July 11, Fri: Dinner at Mitsubishi Club

May 24, Sat (afternoon and evening): Annual Outing to Mt Takao and Dinner at Ukai Toriyama

We will have exclusive use of this popular French restaurant’s ground floor and leafy terrace.

Address: 1-2 Hibiya Park, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0012, Tel. 03-3591-1023

Website: http://www.nambu-tei.com/

Attendance fee: 7,000 yen
(Payment is required in advance; account details will be sent to those who apply to attend. There will be no refunds for cancellations after the closing date.)

There is no particular dress code for this event.

If you would like to attend, please contact Tim Minton (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org) by Friday, April 18.

On March 24th we gathered for the very first, and also, very last time at Tokyo Kaikan's Crystal Restaurant on the 35th floor of the Kasumigaseki Building. The restaurant was to close down very soon as the building is due to be redeveloped.
Tokyo Kaikan Dinner 2008
Around 20 members attended making for rather a cosy atmosphere. The assembled party enjoyed a buffet dinner and took in spectacular night views along Sotobori-dori to the towers of Shiodome and the Tokyo Bay Bridge beyond. We welcomed one new member, Prof. Yamada, and also said goodbye to another, Pedro Da Costa who was returning to Portugal to take up a research post in Oporto. Doreen Simmons took the opportunity to point out to all those present the significance of the Kasumigaseki Building: when it was built in 1968, it had been the first building in Tokyo permitted to exceed 8 storeys. We may nowadays take for granted buildings of 30 and 40 storeys plus springing up all over the city but the Kasumigaseki Building was the pioneer. Simon Lloyd added that he had worked on the 32nd floor for many years and that, although in 1968 it was said that the building had been built to a standard that was 300% better than the required anti-earthquake safety measures of the time, experiencing an earthquake whilst on the 32nd floor was really a rather frightening experience.
Tokyo Kaikan Dinner 2008 -2

The restaurant is on the 35th Floor of the Kasumigaseki Building and commands a fine view of central Tokyo. Our event will be held in a private room that can accommodate up to 50 people.

Address: 3-2-5 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Tel. 03-3581-0420

Website: http://www.kaikan.co.jp/gnavi/kcrs.html

Attendance fee: 7,500 yen
(Payment is required in advance; account details will be sent to those who apply to attend. There will be no refunds for cancellations after the closing date.)

Dress Code: Jacket and tie

If you would like to attend, please contact Tim Minton (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org) by Thursday, March 20.

Reception and aperitifs from 18:00; dinner from 19:00
Address: 9-14 Roppongi 1-chome, Minato-ku;
Tel. (03)-5114-0555
Subway access from Roppongi 1-chome, Kamiyacho, Tameike Sanno stations; detailed directions will be sent to those attending.

Cost: 8,000 yen (7,500 yen for Tokyo Club members)
Payment required in advance; account details will be sent to those who apply to attend.

Dress Code: Jacket and tie

If you wish to attend this event, please reply by Monday, 11th February to Tim Minton, Honorary Secretary, by e-mail (t.minton[at]camford.org) or fax (044-945-5716).

Those who cancel after the closing date will not be refunded.

By now our members are no strangers to the handsome clubhouse in Roppongi 1-chome, on the same road as the Swedish Embassy, the American Embassy and the Hotel Okura, and almost in the shadow of the gigantic Ark Hills. On Wednesday 31st October 51 Camford members and guests gathered for dinner. The 6:15 for 7:00 starting time gave the early birds an opportunity to socialize over a glass of wine or two; those of us whose work goes on to a little later may have missed the conversation but were kindly allowed to catch up on the wine.

The Tokyo Club is a private and very exclusive club that only a year or two back began to allow outside parties to use the premises, provided that they were arranged by a member, and on this occasion our ‘host’ Terry Nakamura began the evening by reading us our rights, or more strictly, defining the spaces available for our use. Apart from the usual facilities we had a very nice private dining room, and after dinner, the spacious lobby outside for final drinks. Terry stressed that the Library, which was on the same floor, was out-of-bounds to non-Members, but we had, after all, gone there to eat and drink in good company and no-one seemed tempted to trespass.

Tokyo Club Dinner Oct 2007 - 1

Tokyo Club Dinner Oct 2007 - 2

So that we would know what we were eating, Terry had also kindly obtained a translation of the menu, which was all in French. The food, in whatever language, was right up to the usual standard, though before the dessert the waiters seemed a little bemused to carry away so many untouched salads; it appears that many of the British and British-educated still have not taken to the American custom of serving a salad on the side.

Two new members were introduced (Jenny Barb [Clare Cambridge 1978] and Hisao Shiomi [Faculty of Law, Cambridge, 2002]) along with one returnee (Jason James, King’s Cambridge 1983).

Though the Roppongi premises are now the home of the Tokyo Club, its former site in front of the Kasumigaseki Building has gone through yet another transformation. September 26th saw the opening of the new Tokyo Club Building, partly owned by the club, whose immediate impact is as the home of some up-market restaurants.

Tokyo Club Dinner Oct 2007 - 3

Tokyo Club Dinner Oct 2007 - 4

Tim and Huw looking far too serious, and Phil thinking of something to say to the photographer.

Tokyo Club Dinner Oct 2007 - 5

Tokyo Club Dinner Oct 2007 - 6

Tokyo Club Dinner Oct 2007 - 7

After the dinner at the Tokyo Club, we moved on to a Nijikai at Aux Bacchanale in Ark Hills. We were a little pressed for time with only ten minutes to last orders. But a very pleasant autumn evening with plenty of wine to keep us going.

Tokyo Club Dinner Oct 2007 - 8

Tokyo Club Dinner Oct 2007 - 9

As before we are grateful to Terry Nakamura for arranging for us to have a very pleasant evening. Now that Tim Minton has also become a club member, perhaps we have a back-up.

Inspirational round from Oxford Ace, Miller, puts Dark Blues ahead.

The series tied at 15-15, a group of ten assembled at lunchtime on Saturday in near perfect conditions and put in half a round in order to sharpen our games for the tournament on Sunday. An early indication of intent was given by Alex Miller, who drove the green of the par 4 seventh, which clearly unsettled the Cambridge contingent and gave heart to his Oxford team-mates.

However, by midnight it looked like all attempts to sharpen our games had been futile; 12 bottles of wine, dessert wine and a bottle of port later, it seemed unlikely that the quality of golf on Sunday would be of the normal caliber.

Four hours later, the loyal England supporters in our party were watching the Rugby World Cup final (which sadly England lost to South Africa) and were looking doubtful for a 7.30 tee-off.



Then at 6.30 History was made; for the first time in its 20 year history, The Windsor Park Country club hosted a party in the Oxford and Cambridge Suite for the Cambridge and Oxford Society, and Champagne flowed.

On Saturday 8th September the Society held the "Odaiba Day" events.
The first event was the visit to Oedo Onsen Monogatari, the urban onsen which some members had enjoyed on the occasion of the Society's 100th anniversary celebrations in 2005. This time 7 members and guests gathered to take the plunge and enjoy the somewhat confusing experience of old Edo in the ultra-modern surroundings of Odaiba.

The 7, fully revitalised and refreshed by their bathing, joined another
12 attendees at the Shiokaze no Koen barbecue area quite close to the waterside. As it turned out, the onsen had provided relaxation for muscles and sinews that would soon need to go straight into action assembling tables, chairs and barbecues themselves.

Odaiba Day - Group activities


Odaiba Day - Julian hard at work


The scene resembled something out of the Krypton Factor or an Army Officer Initiative Course as Cambridge and Oxford graduates of all ages and both sexes struggled to understand exactly how the subtle catches and sliding pieces slotted into place.

Odaiba Day - Ladies at work

Roppongi Hills Club party

Unfortunately, it has proved impossible to organise an event at RHC.