Spring 2010

by WIFM
Spring 2010 Issue

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In this issue…

Weddings From Heaven

People - Pierre Gagnaire

Location, Location … LUXURY

Learning for Fun

Antiques for All

Women & Diversity

World’s First Vinegar Sommelier

Food for Kings!

Back From the Dead

Cheers to ‘Ninja’ Pottery

From the Publisher

by Simon Farrell
More for You

With two new columns and more valuable giveaways, WIFM is continuing to answer with aplomb that piercing question: What’s in it For Me? Pierre Gagnaire launches our new People column. The classy French chef with a taste for Michelin stars shares his lifestyle with us on page 17.

And for the latest on new product styles, see our other new column on page 24, Design. From shoes to watches, and camera to teapot, there are some very nice creations out there if you look — and we found some we thought you’d like. Read more »

Weddings From Heaven

by Oliver Arlow
Weddings From HeavenGetting married has never been more fun

As the happiest and most memorable day of any couple’s life, a wedding has to be just right. On this day — with friends, family and new in-laws looking on — it needs to be perfect. And as most of us only do this once (or perhaps twice …), then it is worth talking to the experts to make sure that everything goes to plan before the first note of the bridal march is played.

Brendan Jennings and Takako Yamanouchi had a very clear idea of what they wanted, combining the traditions of a Japanese ceremony with the flexibility of a karate demonstration during the reception. Read more »

Location, Location … LUXURY

by Julian Ryall
Location, Location ... LUXURYIsland of ancient forests, wild beasts and personal butlers

Until recently, the reasons for visiting Yakushima revolved around trekking into the ancient cedar forests of the island’s interior, diving, kayaking or climbing, and witnessing the ungainly loggerhead turtles emerge from the ocean to lay their eggs on Nagata Inakahama Beach. All of which are sound excuses for experiencing this World Natural Heritage Site — but the great outdoors is no longer the only reason to visit. Read more »

Learning for Fun

by Jun Igarashi
Forest Adventure Mt. FujiSchool breaks can educate, inspire and challenge children

Why not forego the predictable trip to the traditional zoo or tacky theme park this spring break and share with your children something educational, physical, creative or cultured to help them make new friends and learn communication, skills, independence and self-expression?

Odaiba’s a great place to start for science and math. Making understanding easier, quicker and more fun is the goal of ExploreScience, which showcases Sony Corporation’s latest technology. There are four zones with different themes: Sound, Light & Imaging, Theater & Workshop, and Information & Entertainment. The theater features 3D movies and documentaries such as the popular programs Arashiyama Zoo and Churaumi Aquarium now showing powerful images of beautiful animals. Read more »

Women & Diversity

by Alana Bonzi
Women & DiversityCreate opportunities and the talent will follow

Research has shown that diverse groups usually outperform homogenous ones — producing better analysis, problem solving and, generally, innovation. This is one of the key insights upon which Ernst & Young’s Groundbreakers initiative is founded. Beth Brooke, the company’s global vice-chair was in Tokyo in March to share some of the insights of the initiative. Read more »

Back From the Dead

by Simon Farrell
Triumph ThunderbirdTriumph’s “legend reborn” Thunderbird looks great and goes like stink

The first Triumph I rode was a 1960s Bonneville with an ankle-scraping kick-start and traditional oil leaks. As twilight descended on warm summer evenings in a dairy field in Somerset, southwest England, with no crash helmet or lights, I was Steve McQueen in The Great Escape, prior to his being spectacularly mangled by barbed wire as Nazis closed in.

I read sometime in the 1980s that Triumph had gone bust and thought nothing more of it until about three years ago when I saw a Triumph dealer in Mita, Minato-ku. So I bought a Speedmaster 900cc. Read more »