Around and About in the Big Mikan - Dec. 2012

[Richard X. Hunt]

It's mid-December - which means the Tokyo social scene is romping its way towards a climax of bonenkais and Christmas parties, before winding down into the obligatory New Year's gathering round the kotatsu with the folks to wolf down some delicious o-sechi nibbles and watch Granny choke to the soothing sounds of Kohaku Uta Gassen. And of course I've been in the thick of it, mixing it up with the beautiful people to bring the hottest gossip from ol' Edo's paaati circuit direct to you, my dear readers.

But it's not just Tokyo where things are happening. I was lucky enough to be invited to the Annual Dinner of the Association of Kanto English Conversation Teachers hosted by the winsome Steve "This is a Pen" Badger and his lovely consort Yumi in their well-appointed 6-tatami penthouse apartment just forty minutes by bicycle from the hipper parts of downtown Kawasaki. Very much an informal event, my hosts assured me they were keen to popularise the pot luck dinner tradition with an added "gourmet action" twist, and you can imagine my delight as I was invited to take part in the Gokiburi Tempura race, a tradition Steve says he picked up during his time "doing stuff" in Thailand. As the little critters raced down a cutting board towards the batter, Yumi informed me that in this competition everyone is a winner, and the prize is a delicious deep-fried snack. Pausing only to vomit gracefully out of the window, I toasted my hosts with vintage nodogoshi, a traditional Japanese beverage made, I am told, by artisans deep in the mountains of central Japan who filter the amber liquid through the kidneys of a horse before sealing it into hand-crafted metal cylinders. Afterwards I mingled among movers and shakers in the northern Kanagawa café lesson scene, sharing tips on how to make a single cup of drip coffee last several hours and debating the pros and cons of revealing one's real stance on the subject of natto. It was with some sadness that I had to make my excuses and head back to the bright lights of the Big Mikan, but I left gladdened by the news that Yumi has successfully completed her course of antibiotic treatment and can report that she can once again take up her charitable work providing free "Japanese lessons" to destitute English teachers in the lower Tamagawa area, at least during those times Steve is not in the apartment.

Back in town, I was just in time to catch the opening of the latest jewel in the city's architectural crown, a unique structure recently erected inside Harajuku's scintillating Yoyogi Park. Designed and built by renowned architect Yagai Noie, the building is a "mashup" inspired by the yurts of Outer Mongolia expressed in materials native to these islands, without resorting to cliched elements such as rusted corrugated iron. A tasteful exterior dominated by tent-like swatches of blue fabric is dotted with ironic references to the vernacular of Tokyo's residential buildings - a pile of umbrellas here, a heap of unidentifiable pieces of wood there - touches which will make even architectural philistines feel at home. Moving inside, the deceptively spacious interior with its rustic earthen-style floor was home to an increasingly raucous après party, and I "knocked back" a few of Noie's trademark Battery Acid cocktails (the doctor assures me that given time my stomach lining will renew itself naturally) while catching up with the star architect and some of his acolytes. I was delighted to meet Ol' Man Watanabe, who had taken time out from curating his conceptual installation of aluminum cans packed into huge plastic bags currently on exhibit in Takadanobaba's Toyama Koen.

Alas, all too soon it was time to thank my hosts and make tracks, zipping along the colorful Yamanote Line towards the bright lights of Shinjuku's theater quarter, the Kabukicho, where the Union of Chinese Working Actresses was holding its annual bash. I was delighted to bump into an old friend, Mei, who had once again travelled to Japan all the way from her beautiful mountain home in Shandong to play the leading role in an experimential theatrical adaptation of the classic Chinese play "Chuka Esute" which is being held in a series of converted offices on the fifth floor of a nearby building. I was able to renew a number of acquaintances in rooms specially darkened for the purpose, but neither myself nor the night were growing younger and I still had places to go and people to meet.

Well, that's all for my first column, but I'll be back soon with more hot news from the buzzing social merry-go-round of Japan's Number 1 city and occasional in-depth portraits of its leading lights.

Your faithful social correspondent

Richard X. Hunt

[Taro Toporific]

... I'll be back soon with more hot news from the buzzing social merry-go-round of Japan's Number 1 city and occasional in-depth portraits of its leading lights.

Urr, umm, well ok, Mr. Hunt, welcome (?back?) to Forum of the Fucked.
We breathless await hearing of your next adventure in the Mysterious Orient during the most boring of all times in Japan, Oshogatsu.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Brilliant!

[BigInJapan]

"Pausing only to vomit gracefully out of the window...
Afterwards I mingled among movers and shakers in the northern Kanagawa café lesson scene...
Designed and built by renowned architect Yagai Noie --> 野外の家 <-- good one
Richard X. Hunt"

Ha, quite an amusing read. It seems smilies are off here, so [thumbs up icon].
Is RXH a former FG member?
*A bit of background on the columnists (kept as anonymous as possible of course) might be interesting too.
(Any reason why all formatting is turned off?)

[Taro Toporific]

Ha, quite an amusing read.
Is RXH a former FG member?

Since registration for new members is not still not open on the FG Forum, our newest member Richard X. Hunt had to be personally approved by the great-&-all-powerful Tentacle of Doom himself. Generally that means that the Supplicant to the Forum is "worthy"---a friend in real life, former FG member, or female.

A bit of background on the columnists (kept as anonymous as possible of course) might be interesting too.

A quick search of Richard X. Hunt's more amusing turns of phrases in his "Big Mikan - Dec. 2012" report shows he's a refugee from the largest reservoir of the unwashed, the NipponYesterday forum. Like the Froggy Foreign Legion, the FG welcomes any and all with a fresh start and a new name.

(Any reason why all formatting is turned off?)

I have no idea what the glitch is but there could be something wrong with the permissions for your account. Please bear with us; the Tentacle of Doom does not come out of his deep radioactive sea cave very often to do repairs.

[TentacleOfDoom]

(Any reason why all formatting is turned off?)

I have no idea what the glitch is but there could be something wrong with the permissions for your account. Please bear with us; the Tentacle of Doom does not come out of his deep radioactive sea cave very often to do repairs.

I was summoned from my lair?

My minions have been sent forth into the configuration void and report back that due to an oversight in the infernally complex permissions configuration, formatting was disabled for certain combinations of group membership.

Appendages have rolled and normal functionality should have been restored.

[wagyl]

Don't log out yet, Mr Cephalopod! When I am logged in, this thread disappears from the hot topics, but it is shown in the Hot Topic list when i am logged out.

[BigInJapan]

Don't log out yet, Mr Cephalopod! When I am logged in, this thread disappears from the hot topics, but it is shown in the Hot Topic list when i am logged out.

Yep, I noticed the same phenomenon as well.
Formatting is on now it would seem.

[TentacleOfDoom]

Once again I emerge from the deep to wrap my tentacles around this latest conundrum of technical mystery.

[wagyl]

Fixed, miraculously. Do your powers know no limits??

And back on topic: I didn't realise that Bill Hersey was still active!

[Taro Toporific]

And back on topic: I didn't realise that Bill Hersey was still active!

BILL’S PARTIES, PEOPLE, PLACES

Bill Hersey was the only writer to continue writing after Corky Alexander* died and left the Tokyo Weakender in a state of flux for several years.

Bill Hersey, longtime Weekender columnist
{At the Weekender's start in 1970} I wrote mostly about fashion in a column called “Bill Hersey’s Shopping Bag,” plus a bit of travel and a few parties. At that time I was very much into fashion. I was fashion editor at two Japanese mens’ magazines, and kept busy modeling (there weren’t many agencies back then), producing fashion shows, designing my own menswear line (which had outlets in five major department stores), and at one time I even had a small boutique on Aoyama-dori where the Peacock supermarket is now.

I got kind of bored with fashion, so I went into client relations for the now 30-year-old Lex club in Roppongi, did a lot of TV work, and also traveled pretty much all over the world. Corky, kind and considerate as always, felt I was making the right choice in wanting to change my column from a shopping guide to a social column. I ended up covering all kinds of events here in Tokyo, as well as around the world. I really enjoyed writing travel stories, and thanks to the Weekender I did stories that took me to many places like Austria, Mexico, the Philippines, and the UK, as well as more unusual destinations like Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Papua New Guniea, and Tahiti. My work with the Weekender also got me some awesome invitations to special events all over the world. These included Coca-Cola’s 100th anniversary five-day celebration in Atlanta, Georgia; Madame Jehan Anwar el Sadat’s four-day charity event in and around Cairo, at which Frank Sinatra gave a concert in front of the sphinx and pyramids; an opening party at the Loews Hotel in Monte Carlo, where I met Princess Grace (God bless her soul) and the legendary Lena Horne.

Thanks to the Weekender and a lot of great friends, I’m sure I’ve been to about as many parties as anyone. I had the privelege of being included in an article on the top ten social columnists in the world in a prestigious European magazine, and also helped with the Japan section of Lord Lithchfield’s Book of the Best, which was published annually for several years in the UK. All of this, plus my regular column in the Weekender, has given me the opportunity to meet and get to know so many interesting people from all walks of life and from all over the world. I am currently working on a book about many of these people, and hopefully will finish it in 2010. These people include Nelson Mandela, most of the Japanese prime ministers from the last 40 years, US Presidents Nixon, Carter and Ford, and many other world leaders. From the film world I have partied with Elizabeth Taylor, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Leonardo de Caprio, Jean Reno, Robert de Niro, Jodie Foster, and countless others. It’s pretty much been the same with the music, dance and fashion worlds. I thank God every day for my blessings and feel the Weekender, Lex and friends have really been the foundations for a really great lifestyle. Once again people, parties and places, and being pretty much able to do what I want when I want to do it, really make it all worthwhile. My philosophy of life is that one should do what they want, as long as they don’t hurt others. My association with the Weekender has helped me with all this and more.

[GomiGirl]

I have it on good authority that the terms of sale of the magazine (both times it has been sold since) includes a guaranteed job for Mr Chocolate Highway.

Also, he can't use a computer, typwriter or email so he phones and faxes in his pieces for each issue.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

IRL, Bill Hershey is actually a very nice bloke.

[GomiGirl]

IRL, Bill Hershey is actually a very nice bloke.

I am sure he is - I am just gossiping.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

I am sure he is - I am just gossiping.

No intent to cause shame...sorry.
I'd actually thought he was kinda like Jimmy Saville, but then I learned he's more like Molly Meldrum. Never heard the bloke say a bad word about anyone, which automatically gives him the high moral ground in a direct comparison with myself.
My wig is not as hip as his, either...nor my white jeans...and I've got no involvement with the Lex...

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

I got kind of bored with fashion....

Considering we're talking 1970s here, do you think he means "as in tired with" or ""as in ramrodded?"

[TentacleOfDoom]

Fixed, miraculously. Do your powers know no limits??

Why no, they do not.