News
Funds for New Charities
The Club's Connections group has donated ¥6.4 million to six charities as part of its annual support of local causes.
Four of the organizations are first-time recipients of Club donations and include Kanita Women’s Village, Japan's only long-term residential shelter for women, and Nanbyo Children Support Network, which organizes counseling and activities for children with intractable diseases and disabilities and their families.
The Multicultural Center Tokyo, an educational support organization for immigrant children, has received funds for a second year.
In an issue of INTOUCH earlier this year, foreign students explained how the nonprofit is helping them overcome cultural, language and educational hurdles.
Connections' fundraising efforts and philanthropic initiatives, including annual charity drives for Tokyo's Sanyukai homeless shelter and the Salvation Army, stretch back decades.
Photo: Multicultural Center Tokyo
Connections Supports Local Children's Home
Connections helped furnish the Salvation Army's newest children’s home in Tokyo.
Opened in May, Acacia House is a group home that provides a comfortable setting for six children between the ages of 3 and 18.
Connections’ donation of ¥1 million was used to purchase furniture and appliances for the home, the second such facility to receive assistance from the group.
The Salvation Army's Colonel Stephen Morris says the aim of the home is to provide a stable environment for the children in their care.
“It is important to help them enjoy their childhood, all the while preparing them for adulthood,” he says. “Clearly this is not an easy task, but generous gifts like the one from Connections helps us provide the home-style environment that is integral to normalizing their childhood.”
Photo: (l–r) Ken Hanasaki of the Salvation Army, Connections’ Gabriele Kirschner and Marie Briganti, Colonel Stephen Morris, Colonel Wendy Morris and Connections’ Lina Raffone
Club to Release Exclusively Produced Whiskey
The Club will release its first-ever, exclusively produced American single malt whiskey on May 1.
Made by Westland Distillery in Seattle, Washington, the whiskey is the latest in a line of Club-branded beverages, which includes California wine, Niigata sake and a Shizuoka-crafted beer.
Members can sample and purchase the whiskey, which was matured for seven years in American oak and Madeira wine casks, at a tasting at The Cellar on May 1.
The whiskey is available for ¥14,000 a bottle at The Cellar and by the glass at selected Club restaurants.
Fitness Center Set for Upgrade
The Fitness Center will bolster its lineup of exercise machines in May.
On May 9, the third-floor workout hub will be closed for the installation of 12 brand-new machines from leading fitness equipment manufacturer Matrix.
The mix of four cardio and eight strength-training machines includes an S-Force Performance Trainer, designed for high-intensity interval training, a glute trainer and a fully enclosed Magnum Power Rack for safe and efficient lifting.
Writing in the May issue of INTOUCH magazine, Shinji Yamasaki, chair of the Recreation Committee, says the new equipment will help meet changing demands in the Fitness Center.
"After analyzing the center’s usage data, the Recreation Committee discovered that the weight machines are used the most (around 55 percent), followed by the cardio machines (30 percent) and the stretch area (15 percent). In fact, usage of the strength-training equipment has doubled over the last five years," he writes.
Members will be able to try out the new machines from 5:45am on May 10.
Seasonal Wines Selected
Four wine regions emerged triumphant at the recent Seasonal Wine Taste-Off.
Nearly 100 wine lovers sampled eight red wines and eight white wines before choosing their four favorites at the biannual event on April 12.
Villiera's 2020 Jasmine white blend from Stellenbosch in South Africa and a 2015 Harlow Ridge Petite Sirah from Lodi in California were selected as the two seasonal wines for May to July this year.
Meanwhile, the seasonal white and red for August to October are a 2022 Sauvignon Blanc from The Better Half in New Zealand's Marlborough region and De Bortili's 2018 Deen Master Blend from New South Wales in Australia, respectively.
The winning wines will be available in all Club restaurants.
