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

For 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.

Healing Body and Soul

Discovering the healthful powers of vegan and raw cuisine in Okinawa

People 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)