Since 1970 FREE Vol.41 No.22 Dec 3-16, 2010 Japan’s Premier Free English Language Magazine www.weekenderjapan.com Issey Miyake How to keep the kids busy inin TokyoTokyo overover ChristmasChristmas unfolds his Bill Hersey’s Parties People Places new line Executive Profile An origami inspiration Michael Khoo moves the designer between 2 & 3-D Table of Contents 6 Executive Profiles: Michael Khoo 28 Tokyo for the holidays — Keep the kids entertained around town 7 The View From Here — Love works miracles 8 Arts and Entertainment 28 Real estate & classifieds Utau, Coco and Sou Fujimoto; the puppets of 34 Back in the Day — Merry Chirstmas and Avenue Q, Tokyo’s indie darlings and more Happy Hanukkah! 12 Tokyo Tables — Shabu shabu grabs the bottle 14 Issey Miyake unfolds — Check out what the designer’s been hiding up his sleeves for the past 13 years 20 Bill Hersey’s Parties People Places 24 A tribute to Regina Aoba founder to return to the states after 47 years Volume 41 Number 22 PUBLISHER Ray Pedersen www.weekenderjapan.com EDITOR Donald Eubank ASSISTANT EDITOR Stephen Parker EST. Corky Alexander and Susan Scully, 1970 MEDIA MANAGER Tomas Castro MEDIA CONSULTANTS Pia von Waldau, Akira Yanagihara, Mary Rudow Weekender Magazine Office ADVISOR TO THE CEO Hiro Ishibashi & Associates Inc 5th floor, Regency Shinsaka Building BUSINESS OPERATIONS MANAGER Rosanna Kiyamu 8-5-8 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052 EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE Yonca Guler (03) 6846-5615 / (03) 6846-5616 Fax RESEARCHER Rene Angelo Pascua [email protected] CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Bill Hersey (Society), Owen Schaefer (Arts), Elisabeth Lambert (Health & Eco), Darrell Nelson (Sustainable Business) Opinions expressed by Weekender contributors are not necessarily CONTRIBUTORS Ian de Stains OBE, Norman Breakes, Danielle Demetriou those of the publisher. B u s i n e s s Executives in Japan EdwardMichael SuzukiKhoo President of WineInStyle aised in Southern California, Michael Khoo moved to Tokyo after university and in the mid-1990s took charge of Robert RMondavi for the Japan market. In 2005, he selected a handful of the most promising wines from Napa and Sonoma Valleys and founded WineInStyle as a way to introduce Japan consumers to high quality California wines. Today, with a portfolio of critically acclaimed wine brands, WineInStyle is considered the premiere importer of California wines and respected throughout the Japan wine world. What was your first impression of the country? course, sake. I eventually returned to Tokyo, but with open and more experienced eyes — you just have to look past the concrete. My first experience of Japan was that of Tokyo, and I vaguely recall that it was quite intimidating versus the relaxing pace and “space” of Southern What have been your greatest successes working in Japan? California. It seemed as if everybody and everything was moving so fast, and it was really hard to keep up. In just five years, WineInStyle has put together an amazing portfolio of fine wines, most specifically from California, and our wines are served How has your perception of the country changed over your time here? in some of the finest restaurants and hotels around the country. There are a handful of top wine importers out there today, and I think we have After arriving in Tokyo, I really felt the need to escape and eventually to be considered one of them even with our short history. moved to Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture. It was there that I found the true beauty of this country through the local culture, food and, of What obstacles you have encountered ? From my days with Robert Mondavi up until now, I have been focused ‘It is commonly thought on growing the “new world wine” market, most specifically California wine. Although things have changed over the past decade or so, Japan that it is difficult to do is still very much an “old world wine” market, with France and Italy owning well over half of the total wine market. However, with per capita wine consumption under 2 liters, there is still lots of room for growth for business in Japan ... I am everyone. not saying that it’s not, What has been the most surprising thing that you have learned working but I have learned over in Japan? It is commonly thought that it is difficult to do business in Japan and that there are barriers to entry and bureaucratic red tape especially for the years that there are foreigner businessmen. I am not saying that it is not difficult, but I have learned over the years that there are loads of opportunities out there — loads of opportunities out you just need to know where to look and how to go after them. there — you just need to The holidays are coming up — is the Christmas season particularly busy for your company? know where to look and December is absolutely the busiest time of the year for wine. Restaurants are full with bonenkai parties, hotels occupancy is up how to go after them’ with holiday travel and retailers are busy with oseibo and Christmas gifting — as they say, “‘tis the season … to drink wine!” 6 WEEKENDER O p i n i o n THE VIEW FROM HERE by Ian de Stains OBE Love works miracles ecently I found myself in the Intensive Care Unit of a cardiac stop and smell the roses. Only now, though, do I realize where those wing of a Tokyo hospital. Unexpectedly and with very little roses are, and smell them I will: I promise. Rwarning, I underwent several hours of open heart surgery Oddly enough, since leaving the hospital, I have noticed that my to put in place four coronary bypasses; veins were ripped from both sense of smell has returned along with a renewed appetite and an legs to serve as replacements for the damaged arteries that could no awakened awareness of just how beautiful the riverbank and my longer supply the blood needed for my heart to function properly. immediate surroundings are. It has long been my practice to try to be A matter of hours later, I was back in the operating theater for a mindful and to lead a contemplative life. How much more important second procedure to keep me from bleeding to death. that seems to me now, along with the need for compassion; as I have I was mercifully completely unaware of any of this, just as I did written before, that begins with the self. not share the anxiety suffered by my partner and other loved ones I have been astonished and humbled by the number of calls, cards, as they faced the distinct possibility that I was headed fast for the e-mails, floral and other gifts that have reached me, and for the exit lane. But the brilliant team of surgeons had other ideas. They moment I am at a loss as to how I might respond in a way that is both wanted me back on the highway that would lead to the slow but certain appropriate and sufficient to the task of explaining just how much each road to recovery. Thanks to their skill and dedication, and later the and every one meant — still means — to me. But I know I will find a extraordinary spirit and commitment to duty of the ICU nurses, I was way — I will be guided to it — to express my sincere thanks to everyone soon moved to a room in the general nursing ward, there to begin the who has held me in their thoughts and prayers and to share the healing that continues now that I have been permitted the comforts of extraordinary promise of a second chance to acknowledge the miracle our own home. that is life. They say that impending execution concentrates the mind. So, too, it seems does a brush with the Grim Reaper by any other means. I am Ian de Stains is the Executive Director of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan. The views expressed in this column are strictly his so conscious of being given, and so very grateful for, another chance. own and are not necessarily endorsed by or shared by the Chamber. I used to readily agree with the wise old saw about taking time out to WEEKENDER 7 Arts & Entertainment > The Tokyo Agenda “Coco” at Le Theatre Ginza The Utau Tour 2010 at TIF Coco Chanel was one of the most inspiring desginer in the modern Two giants from the 1970s are performing together on Dec. 10 and history of fashion, but few people know the real story of her life. 11 at Toyko International Forum. Taeko Onuki was a member of Gabriele Bonheur Chanel first dove into the fashion industry after Sugar Babe, one of the few Japanese Pop bands to target a more a failed attempt to become a cabaret singer. The musical “Coco” sophisticated musical audience before they broke up in 1976. Since captures the time later in her life when she returned to the world then, Onuki has released 24 albums, and worked together with of fashion after having retired 15 years earlier. Despite her previous Ryuichi Sakamoto. Sakamoto, a founding member of one of the first success, Chanel faced an uphill financial battle, but broke through electropop-bands, Yellow Magic Orchestra, is perhaps Japan’s best again when four major American department stores started known contemporary musician, having also composed numerous ordering her new designs. movie soundtracks and appeared on TV as a commentator. He even appeared on the silver screen in “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawewnce” Dec. 3-19 at various times Nearest station: Ginza (Ginza, Hibiya & with David Bowie.