On 26 October, Members of the C&O were the guests of Edmond Aruffo (Hughes Hall, Cantab.) for a thanksgiving dinner at the New Sanno Hotel in Hiroo.

Edmond Aruffo (at right) and Guests The event was held not only to celebrate the survival of the early American settlers with the help of their Indian neighbors, but also to welcome our very own Indian guests, members of the Oxford and Cambridge Society of India (OCSI) who were on a visit to Japan. The evening started with drinks from the well stocked bar and continued with dinner from the sumptuous buffet. Traditional dishes were beautifully arranged on tables along the wall, and included such delicacies as pumpkin pie, wild rice and sweet potatoes ending, of course, with turkey and cranberry sauce.

Fifty-one members of the Society and guests attended the event to provide a warm welcome to the 11 Indian visitors. Following a few introductory words from the honorary secretary, Tim Minton, the President of OCSI, Sumant Dhamija spoke on behalf of the 11-strong delegation. Mr. Dhamija explained the Indian custom that called for a speech of a length proportional to the distance the speaker had travelled, but delivered the shorter version in consideration of C&O Japan members who may have had other matters to attend to within the following week.

Tim Minton introduced three new members, Rasmus Bertelsen (Churchill, Cantab), Miyako Okahara (Newnham, Cantab) & Masaji Takahashi (Jesus, Cantab) all of whom were warmly welcomed and, we hope, will be regularly seen at future events.

Tim Minton's Address alongside O&C India alumni guests

A bright and sunny morning on Saturday 10th October found 12 Cambridge & Oxford golfers in Ibaragi-ken for the Autumn 2009 meeting. Shishido Hills CC West Course hosts one of the four "Major" tournaments for Japanese professionals each year, and true to that pedigree it proved to be one of the sterner tests the C&O golfers have faced over the years. We were fortunate to have the chance to play there by the kind arrangement of Mr. Yoshio Karita.

Among our modest number we were delighted to welcome two first-time C&O golf participants - Masaji Takahashi and Charles Postles. One of Ambassador Takahashi's postings had been to Australia and indeed he arrived on the first tee wearing a jacket from the President's Cup staged in Royal Melbourne GC in 1998 - in fact the only time the International Team has ever won the event. It was also very good to see Yoshi Kawamura again, back from his 3-year posting in Chicago, joining other regular players Yoshi Shimizu, John Sunley and Jim Weeks.

C&O Golf 2009 Starting off the 10th tee, after a tough first nine holes lunchtime conversation seemed to be focused more on the natural beauty of the Shishido environs than the quality of golf! At half time, Alex Miller and Steven Thomas had fared best with gross 38s, closely followed by Simon Dalby on 40. Fortified by a good lunch, for the afternoon nine it was notable that, with a single exception, every player improved on their morning score. Defending Champion Yasuzo Takeno showed his true form with a solid 42 and Yoshi Kawamura also played very well for the same score, despite an OB on the very last hole. Indeed Kawamura-san's 72 net was good enough for 3rd place, two shots behind Alex Miller's net 70. AT the end of the day, however, it was Cambridge man Simon Dalby's fine second nine 34 gross which secured him the title, with a net 69, and his gross 74 also edged out Thomas by one shot for best gross honours.

Reception and aperitifs from 18:30; seated dinner from 19:00; after-dinner drinks

The Tokyo Club: 9-14 Roppongi 1-chome, Minato-ku;
Tel. (03)-5114-0555
(Subway access from Roppongi Itchome and Kamiyacho stations; detailed directions will be sent to those attending.)

Attendance fee: 8,000 yen (7,500 yen for Tokyo Club members)
(Payment required in advance; account details and directions to The Tokyo Club will be sent to those who apply to attend.)
Dress Code: Lounge Suits
No refunds for no-shows or cancellations after the closing date (Nov. 19).

A full-course seated dinner for a maximum of forty-eight people: please apply early.

If you would like to attend this event, please reply by 15:00 on Thursday, 19th November to Tim Minton, Honorary Secretary (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org). Please indicate whether you and/or any guests are members of Tokyo Club.

The New Sanno Hotel, 4-12-20 Minami Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0047 (03-3440-7871)
Please note that this event begins at 18:00 rather than the usual 18:30. The closing time is the usual 21:00.

Dress: Lounge suits

Attendance fee: 6,500 yen per person (payment required in advance; the Society’s bank account details will be sent to those who apply; no-shows will not be refunded.)

If you would like to attend, please contact Tim Minton (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org) by Thursday, 22nd October.

Nambu-tei is near Hibiya Kokai-do (日比谷公会堂), just inside the south-west entrance to Hibiya Park, opposite the Fukoku Seimei Building. The closest subway access is from Uchisaiwaicho Station on the Mita Line (exit A7). Hibiya Station (exit A14) and Kasumigaseki Station (exits B2 and C1) are also close.

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 inclusive (payment required in advance; account details will be sent to those who sign up)
No refunds for no-shows or cancellations after the closing date.

If you would like to attend, please contact Tim Minton (minton.cando[at]gmail[dot]com) by Thursday, 24th September.

September Event TBD

Mr Buhei Okumura has again kindly arranged for members and their guests to be treated to a buffet dinner at Mitsubishi Club. The event will take place on Friday, 3rd July, starting at 18:00 rather than the usual 18:30. Mitsubishi Club is on the 21st floor of the Mitsubishi Shoji Building in Marunouchi. Detailed directions will be sent to those who sign up.

If you would like to attend this event, please contact Tim Minton (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org) by Tuesday, June 30.

Attendance fee: 8,000 yen inclusive
(Payment required in advance; account details will be sent to those who apply to attend. No refunds for no-shows or cancellations after the closing date.)

Dress code: jacket and tie

We are no longer accepting applications to attend this event.

Reception from 17:30 (Main Lobby, Honkan 5F)
Aperitifs in the Okura Shukokan Museum, 18:30 - 19:30
Seated Full-course Dinner, Akebono-no-ma, 19:45 - 21:45
Cheese, Wine and Brandy, Baron Okura, 22:00 - midnight

Attendance fees:
Aperitifs and Dinner only: 10,000 yen
Aperitifs, Dinner and After-Dinner Drinks: 15,000 yen

If you would like to attend this special event, please contact Tim Minton (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org) by June 6th. Members are welcome to invite one guest each.

Full payment is required in advance; the Society’s bank account details will be sent to those who apply. There will be no refunds for late cancellers or no-shows, who will in addition be charged for the Society's subsidy paid on their behalf (around 50%).

Join us for our annual outing to Mt Takao followed by dinner at Ukai Toriyama. Replies to Tim Minton (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org).

An Oxbridge vs. Waseda Varsity Boxing Match will be held at Waseda University from 11:30 to 15:30 (doors open at 11:00). This will be followed by a reception at the Rihga Royal Hotel (17:30 – 19:30).

Both events are free of charge; please note that only the first 25 applications to attend the reception can be accepted. Members are welcome to bring guests to the match, but the reception is open only to members.

If you would like to attend, please contact Mr Daisuke Asaga (da1suke[at]hello[dot]odn[dot]ne[dot]jp) by Thursday, 2nd April. Directions will be sent to those who sign up.