Tokyo Weekender - November 2017

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DRAKENSBERG BOYS CHOIR CONCERT 1. South African Amb. to the EU Ajay K. Bramdeo and his wife, South African Chargé d’Affaires Royce Kuzwayo (center) 2. Drakensberg School Deputy of Operations Johan Linde, Min-On Pres. Kazuto Ito 3. Kenny Kabak, South African political counsellor Rene Everson-Varney, Linda Espag, Johan Linde, Min-On adviser Hiroyasu Kobayashi 4. Concert guests 1 2 5 3 4 6 7 8 ROYAL BANGKOK SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 5. Concert guests 6. Thai Embassy staff members Hilario Tan and Danny Tsizon 7. Fahad, Jumada, Jamila, and Yemen Amb. Samir Khasis 8. Thai Amb. Bansarn Bunnag and his wife, Ambassador of Thailand to Japan, Don Pramudwinai and his wife, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Mr. Link, Mr. Poom, Mrs. Nunthinee, Dr. Gen. Suprija, Mrs. Atchara 52 | NOVEMBER 2017 | TOKYO WEEKENDER
party for the son of a sultan and getting superb VIP treatment there. The costumes and dancing were awesome. I also enjoyed an Egyptian circus, a lunch on the deck of a French aircraft carrier which was docked there, catching a small octopus when I tried diving in the Red Sea, and marveling at the moon-like landscapes around Lake Assal, which is at the lowest point in Africa. (The original Planet of the Apes was filmed there.) I also remember waiting in my car for a friend when a big French foreign legionnaire – they had camps in Djibouti at that time – came over and tapped on my car window. I rolled down the window, and he, obviously drunk, spoke to me in French. Unfortunately, I don’t speak that beautiful language, but did realize he was asking me where I was from, so I said “USA – America.” He stood at attention, saluted me, and started to sing “Yankee Doodle Dandy” in English. This got the attention of people at a sidewalk café, and in a matter of minutes, a military vehicle pulled up, two legionnaires got out, picked him up, and put him in the back with two other legionnaires. I was told they took him back to their dormitory to sober him up. Traveling’s fun. At the Tokyo party, guests were treated to a delicious surprise halfway through the event when several chefs came out and took a huge canvas cover off a magnificent tuna and made sure all the guests got at least one serving of sashimi. As Lilo Maruyama said, it was so fresh that it melted in your mouth. Kudos again to the Alis and the Djibouti Embassy for putting on a perfect evening. MIN-ON SPONSORS SOUTH AFRICAN BOYS CHOIR Over the years, Soka Gakkai, through its music subsidiary the Min- On Concert Association, has given me and so many others the opportunity to see an amazing variety of international cultural events. One of their most recent cultural exchanges was bringing in South Africa’s Drakensberg Boys Choir for their fourth Japanese tour. This tour was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the choir. They were in Japan for a two-month-long, 25-city tour. The youngest members of the choir were 10, while the oldest were 16. They performed pop songs, gospel, and both South African and Japanese folk songs. Their energy and choreography drew enthusiastic cheers and standing ovations at every performance. I had the privilege of seeing and hearing the show at Min-On’s headquarters. This was to celebrate the 99th anniversary of the late great Nelson Mandela’s birthday. There was a huge poster of Mandela with his legendary dynamic smile in the theater and the select group in the audience all felt he was looking down and enjoying it all. Congratulations to Min- On Founder Daisaku Ikeda, Min-On President Kazuto Ito, his staff, South African Chargé d’Affaires Royce Kuzwayo, the embassy staff and of course Mandela-san for making the evening with its energy and sensitivity so very special. I’d also like to mention that meeting, shaking hands and talking with President Mandela is one of the most memorable moments I’ve had in my life of great experiences. My thanks for that. ROYAL BANGKOK SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AT SUNTORY HALL I hadn’t been to Suntory Hall since the late great Sony President Norio Ohga, who was also a talented conductor, passed away. My thanks to him for the invitations to his concerts there as well as he and Chichan Plessner’s invitation to the opening party in Berlin for the launch of the Sony Center. This time at Suntory Hall I was the guest of the very popular Thai Ambassador Bansarn Bunnag and his wife Yupadee. The occasion was a concert by the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra in commemoration of the 130th anniversary of Thailand-Japan diplomatic relations. Suntory Hall has done considerable redecorating since I was last there. It’s a first-class venue with fountains out front, snack bars in the elegant lobby, comfortable seats, and of course great lighting and sound as well as a magnificent organ. The program opened with a speech by a special guest, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai. The musical program included favorites of Chopin, Haydn and Mozart as well as a fantasia on themes of his late, much-loved majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Prominent Japanese conductor Koji Kawamoto, accomplished Thai pianist Poom Prommachart, and the versatile bass baritone singer Kittinant Chinsamran performed with the 65-piece orchestra to make it a very special evening of beautiful music. SHIGA’S NEW WEDDING HALL IN SAITAMA If you follow my column, I’m sure you'll know that one of my best friends is Saitama businessman Tsukasa Shiga. He has to be one of Japan’s busiest people. I first met Shiga when he was a student at St. Mary’s, and he spent considerable time at the Lexington Queen, the club I used to run in Roppongi. He really helped make the Lex become like Studio 54 in New York. After St. Mary’s, he went to Boston University and I often met up with him in New York. Our trips to the Big Apple gave us the opportunity to meet all kinds of celebrities and set up parties for so many of them when they visited Japan. When Shiga came back to Tokyo, we started a small company, HSI (Hersey Shiga Int’l), and got more involved in setting up events and parties, a modeling agency, doing film production and arranging for product placements in movies. After several fun, busy years, Shiga inherited much of his family business and had to move home to keep things going. Their company, Ceremony, has really grown. Their personalities and business knowhow have made them giants in the business. I’d like to close this column congratulating them on the November 3 opening of their new, majestic, European-style wedding hall, Stella dell’ Angelo, in Saitama. It really is very special. I’d also like to thank Shiga, his mom Reiko and his executive secretary Hiroko for their friendship and help in making my life here so interesting and special. Photos of the opening party later. Backstage at Kyodo’s popular Off-Broadway show Blast with top percussionist Naoki and model/actor Hide Kusakari at Tokyu Theatre Orb The multi-talented Steve Haynes and Mr. Supranational Japan 2017, Takamori Uekusa – off soon to Poland for the international contest Bill with the late great singer of Linkin Park, Chester Bennington TOKYO WEEKENDER | NOVEMBER 2017 | 53
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