dining.reservations@editionhotels.com or +81 3 5422 1600

INDEPTH | GOLF

From Bogeys to Birdies After undergoing a summer upgrade, the Club’s 19th Hole simulator is already helping Club golfers to post personal bests and perfect wayward swings. WORDS OWEN ZIEGLER IMAGE KAYO YAMAWAKI

fter his tee shot on the 14th hole, Jiro Kashiwagi’s ball sat about 100 yards from the pin. His lie was good, but he knew anything less than a perfect approach would leave him buried in one of the six bunkers surrounding the green. The Member pulled out his seven iron, took a practice swing and lined up to the ball. “My second shot was perfect,” says Kashiwagi, 58, of two-putting for par for a chance to win his division at a Saitama golf club competition last September. Kashiwagi would not only finish atop the leaderboard, but he would do so with a score of 84, a personal best on his home course. As inscrutable as the game of golf can be, Kashiwagi’s performance wasn’t by chance. Since July, he had been practicing every weekday morning at the Club’s revamped 19th Hole simulator, with its Trackman shot and swing analysis tech. “Trackman gives me incredibly precise feedback on my swing,” explains Kashiwagi, who also shaved four strokes off his handicap of 20. “Attack angle, club speed and direction, everything.

Wakako Miyamura and Keiko Inoue

And it sends a report to my phone after I finish. There’s even an AI ‘coach’ that gives you tips based on your swing.” While the 19th Hole’s upgraded solo sessions might appeal to golfers with enough experience to adjust their swings on their own, the Club’s three instructors are also having an impact on Members looking for human insight into their game. “The first thing we did was work on her hips,” Club instructor Keiko Inoue, 41, explains of her first lessons with Member Wakako Miyamura. “She was closing her hips a little too much, so once that opened up, we could start to stabilize how her club head was coming through the ball. I think she could tell right away that something in her swing had changed.” “Muscle strength is different between men and women, so I think that advice from a woman on training is effective for me,” says Miyamura of her weekly lessons at the Club. “I can consult with her about body movements that I have been

struggling with so far, and I’m beginning to solve my swing problems.” Covid-19 restrictions have kept Miyamura from trying out her upgraded swing on Kanto fairways, but the Trackman system allows her to play digital recreations of dozens of world-famous courses, including her favorite: the Old Course at St Andrews. “In April 2019, I went to the United Kingdom and played at eight courses, including the Old Course, but it was very difficult for me,” Miyamura says. “I’d like to try again.” Who knows? After a few more lessons with Inoue and the Trackman system, Miyamura might once again cross the Old Course’s iconic Swilcan Bridge—this time with a scorecard as improved as her swing. GOLF AT THE CLUB  For more information on the Club’s state-of-the-art simulator and regular outings to courses in Japan and beyond, visit the Club website.

DECEMBER | 19

I N D E P T H | FO CU S

Ahead of this month’s TAC Talk on the new commercial space age, experts ruminate on the state of Japan’s own space startup sector. WORDS OWEN ZIEGLER

20 | INTOUCH

SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft docked at the International Space Station

uya Nakamura knew the science. He just wasn’t sure how to make the business of it work. It was 2007, and Nakamura had progressed from his doctoral studies in aeronautics and astronautics to research in the University of Tokyo lab of Professor Shinichi Nakasuka. They were making steady advances in ultrasmall satellites (micro, nano and pico), orbit-capable objects up to 500 kilograms in weight (as opposed to traditional satellites that often top one ton). Such compact technology brings the cost of building and launching a satellite down to the tens of thousands of dollars from the hundreds of millions previously required. In 2008, with Nakasuka’s help and support from a small government grant, Nakamura founded Axelspace, a miniature satellite startup. Yet despite the company’s promise of affordable satellite tech, interest among investors was as elusive as life on Mars. “No one believed that space could be an industry for startups,” says Nakamura, 41. “It was almost impossible for us to get investors.” The less-than-stellar response reminded Nakamura’s academic mentor of his own research breakthrough experiences in the late 1990s. “At the time, the National Space Development Agency [the predecessor to the present-day Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA] was very skeptical about whether a university could develop a satellite, let alone one with such a low cost,” says Nakasuka, 61, a panelist at this month’s TAC Talk on the new commercial age of space. It would be years before that kind of thinking would change.

With American space companies like billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Blue Origin, owned by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, making giant leaps in the industry, it’s natural to wonder why Japan hasn’t seen its own private sector take flight. After all, this is a nation whose aerospace accomplishments includes two modules on the International Space Station, a regular roster of astronauts and dozens of homegrown satellite launches since 1970. It’s a glaring need for not only Japan but governments the world over seeking to share the cost of expensive space programs with innovation-focused private firms. In March, JAXA was allocated a record-high ¥449 billion ($4.1 billion), a number dwarfed by NASA’s $23 billion budget, which is set to grow in 2022 to nearly $25 billion. While the Japanese government launched a $940 million incubation fund for space startups in 2018, the country’s space business landscape is far less developed than in the United States, which saw a record $3.9 billion of investments in the industry in 2017. There were fewer than 20 space startups in Japan when the fund started, compared with more than 120 companies investing in space projects in the US. The comparison is one Garvey McIntosh is more than used to addressing. “I get the question from Japanese people all the time: ‘How can we get our commercial sectors to be like the United States’?’” says McIntosh, 52, NASA’s Asia representative in Tokyo and another TAC Talk panelist. “I get this feeling people think NASA is giving money away to commercial partners. We don’t do that.”

“NO ONE BELIEVED THAT SPACE COULD BE AN INDUSTRY FOR STARTUPS.” —Yuya Nakamura

Axelspace CEO Yuya Nakamura

DECEMBER | 21

I N D E P T H | FO CU S

“I GET THE QUESTION FROM JAPANESE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME: ‘HOW CAN WE GET OUR COMMERCIAL SECTORS TO BE LIKE THE UNITED STATES’?’” —Garvey McIntosh

During meetings with Asian space agencies and talks to the Japanese public, McIntosh often finds himself dispelling misconceptions that SpaceX’s current success is due solely to big NASA handouts in the past. Rather, he explains, NASA approached SpaceX as a potential provider of dependable and cost-effective solutions in space. Even then, it took SpaceX five years of testing before its first successful unmanned spaceflight in 2008, then another 12 years before the first crewed craft (with three NASA astronauts and Japan’s Soichi Noguchi on board) docked with the International Space Station. “[SpaceX] proved their reliability, so we kept giving them contracts to take cargo and then people to the International Space Station,” McIntosh says. “We’re looking for companies like that who can do the things we need to do and do them safely.” The likes of Tokyo University’s Nakasuka are cognizant of the path taken by the US to develop a thriving space industry. “Japan is very behind the US in those areas,” says Nakasuka, who has been a member of Japan’s space policy committee since 2012. One issue, Nakasuka notes, is that many of JAXA’s private sector partnerships are with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and other mega-conglomerates developing traditional space components, machinery and technologies. “These ‘old’ space companies are getting almost 90 percent of the government’s funding for space development activities,” he says.

ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada

22 | INTOUCH

NASA’s Garvey McIntosh

“But the portion of space industries [that comprise these companies] is maybe 1 or 2 percent [of their overall activities]. They are not focusing on the most challenging things in space right now.” What investment does make its way to companies like Nakamura’s Axelspace is not without conditions. In 2016, JAXA approached Nakamura to develop what would become Axelspace’s RAPIS-1, a low-cost, 200-kilo cube satellite. As development began, however, Nakamura realized that JAXA had a more traditional approach to collaboration. “There were so many regulations,” says Nakamura, who leads a Nihonbashi-based team of 90 international engineers, data scientists and support staff. “‘You need to test this. You need to follow that rule.’ But our way of development is that we cannot avoid failure as long as we can recover from it. For JAXA, it was the first time for them to work with startups, so they had some concerns about applying our own rules to JAXA satellites.” Smoothing over these differences was perhaps the project’s most significant accomplishment. “I myself went to JAXA’s office so often [during the RAPIS-1 project] to convince them to accept our methodology,” he says. “Finally, one of the JAXA board members who had just come from a private company agreed with us, so they were able to become more flexible.” That government embrace of the startup ethos may not be happening as quickly as some would like, but Member Chris Blackerby, chief operating officer of satellite servicing and space debris removal startup Astroscale, is more optimistic.

“Japan, which I guess is not traditionally known to be an entrepreneurial hub, is slowly becoming an entrepreneurial hub,” says Blackerby, 48, who will also take part in this month’s panel discussion. “It’s a recognition that [the future] is not going to be the way of mega-aerospace corporations and big governments as it was for the first 50 years of the space age. It’s moving to a place where it becomes a real, true community and an ecosystem where you’ve got big and small companies—just like any other industry.” Just as NASA has forged a relationship with SpaceX as a low-cost option for conveying supplies and astronauts to and from the International Space Station, JAXA, too, is moving in a similar direction. In 2020, JAXA selected Astroscale as a commercial partner for the first phase of a space debris removal project expected to start in 2023. This year, the space agency contracted local startup ispace to transport a two-wheeled, baseball-sized rover to the moon in 2022. Under the agreement, ispace will also collect lunar data. “While this is a good indicator of the current landscape in the sector, we expect commercial missions to develop further and more commercially led missions to be announced over the next [few] years,” says Takeshi Hakamada, CEO of ispace, whose more than 130 employees are based in Japan, the US and Europe. Small steps like these, Blackerby says, is how any sustainable space industry grows. From prototypes and exploratory projects emerge lasting partnerships. The proof is indeed out there. Axelspace has begun turning a profit by providing satellite data to both government agencies and meteorological organizations, while Astroscale, from its launch in 2013, now employs more than 250 staff in offices in Japan, Britain, the US, Israel and Singapore.

Professor Shinichi Nakasuka

Astroscale’s Chris Blackerby

After raising $46 million in its latest round of funding earlier this year, ispace is well positioned to take advantage of the increased interest in lunar projects. The company’s lander, flying to the moon aboard a SpaceX Falcon rocket, will also deliver a rover for the United Arab Emirates during next year’s mission. It’s shaping up to be a busy 2022 for moon missions, with India, Russia, South Korea and the US all sending craft. NASA, in particular, has plans to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972 by the middle of the decade. International projects like the Artemis program bode well for Japan’s burgeoning commercial space industry. “We’re going to get beyond this mutual investment in research and development to something that is more akin to a general economic model,” Blackerby says. “That’s what we’re aiming for: by the end of this decade to see the business of space as just an everyday thing.”

“THAT’S WHAT WE’RE AIMING FOR: BY THE END OF THIS DECADE TO SEE THE BUSINESS OF SPACE AS JUST AN EVERYDAY THING.” —Chris Blackerby

TAC TALK: A NEW SPACE AGE  December 1  6:30–8pm  Brooklyn rooms & online  Members: ¥1,650 (online: ¥550); guests: ¥1,980 (online: ¥660)  Details online

DECEMBER | 23

KPIS IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2022–23 SCHOOL YEAR TERM 1 STARTS IN AUGUST Openings are available in Acorn (18 months–2 years) and Walnut (2–3 years) Classes for the new school year. Scan the QR code below and complete the inquiry form to: Schedule an Information Session (Virtual Open Day) Register for a personal onsite Campus Tour Submit an application form Ask about limited seating in older Classes: Maple, Pine and Oak

Visit kpischool.com or call 03-5707-0979

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C O M M U N I T Y | W E L L N E SS

Antonio Millares III

Fitness and Fortitude

Member Antonio Millares III shares how a two-wheeled trek along the Pacific in 2016 led to a journey of self-discovery.

friend of mine was all set to get married, and right before the wedding, she called it off and they split up. My friend went into a little bit of a tailspin. He said he was going to ride from Cannon Beach, Oregon, to San Francisco. It’s about [1,100 kilometers]. And I told him, “I can’t let you do this alone, my brother. I’m with you.” We ended up doing it over seven days, averaging around 150 kilometers a day. It was the hardest thing I had ever done physically in my life. What I received from that was this inkling of what mental fortitude is, and just how far you can push your body. Afterwards, I had the memory of that achievement and I longed for that. And that led me to a somatic leadership course in Northern California with Dr Richard Strozzi-Heckler in 2018. It was a five-day course about exploring why we show up the way we do. I came up with my declaration, which was “strength will be my true north direction,” because I realized that I had been this scared person hiding in plain sight.

A retired Navy SEAL commander by the name of Mark Divine ended up being in that class. Mark [the founder of SEALFit and Unbeatable Mind] agreed to be my accountability partner. I became a certified Unbeatable Mind coach through Mark’s organization. That took around two years and involved totally changing my lifestyle. The physical training was a stepping-stone to an integrated training program developed to train special forces candidates physically, mentally, emotionally, intuitionally and spiritually. When somebody is training their body, they can go so far. But when someone is training across these five “mountains,” they can reach 20 times their potential. As a litmus test, I’ve done a number of crucible events to test the connection between all of these. In 2019, I did back-to-back Spartan Beast races in California, which are 13 miles [20 kilometers] with about 30 obstacles. The hardest part was the mental side, the fear associated with doing things like that. And that was the case with the 24-

hour SEALFit event I did in September. I went through a lot of peaks and valleys during that, and I overcame things I had never faced in my life before. I took those experiences into The Project [a 75-hour event in November]. For the first 50 hours, it was very physical. We were fed a fraction of the calories we burned each day, so we were hungry, tired and cold the whole time. They try and break you as fast as they can, then slowly introduce coaching. It was about getting past the physical, mental and emotional [discomfort] and tapping into your clear-mind awareness. A lot of times, we avoid situations that might make us feel vulnerable. It’s a defense mechanism. But once that is stripped away, there’s a whole other playing field that we are opened up to. I’m definitely physically stronger now. But more so than anything, I have learned to trust the flow of life. I have an openness now, and I don’t try to control things. I’m OK with the unknown. As told to INTOUCH’s Nick Jones.

DECEMBER | 25

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C O M M U N I T Y | R EG I ST E R

Arrivals

Up Close

AZABUDAI US A

Momoha Nakano Star Building Co., Ltd.

Justin Dhingra

Himawari Nishida

Digital Garage, Inc.

Toyoko Inn Co., Ltd.

Geoffrey & Atsuko Hart

Seiji & Fumie Sasaki

HSBC Japan

Slack Japan K.K.

Robert & Rena Pereyda

Tomoko & Naohiro Saso

Netflix K.K.

Cosmo Co., Ltd.

Stephen Schutte

Masato Seki

GLP Japan, Inc.

Kyoei Shoji

Yumiko and Shinichiro Kengaku

JA PA N

Yuka & Toshiyuki Tanaka

Didi Mai Desmarais

Haruhito Yamawaki

JA PA N |

& Saori Imazeki

Hakuhodo, Inc.

SPARX Group Co., Ltd.

Eyelash Ah Tsuyoshi & Rika Imaizumi

NEW ZEALAND

Johnsonville Japan G.K.

Laura & Miguel Rivera Prada

Joichi & Mizuka Ito

Fonterra (Japan) Ltd.

Digital Garage, Inc.

AZABUDAI

Shinichiro & Yumiko Kengaku

“The atmosphere of the Club reminds us of the good old days of living in Italy, Australia and the United States. The gym and other great facilities at the two excellent locations in Azabudai and Nihonbashi will give our lives a new rhythm. We look forward to new encounters with Members and participating in Club programs, including the golf group.”

S O U T H KO R E A

June Miyachi Ishikawa & Taichi Ishikawa

Heedae Park & Iku Sato

Richemont Japan K.K.

AXP Japan

NIHONBASHI JA PA N

Hiroshi Murakami

Naofumi & Yasuko Hamada

Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. Tatekazu Nakamura

Mailani Consulting

Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

Akiko Kaito Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. Takashi & Aya Matsuwaki

Shingo Suzuki Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. Kanako & Koji Tomita

GLP Japan, Inc.

Fortune Field Co., Ltd.

Miki Mitsunari

NIHONBASHI JA PA N |

Miki Mitsunari

FINEV, Inc.

Departures W Dave Dowrich & Verna Holder

Koji Nishigaki

Barbara Guinet

Susumu Nitadori

James & Yuka Harrison

Scott Rockwell

Charles Jones & Ethel Fujii-Jones

Till & Silke Scheer

Martyn & Rosa Jones

Brian & Irma Shepard

Koki Kato

Colin & Noriko Silvester

Yoshitaka Matsuoka

Jay & Yukiko Talbot

Albert & Marianne Mitchell

Leonardus & Agatha van Stijn

Kiichiro & Mariko Nagatani

Naohide Yamamoto

“It is a great honor to become a Member of Tokyo American Club Nihonbashi. During my childhood, as my two uncles were Club Members, my family often enjoyed the weekend buffet dinner at the previous Azabudai building. I am looking forward to meeting Members and enjoying Club activities, meals and wine at the beautiful Nihonbashi space.”

Your holiday season partner Tokyo American Club x Hakkaisan ¥3,300 a bottle | The Cellar

DECEMBER | 27

NEW HITOMI DENTAL OFFICE AKASAKA

Akasaka Royal Plaza 2F, 2-13-8 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052

Learning. Love. Laughter. Small and intimate, in a leafy garden area only five minutes from Tokyo American Club, St. Alban’s Nursery provides each child with opportunities for learning and self-discovery in a safe, structured, loving environment. We welcome English-speaking preschoolers of all nationalities and cultures, and we focus on individuality to offer each child a wide choice of activities based on the Montessori method.  Large enclosed outdoor playground  Parents welcome at all times

3-6-25 Shiba-Koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0011 Tel: 090-6480-4542 | Email: gilma.yam@gol.com www.saintalbans.jp

C O M M U N I T Y | VO I C E

Finding My Voice WORDS URSULA WILLIAMS ILLUSTRATION TANIA VICEDO

ith sweaty palms and knocking knees, I step up to the microphone. “Ahh…umm…I think…like….” I race through my speech as quickly as I can and sit down. Red-faced, I stare at my hands. Being shy, I was never a good public speaker. I thought it just came naturally to extroverted people. Plus, I always worked better behind the scenes anyway. Or was that a story I had been telling myself? Playing small never served anyone well. In work or at home, if you can’t communicate your ideas effectively (however brilliant they may be), you’ll never convince people to follow you. British motivational business speaker Rob Brown summed it up well: “If you can speak, you can influence. If you can influence, you can change lives.” We have a short time on this planet, and we can all make a difference in some way. I realized that if I was to share all my ideas and thoughts—and influence the world around me—I needed to be-

come a better speaker. And the only way to do that was to learn and practice. In October 2020, I joined the TAC Toastmasters Club. I wanted to make friends, network and improve my public speaking skills. I didn’t know what to expect when I walked into my first meeting. I was handed a microphone and asked an impromptu question like in a Miss Universe-style Q&A. Standing up to speak felt like the start of a rollercoaster ride. A bundle of nerves, followed by a mix of terror and excitement, and a rush of exhilaration when it was all over. I had done it—and felt stronger for it. I came back the next month. And the month after that. I forced myself to keep getting on that rollercoaster. But instead of squeezing my eyes shut when the car reached the top, I slowly began to look around and take in the view. Everyone at our monthly luncheons wants to improve their public speaking skills. We’re just at different stages of that journey. I have now completed multiple speeches and have taken on the role of vice president of PR and

events. Working with Pueyen Lee, president of the TAC Toastmasters Club, I have been introducing new formats and fun themes to our meetings. Not only has Toastmasters boosted my confidence when standing in front of an audience, it has allowed me to practice my leadership skills in a safe space. “All the best speakers were bad speakers at first,” American poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote. Some people might seem like naturals, but true skill is only achieved through dedicated practice. As you think about your resolutions for 2022, consider putting “improving my public speaking skills” on your list. It doesn’t matter if you are not planning on giving any keynote speeches. The ability to tell stories and share your thoughts in a compelling way can enhance both your professional and personal lives. Jump on that rollercoaster. It’s a wild ride. Ursula Williams is a member of the TAC Toastmasters Club.

DECEMBER | 29

COMMUNIT Y | HIGHLIGHTS

October 23 Geisha Experience

Members enjoyed a mesmerizing afternoon of traditional geisha entertainment at the newly renovated Minato City Center for Traditional Culture. IMAGES YUUKI IDE

30 | INTOUCH

October 27 TAC Talk: William Sposato & Hans Greimel

The two American journalists discussed Collision Course, their book on the rise and spectacular fall of former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn. IMAGES YUUKI IDE

DECEMBER | 31

Break out the bubbly Start 2022 with an exceptional celebration at the Club.

Whether you’re planning an intimate gathering or a standout shinnenkai, contact us today. 03-4588-0308 | banquet@tac-club.org | tokyoamericanclub.org

October 30 Halloween Spooktacular

The Club’s annual festival of fright welcomed costumed trick-or-treaters for a day of ghoulish games, creepy crafts and Halloween candy. IMAGES YUUKI IDE

DECEMBER | 33

COMMUNIT Y | HIGHLIGHTS

November 5 Friday Night Live

November’s edition of this monthly showcase of live music in the Winter Garden featured the talents of local pianist and singer Keith Williams. IMAGES YUUKI IDE

34 | INTOUCH

November 7 International Bazaar

The holiday season kicked off at the Club with the opening evening of Connections’ three-day shopping extravaganza to benefit local charities. IMAGES YUUKI IDE

DECEMBER | 35

COMMUNIT Y | PURSUIT

CLASS

Fitness for Life

With increasing numbers of people living longer, this new class is designed to help Members stay fit and mobile through their later years or return to fitness with renewed vigor. Twice-weekly sessions focus on easy-to-follow exercises to boost mobility, core stability, strength and energy levels.

INSTRUCTOR

Pete Carey (pictured right)

Club personal trainer and retired US Marine Pete Carey has coached a range of ages and fitness levels, from children to athletes, over a long career in fitness. He has a passion for inspiring people to lead healthier and fuller lives and has created a system of training for fitness-lapsed over 50s.

STUDENT

Kyle Murphy

“As someone in their 70s, I simply cannot train the way a youngster can. Pete recognizes this and emphasizes stretching and mild, low-impact workouts. Simply focusing on proper posture and simple movements for strength and flexibility can do much to make daily life more productive and enjoyable.”

FITNESS FOR LIFE  Mondays & Wednesdays  9–10am  Activity Room  Three fitness passes  Details online

36 | INTOUCH

KAYO YAMAWAKI

Wellness Workout

natural extensions of your living space, Toranomon Hills Residential Tower offers a new way to experience life in

We Have Liftoff

Tokyo. One- to five-bedroom units available for lease. Site visits begin spring 2022.

DECEMBER 2021

Toranomon Hills Residential Tower

DECEMBER 2021

INTOUCH

comfort in mind, and common areas that feel like

TOKYO AMERIC AN CLUB

luxuriously appointed units designed with the utmost

The essence of urban living

Featuring expansive, panoramic views of the city,

TOKYO AMERIC AN CLUB

December’s TAC Talk speakers on Japan’s burgeoning space startup scene

PA R T Y C U L T U R E + G A M E - H O N I N G G O L F H U B + S L A L O M T H R I L L S

December 2021 INTOUCH Magazine

Articles inside

FOCUS

LEADERSHIP

EVENTS

GOLF

WELLNESS

VOICE

DIGEST

SKIING