The main purpose of this event is to give new students (both undergraduates and graduates) going up to Oxford or Cambridge for the 2015/2016 academic year an opportunity to meet members of The Cambridge & Oxford Society and, in the process, gain a few useful tips on how to prepare for the experience. C&O members and new students will be able to chat informally while enjoying drinks and excellent Italian cuisine from an extensive buffet selection.

The party will be held at the fashionable Armani Ristorante in Ginza (Armani Ginza Tower 10F, 5-5-4 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061; http://www.armani-ristorante.jp/ristorante/shopinfo.html) and is open only to members of C&O and students starting at Oxford or Cambridge in the autumn of 2015, although members and new students alike are welcome to invite one guest each. Please note that we will check with the universities the bone fides of all non-C&O members who apply to attend.

If you would like to attend this event, please contact Tim Minton (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org) by Thursday, September 10.

Attendance fee: 6,000 yen, inclusive (payable in advance by bank transfer; account details will be sent to those who sign up; full charge for no-shows and anyone who cancels after the deadline [Sept. 10])

Dress code: smart casual

Join us for a seated dinner at the International House of Japan with a cappella entertainment provided by the Oxford Gargoyles. The dinner will be held in the Kabayama Room, which is the one we use for our Christmas Parties.

This event has been organised jointly with the Japan-British Society.

Attendance fees: members 9,000 yen, guests 10,000 yen

If you would like to attend this event, please contact Tim Minton (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org) by June 26.

The Triennial General Meeting will be chaired by our President, Mr Tim Hitchens. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and is likely to last 30 or 40 minutes. It will be followed by a seated dinner starting around 7 o’clock, the cost of which will be subsidised by the Society for those who attend the GM. Drinks will be served in the interim. This event is for members only.

Members who would like to attend this event should contact Tim Minton (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org) by Friday, 19th June. Members may, of course, attend the General Meeting without attending the dinner (and without charge), but to comply with Tokyo Club’s rules we still require advance notice of intention to attend. Members may also opt to attend the dinner without attending the GM, but anyone who chooses this option will be charged the full per-person cost of the dinner.

Attendance fees (to be paid in advance; account details will be sent to those attending): GM only: 0 yen, GM + Dinner: 5,000 yen, Dinner only: 8,000 yen
No-show/late cancellation charges will be 8,000 yen (except for those who sign up for the GM only).

The list for this event is full, but members may still register for places on the waiting list.

Our annual Early Summer Party will be hosted by C&O President and British Ambassador to Japan Mr Tim Hitchens.

Dress code: Lounge suits

Attendance fees: 9,000 yen for members, 12,000 yen for guests
Payment is required in advance; the Society’s bank account details will be sent to those who apply; those who cancel after the deadline (14th May) will be charged the full attendance fee (12,000 yen) unless their places can be passed on.

If you wish to attend this key event in the Society’s calendar, please apply to Tim Minton (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org) by Thursday, 14th May. Please supply the following information:
Your full name in both romaji and kanji (if applicable)
Your university/college
The full name of your guest (in both romaji and kanji) if you intend to bring one; please also state the sex of your guest if it is not completely obvious from his/her name (this information is required for insurance purposes).

In principle only one guest per member is allowed, although this rule is waived in the case of family members.

We are delighted to welcome Professor Susan J. Smith, Mistress of Girton College Cambridge, to a five-course seated dinner at The Tokyo Club. Professor Smith has kindly agreed to speak after dinner.

As usual, the one-guest-per-member rule applies, but please remember that we are happy to waive this rule for those who wish to invite more than one family member (we cannot accommodate children under 18, however).

Members who would like to attend this event should let Tim Minton know (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org) by 3 p.m. on Friday, April 10th.

Dress code: jacket and tie (required by Tokyo Club rules)

Attendance fee: 8,000 yen (Payment is required in advance; account details will be sent to those who apply to attend. Those who cancel after the deadline [April 10th] or fail to show up will not be refunded.)

Now well into the second century since the historic founding of The Cambridge & Oxford Society, Tokyo, on the evening of Saturday 28th March, over 130 members and guests gathered at Hotel Okura for the Society’s 110th Anniversary Dinner celebration.

As at the previous dinners for the Society’s 100th Anniversary and Cambridge University 900th Anniversary, we were again honoured by the presence of HIH Princess Takamado (Girton, Cambridge 1972).

The setting for this special evening was the splendid Akebono-no-Ma in the Okura main building, followed by after-dinner drinks in the Baron Okura private wine bar, discreetly located on the top floor of the South Wing.

Festivities opened with a cocktail reception, with diners attired in black tie or evening dress getting into the spirit of the evening to the accompaniment of live jazz music expertly played by students from Keio University Medical School.

As we sat down to dinner, Tim Minton (St. John’s, Cambridge 1977), Honorary Secretary of the Society, opened the formal proceedings by reading out congratulatory messages received from the Vice-Chancellors of the two Universities.

Senior member, Masaji Takahashi (Jesus, Cambridge 1961) then proposed a toast to the continued prosperity of the Society and good health of all in attendance and dinner was served. Amidst lively conversation, diners enjoyed an excellent five-course meal and fine wines from Hotel Okura’s cellars.

As the dinner drew to a close, we were then treated to two excellent speeches. Firstly, Princess Takamado recalled her happy times at Girton College and her conversations years later with her daughter as to how much her experience at Cambridge had meant to her. Then, Julia Longbottom (Cambridge 1982), Minister (Deputy Head of Mission), British Embassy Tokyo, inspired memories all around the room of our own university days as she spoke of her experience in going up to Cambridge and finding her own place in the social whirl that sweeps up all new arrivals.

We look forward to welcoming many members to this special event at Hotel Okura in March. Members are welcome to invite one guest each.

Reception desk opens at 17:30
Aperitifs, Akebono-no-ma (18:00 - 19:00)
Seated full-course dinner, Akebono-no-ma (19:00 - 21:00)
Dancing, Akebono-no-ma (21:00 - 21:40)
Cheese, wine and brandy, Baron Okura (22:00 – midnight)

Dress code: black tie
Attendance fees:
Aperitifs & dinner (and dancing) only: 12,000 yen (members), 15,000 yen (guests)
Aperitifs, dinner & after-dinner drinks: 17,000 yen (members), 20,000 yen (guests)

Members who would like to attend should let Tim Minton know by March 21st (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org), making it clear whether they (and their guests) wish to attend only the first part of the evening or the full event.

Full payment is required in advance; the Society’s bank account details will be sent to those who apply; no refunds for late cancellers or no-shows, who will in addition be asked to repay the substantial subsidy provided by the Society on their behalf.

March/April Spring Golf Tournament

This will be our second visit to Kojunsha, a private club founded in 1880 by Yukichi Fukuzawa. Our event will be held in the Chu-Shokudo. Kojunsha is located in Ginza 6-chome; directions will be sent to those who sign up. Members are welcome to invite one guest each (more than one in the case of family members).

Attendance fee: 7,500 yen (payable in advance)
Dress code: jacket and tie
If you would like to attend this event, please contact Tim Minton by Friday, February 20th (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org).

Our Christmas Party will be held as usual in the Kabayama Room (樺山ルーム).

If you would like to attend this event, please apply to Tim Minton (t.minton[at]camford[dot]org) by Friday, December 12th. Members are welcome to invite one guest each.

Dress code: as you like (within reason)
Attendance fee: 8,000 yen
Payment is required in advance; account details will be sent to those who apply to attend.