Tokyo Weekender July 2016

very informative and interesting. I’m sure that the wife of the Kuwaiti
Ambassador Jamilah, who really has an artistic sense, worked hard on
setting it up. Our congratulations to the Council of Arab Ambassadors
and Heads of Mission and their many friends here who made it all very
special.
THE IMPERIAL HOTEL’S GLITTERING DINNER
FOR THE MEDIA
Once again, the President of the Imperial Hotel, Hideya Sadayasu, and
his super staff went all out to make their annual party for the media a
very special evening. This year the party, bigger than usual, was held
in a larger venue: the luxurious Peacock Room.
The spacious venue was filled wall to wall with interesting people.
It was nice seeing special guest Peter Shaindlin, who’s President of the
legendary Halekulani Hotel in Honolulu, and many top Japanese and
foreign journalists I don’t see enough of. The buffet was a fabulous
presentation that the top chefs and food and beverage staff had spent
a lot of time and effort on. They certainly had a gourmet dinner to be
proud of. Congratulations to our host Sadayasu-san. At the same time,
congratulations to the world-renowned hotel on their new and very
personable managing director and GM, Yukio Kanao.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MIDTOWN OAKWOOD
Midtown’s luxurious Oakwood Premiere recently hosted a packed 10th
anniversary party at their popular residential lounge in Midtown Mall,
which is also celebrating its 10th birthday. As always at their many
happenings, there was a huge crowd enjoying the music by a Hawaiian
duo, chatting with former sumo champ Konishiki, enjoying the
excellent buffet and mixing with a lot of interesting people. I really
enjoyed spending time with British Captain Lia Ditton, who has gained
international fame by rowing her colorful customized boat solo across
the Atlantic Ocean. I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot more of her and her
boat, which looks a bit Star Wars-esque, later this year. Lia’s planning
a trans-Pacific solo and is sure, with the right sponsors, she can make
it happen.
My thanks to Oakwood’s Martin Fluck and his always helpful staff
for all their kindness, generosity and friendship over the years. My
congratulations to them all on the success of their many hotels. They
all work very hard and it’s paid off.
NEW FACES, NEW PLACES
First, many thanks to Sri Lankan business tycoon Nishantha Perera for
an invitation to his “New Tomorrow Café.” The theme for this quiet relaxing
getaway is “Happiness, Healing, and Hope” and it’s right behind
the German Embassy which is just up the hill from National Azabu
Supermarket in the Arisunomori Minamiazabu complex. The café is
big. The main dining area has a relaxed atmosphere and is filled with
comfortable tables, chairs and couches. There’s a large outdoor patio
where you can enjoy a first-class barbecue for as many as 50 people.
If you really want to relax, you can stretch out in one of the
hammocks. There’s plenty of greenery, especially my favorite
– bamboo. If someone in your party is talented, there’s a grand piano
in the main dining room that you can use if it doesn’t bother the other
customers, and there’s a small hall with a stage and a good PA system
connected to the main dining room. There are two kitchens and an excellent
chef. The menu is limited, but I was really happy with a cup of
Sri Lankan tea, a fruit smoothie and a piece of New York cheese cake.
The café is open daily from 9am to 6pm. Private parties can be booked
until 8pm. If you check it out I’m sure you’ll be surprised to find such
a spacious relaxed and enjoyable retreat in one of Tokyo’s upscale
neighborhoods. For more information call 03-6869-5656.
My timing was perfect for my first visit as there was a colorful
exhibition of paintings by one of Sri Lanka’s top artists, Kekuli. She’s a
very interesting woman whose late husband was mayor of two cities
in Sri Lanka, and her travel companions to Japan for her exhibit were
her two daughters – Tersha who’s a lawyer, and Iranajali who’s a psychologist
– and Prince Unamboowe, whose great grandfather was the
last King of Ceylon. They were all interesting people and I spent most
of the afternoon with them. Happy to have new, high-quality friends
in a country I love and hope to visit soon. I left the café that day with
a much-cherished gift, a painting of an elephant – one of my favorite
animals – by Kekuli.
I had more time later with a very talented sculptor, Dule. He worked
for me at a nightclub I ran for many years in Roppongi. Now he’s a professor
in Shanghai, a city he loves, and was here to see friends. He has
sculptures in many museums and I’m really proud of a beautiful gold
greyhound sculpture he sent me. I also appreciate that Dule got me addicted
to goji berries – it seems the Chinese are really into this health
food. You can get them at National Azabu or Nissen.
In other news, I drive through Yoyogi Park almost every day and
was recently surprised to find a parking spot available on a Sunday.
I stopped, and was pleased to discover they were having an Okinawa
Street Music Festival. I learned to really like Okinawan music when I
was there a few years ago for a film festival, and was able to hear and
meet some of Okinawa’s top musical artists.
As you can see our city’s been busy. Unfortunately, conflicting
schedules, lots of visitors, and so on added up to me having to miss
several worthwhile events. The first was almost a week of Armenian
culture hosted by Ambassador Grant Pogosyan and his wife Natalia.
It was to celebrate a quarter century of Armenian-Japanese relations
and there was a full schedule of art, food, cosmetics demonstrations,
Armenian lace exhibits, and music from both countries. Congratulations
to our Armenian and Japanese friends who got it all together.
Irish Ambassador Annie Barrington’s talented American husband Ed
Miliano is an accomplished artist. I’ve seen some of his work on the
walls of their home, and loved it. Sorry I missed his May exhibit at
the Motoazabu Museum. It was titled “No Ordinary Place” and friends
who made it there really enjoyed it.
Finally, for more proof positive that the multi-talented Steve
Haynes never slows down, he just released his a new CD titled High
Heels Music. It features 15 superstars performing their biggest hits.
In between each song, Steve gives a short intro in his really professional
manner. It’s a CD you should have. Pick it up and
you’ll know what I mean. Congratulations, my friend.
Sri Lankan businessman Nishantha Perera, artist Kekuli
Abeyratne, her daughters Iranjali and Tersha, and Prince
Unamboowe at the New Tomorrow Café in Mita
Cliff Wooley and his daughter Kim at the
Pride Festival
New Miss Supranational, Yuki Koshikawa, with
friends at Shibuya Segafredo
TOKYO WEEKENDER | JULY 2017 | 49