Bill Hersey’s Partyline December 1982

Well, it’s that time again, and thanks to our many friends out there I think this year’s special looks better than ever. Since many of you will be leaving for the holidays in the next week or so, before our Dec. 24 issue, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe holiday season with your family and friends

Jun Ashida fashion show: Chic & Exciting

My next stop was the Jun Ashida Building where the talented and popular designer was showing his 1983 Spring and Summer Collection. The collection titled “Double Life.” The Designer started off with something new for Jun . . . a very colorful line of fun tennis and golf wear. His street dresses and  suits were, as always, wearable elegance at its best. The man really knows what he’s doing.

The evening wear sometimes got a little frilly for me, but then again not who he’s designing for, and some of his best clients like and look good in this. The crowd was a mixture of familiar faces from the diplomatic corps, and the business, social and entertainment worlds.

Immediately after the show, there was a beautiful, bountiful and delicious buffet. In addition to showing some of the best and most original fashion around, Jun’s shows have really become social events.

San Francisco Mayor here with California delegation

Then there was the reception with visiting San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein and the California Delegation at the Tokyo Hilton. The Pink “Pearl Ballroom was wall-to-, all people from the travel Wand tourism worlds, and the representatives of various hotels, convention centers, etc. from California were kept busy passing out P.R. info and talking about their facilities to the men who move the travelers from Japan to the USA.

Thanks to Jean Spaulding I ended up with a great yellow and blue Los Angeles beach-towel and pillow to take on my trip to Bali. Mayor Feinstein and the delegation were very busy in the Far East and left a fine impression wherever they traveled. Let’s hope it pays off in some business investment and added tourist travel to that part of the good old USA.

Grace Jones in Tokyo for Seiko

Disco Diva Grace Jones was in town, had a press conference at the Crystal Room and spent her few free evenings getting down to boogie at the Tau-bald Ball and the Lexington Queen in Roppongi. This fabulous lady was here for some commercials for Seiko and to promote her new Polystar recording. Right, she puts the squeeze on Akira Sakata, who wrote the music of the CM. Left: she poses with Akio Onodera, managing director of Polystar.

Katsu Shintaro’s fantastic birthday party at the Hilton

One of the highlights for me during this month was an invitation to the 50th birthday of actor-singer Shintaro Katsu. The party — a dinner-show — was held in the Hilton’s Pearl Ballroom and the huge room was wall-to-wall people. The guest list — nearly 600 people — included almost every major figure in Japan’s entertainment world who all came to wish Katsu a happy birthday and pay their respects to a man who is known for “never giving up.” Katsu — also known for his extravagance — always entertained lavishly and tipped genersouly — and subsequently had to file for bankruptcy when his production company — Katsu Pro — was suffering last year. I

‘ve seen him around Roppongi for years — and he drank and dined on only the very best — and invariably invited all his friends to join him. His ability to bounce back seems to be a part of his life; he recently launched a new career as a singer and seems to be doing quite well again. To no one’s surprise.

I had the privilege of sitting with Izumi Yukirnura (I was the only non-Japanese person at the party) and she patiently translated some of the patter and gags going on all night. Her infectious laugh and bubbling personality helped make it even more of a special evening. (Incidentally, I’d like to con-gratulate Izumi for winning the Japan Arts Festival Award for Excellence for her planning and performance in “Tabitate Onnatachi” (“I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road”).

When Shintaro got on stage, he thanked everyone for coming — and noted that he owed money to most of the people there. From that point, he had the audience in stitches — and in his hand. Veteran actor Hisaya (“Fiddler on the Roof”) Morishige joined Katsu on stage and they had the all-Japanese audience rolling in the aisles. Yujiro Ishihara joined the birthday boy for a song, and Toshiro Mifune — usually quite somber and refined — seems to enjoy being the victim of some of Katsu’s ribald gags.

After all this, Katsu gave a concert featuring Japanese and English songs; he received a standing ovation when the theme music from “Zatoichi,” the film and TV series in which he starred as a blind swordsman, came up.

At the end of the pro-gram, he introduced his wife, actress Tamao Nakamura, “the president of my new company Katsu Promotion.” It was a marvelous evening with an extraordinary man who really does do things — as the final song in his concert said —”His Way.” We wish him our very best.

Hilton Hotels Corp. executives visit Tokyo for party

On Dec. 2, Hilton Hotels Corporation celebrated the 20th anniversary of their offices here in Tokyo. To celebrate the occasion HHC Senior Vice President Marketing James Collins and Director of Leisure Marketing Robert Moore flew in from the States and joined their man in Japan, Yoshio Okamoto, in hosting a reception in the Tokyo Hilton’s Pearl Ballroom.

“The people here are travel agents, journalists, clients . . . all good friends,” Okamoto-san told me. 1 enjoyed meeting and talking with several people from Korea, and was invited “to come over and check the progress and development going on there.” Hopefully, I’ll have time this spring to take them up on that. It was a nice evening with interesting people and a superb buffet, perfect for the occasion. Our sincerest con-gratulations to HHC.