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Since 1970 FREE Vol.41 No.20 Nov 5-18, 2010 Japan’s Premier Free Magazine www.weekenderjapan.com WeWe needneed toto havehave aa chatchat There’sThere’s lotslots toto talktalk aboutabout whenwhen ChinaChina andand thethe USUS showshow upup inin YokohamaYokohama forfor APECAPEC Executive Profile: Reidel’s Wolfgang Angyl Get ready, ski season is on the horizon Bill Hersey’s Parties People Places Our Yearly Reader’s Survey Win two tickets to Vietnam and more! Contents November 5 6 Executive Profiles: Wolfgang Angyal 22-23 Blazing leaves and bright kimono 7 The View From Here 24-27 Parties, People & Places 8-11 Arts and Entertainment 28-29 Ski season on the horizon 12-13 Thanksgiving special 30-31 Real estate 14-15 Tokyo Tables 32-33 Classifieds 16-20 APEC: A much needed summit 34 Back in the Day Volume 41 Number 20 PUBLISHER Ray Pedersen CONTRIBUTORS Yonca Guler, Mami Schula, Richard EDITOR Donald Eubank Smart, John Burton, Ian de Stains OBE ASSISTANT EDITOR Stephen Parker MEDIA MANAGER Tomas Castro EST. Corky Alexander and Susan Scully, 1970 MEDIA CONSULTANTS Mary Rudow, Pia von Waldau OFFICE Weekender Magazine, 5th floor, Regency Shinsaka Building, RESEARCHER Rene Angelo Pascua 8-5-8 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052 Tel. 03-6846-5615 Fax: 03-6846-5616 CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Owen Schaefer (Arts), Bill Hersey Email: [email protected] (Society), Elisabeth Lambert (Health & Eco), Darrell Nelson (Sustainable Business) Opinions expressed by Weekender contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Cover: “Tōjin no yoshiwara asobi” (Women playing musical instruments, eating & drinking, walking with their www.weekenderjapan.com Chinese guests in Yoshiwara) by Kikukawa Eizan (1787-1867) B u s i n e s s Executives in Japan EdwardWolfgang Suzuki Angyal President of Riedel Japan olfgang Angyal was born in Kufstein, Austria, the very village that is home to the headquarters of the wine glass company WRiedel. Angyal first came to Japan in 1985 when he was working in a hotel in Austria and visited Osaka as a representative of his country in the 28th WorldSkills Competition, where he won the gold medal in the Restaurant Service category. His first experience of Japan encouraged him to return, and in 2000 Angyal became president of Riedel Japan. The Austrian is well known as the first person in Japan to teach in fluent Japanese the importance of using the right glasses when enjoying wine. How has your perception of Japan changed over your time here? but most seemed to have had a lot more difficulty communicating. I arrived in Japan in the late 1980s when the bubble was in full swing. I Looking back, I guess that’s how I ended up with the gold medal. was too young to participate, but could still get a glimpse of things that one can probably experience in China or the UEA now. Today Japan What have been your greatest successes living and working in Japan? has become a bit more like Europe in many ways, including the good After a year working as a guest lecturer at Tsuji Academy in Osaka and and some of the not so good, but it is certainly a more comfortable and making every possible mistake in ‘88, I finally discovered that there is enjoyable place to work and live than 20 years ago. no benefit in being an elephant walking through the porcelain shop. I remember working right in the heart of Marunouchi in the early A more subtle approach proved far more effective. After realizing ‘90s. You would not have wanted to walk the streets if you did not have that, things went pretty much on course on the business front. Riedel, to. It was all a maze of different shades of grey, from buildings, offices which was virtually unknown when I started in ‘89, went from a one- to people, and I was told Japanese don’t like to spend time in outdoor man band to a highly recognized brand in Japan, and a company with cafes — but look at it today. several business divisions and seven directly operated stores. But meeting my Australian wife in Tokyo in ‘92 was certainly the highlight. What about your first trip to Japan encouraged you to return? The World Skills competition only lasted for a week, but I sensed What is the greatest obstacle you’ve encountered doing business here? a strong affinity with the people and culture. One of the main Apart from the fact that things may take three times as long and are usually still twice as expensive, I find that to effectively communicate Japan-specific complexities to those without cultural reference points ‘Once you get to know the still to be the biggest challenge. unwritten rules in Japan What’s been the most surprising thing that you’ve learned in Japan? That almost nothing is impossible under the right circumstances. Once and start working with you get to know the unwritten rules in Japan and start working with them instead of against them, things that you never thought possible them instead of against can just fall into place. You are credited with introducing the importance of the glasses used them, things that you when drinking wine — what other aspects of wine culture still need to be improved here? never thought possible Wine appreciation in Japan certainly has come a very long way. Today, the general public’s understanding and desire to learn about wine in Japan is quite high compared to other countries. But at the same time, can just fall into place’ people still often just drink the “labels” or follow other people’s tastes rather than to trust their own palate. I frequently meet people telling challenges for competitors from all over the world was to effectively me how many Riedel glasses they have, but they often seem to miss “communicate” with the Japanese assistants that one had access to in the whole point, thinking that its OK just to use the best brand, instead order to complete the various tasks. And since none of them spoke any of actually discovering the difference that the various varietal shapes language I could understand, one had to use non-verbal means to get can make to really get the most out of their favorite wines. So there is messages through. Other competitors may have had a technical edge, certainly still enough for us “wine educators” left to do in the future. 6 WEEKENDER O p i n i o n THE VIEW FROM HERE by Ian de Stains OBE Grow up t is sad but not surprising that China reacted so negatively to to receive a long harangue about China’s sovereignty — was a futile the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to one of its most prominent gesture that underscores yet again that the Nobel Committee’s point Ihuman rights activists. A distinguished literary critic and respected was entirely missed. academic, Liu Xiaobo is one of China’s most important hopes for its Not, however, by the great majority of people — enlightened post-economic status. He has, however, been silenced by the 11 year Chinese among them — who would like to see China earn its place jail sentence he is currently serving — not his first — because he has at the top table of democracy. China’s economic achievements over upset the Beijing bullies who would rather keep the Chinese people the past decade and more have been impressive to say the least, and in the dark about their human rights than behave like a responsible there is no reason to believe that what lies ahead will disappoint. member of the international community. Unless, of course, it is a digging-in of Chinese heels and a refusal to China’s leaders now strut proudly about the world stage. Their learn the rules of international statesmanship. No one likes a bully, economy is strong yet they are defiant when requested to cooperate and ultimately bullies never prevail. They are always in the last resort in currency management in the broader global interest (including, shown up for what they really are: hollow men. ultimately, their own). They show all the signs of wanting to behave like Beijing’s petulant response to the award of the Nobel Peace Prize every other grown up economy until they are pressed for action. Now, to one of its citizens may not entirely erase the goodwill many feel for they throw all their toys out of the pram because an outside agency has China’s emergence, but it will erode it. It will also, ironically, endow the managed to highlight just how lacking they are in moral wealth. award — and its recipient — with an even stronger sense of meaning The fact that the Chinese authorities had lobbied to try and stop and purpose. the award being given to Liu only emphasizes the fact that they find it inconceivable that a body such as the Nobel Committee can wield Ian de Stains is the Executive Director of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan. The views expressed in this column are strictly his such power and act independently of government control. Beijing’s own and are not necessarily endorsed by or shared by the Chamber. summoning of the Norwegian Ambassador Svein Saether — no doubt WEEKENDER 7 Arts & Entertainment » Tokyo Happenings LESLIE GOUGER PHOTO ‘Transformation’ at the MOT ‘Cinderella’ & ‘Andrea Chénier’ The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo’s latest exhibition, The New National Theater has two crowd-pleasers for the late fall. “Transformation,” is about the unclear boundary between the There’s the kid-friendly “Cinderella” starring Saito Miho and Maylen, human and the nonhuman in the Internet age.