I used to presume that Brits at Lunch was just a boozy excuse to shorten Fridays, attended by nostalgic expats getting misty eyed over their green and pleasant land, accompanied by chicken tikka masala and spotted dick with lashings of custard. Sorry, I was wrong.
Next month, BCCJ ACUMEN will feature the remarkable tale of 10 MAMIL (middle-aged men in lycra) from this group, who are currently training to pedal about 300km between Tokyo and Fukushima Prefecture over three days in April, to raise funds for the quake-hit residents of Minamisoma.
Thanks to this monthly noon gathering—in pubs and restaurants around Tokyo, and often featured in our Community pages—the idea came from idle chat about how to help survivors still affected by the worst natural disaster to strike Japan in living memory.
For safety and logistical reasons, no more cyclists can join the group. However, a warm welcome is waiting for sponsors to join them in spirit, if not body, and help raise the ¥1mn-plus they are targeting.
More details:
www.tokyobrits.com
Bible for Boardrooms
I have almost finished reading Michael Woodford’s book, Exposure, a sensational personal memoir of events surrounding this selfless Liverpudlian, who spilled the beans at the subsequently disgraced Olympus Corporation.
As the first (and maybe last) Westerner to ascend the hierarchy of a top Japanese firm and the first chief executive of a multinational to blow the whistle on his own board, Woodford reveals the intrigue, ethics, backstabbing, sacrifice and courage central to the scandal. The book’s sleazy plot exposes the dark underbelly of big business.
We will soon review and give away a copy or two of this inspirational book that ought to be the bible for all business leaders. Should you be interested, please keep an eye on our regular books column (page 50), by Ian de Stains OBE.
Books for Smiles: A Challenge
Last month Custom Media, publishers of ACUMEN, amassed 54 titles for the BCCJ Social Responsibility Taskforce’s Books for Smiles project in a week-long, in-house drive to raise funds for those leaving care to enter vocational schools. Helped by Bridge for Smile and Value Books, our staff and library donated novels, biographies and titles on business, finance, law, marketing, IT, art and design to be sold on Amazon.com. We’ll let you know how much cash our effort raised.
Think your firm can beat us?
Contact Yayoi Sogo: info@bccjapan.com