Newsletter for the Rotary Club of Western Endeavour - Issue No.: 859 Issue Date: 19 May, 2019

Each week we toast "Rotary International".  We are fortunate to be able to contribute to Rotary service internationally, through our international projects.  Another aspect of Rotary internationally is the opportunity for acquaintance with Rotarians from other countries.  Its as simple as doing a makeup while travelling overseas, whih is what Gaby & I did in Tokyo.

Tokyo has several Rotary Clubs, needless to say!  We were fortunate that the Tokyo Roppongi Club (http://www.tokyoroppongi-rc.jp/index.html) meets on Monday lunchtime, that fitted our itinerary.  The Club meets in the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, which is in the Roppongi Hills retail/office complex, only a short walk from our hotel.

Through the Internet & email, it was easy to make contact with Club President Ms Akiko Saito, to confirm a meeting was scheduled and that we were welcome to attend.

Notwithstanding the meeting was entirely in Japanese, it was not difficult to see the format was quite similar to our Club meetings, if a little more formal. I have attached the menu.  Food was excellent, if a little on the expensive side for a weekly lunch- 5,000 JPY each.

We sat at a table with a former ambassador to Australia, during John Howard's Prime Ministership.  He of course spoke good English.  Also on the table was Mrs Mori!  The former ambassador advised us that the Mori family own the Roppongi Hills complex. The other English speaker at our table was an American who came to Japan in the mid 60s with an American pharmaceutical company, then started his own pharmaceutical company, and has lived in Japan ever since.

Apart from the international flavour Gaby & I added, all the way from Perth, there was also a visiting Rotarian from a northern Germany Rotary Club. He was holidaying in Japan with his young family.

Finally, the guest speaker that day was their Mexican exchange student, Talia, who gave her presentation in Japanese (she has been there 8 months), and spoke English and German, as well as her native Spanish!

All of that to say, on your travels take the time & trouble to check whether there is a makeup that fits your itinerary.