Bill’s Partyline June 18th, 2004
PEOPLE
Our sincerest congratulations to Jane Yonamine, President of Wally Yonamine Co., Inc., on the 41st anniversary of her pearl business. 1 dropped by the shop on the final day of the 0-day celebration, and the place was filled with friends of Wally and Jane. The many photos on the walls of the shop, some of the most famous people in the world, are all Jane’s customers and proof positive of Jane’s popularity and her business ethic of always providing the best.
We would also like to congratulate fashion designer Junko Koshino and her husband Hiroyuki Suzuki. Their son Yoriyuki and his wife Satoko live in London and are proud parents of their first son, Yuki.
PARTIES
The sixth annual Arab Charity Bazaar at the Egyptian Embassy was bigger, better and more crowded than ever. The participating ambassadors’ wives, provided a vivid kaleidoscope of colors as they moved through the crowd greeting guests, selling their countries’ handicrafts, fashion and jewelry.
It was a colorful and fun cultural and culinary experience when Thai Ambassador Kasit Piromya and his wife Chintana hosted a Song Kran festival (Thai traditional New Year) celebration in their home and garden. Guests joined the customary sprinkling of water on a Buddha likeness, and there was classic and contemporary dance. Kasit, looking festive in a bright print shirt and fashionable straw hat, went up on stage and sang. The Thai food, as always, was delicious, and it was kind of special for me, as ACTV ‘s Dan Smith and his cameraman shot the first segment of Party Line for the latest Weekender DVD. A star is born! (Just kidding.) The Piromyas have left by now and are settling in Washington, D.C., where Kasit’s been posted as Thailand’s ambassador to the U.S. The popular and active couple did a great deal to promote their country here and will be missed.
PLACES
The Park Hyatt Hotel, under the leadership of noted hotelier Malcolm Thompson, is recognized as one of the finest boutique hotels in the world. The hotel recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a huge “Triad of Feasts;’ a fashion show after-party hosted by Park Hyatt Paris Vend me in the 39th-floor foyer, a Milanese garden party hosted by Park Hyatt Milan in the 40th-floor chapel, the main dishes of the three chefs (Tokyo, Paris, Milan) in the ballroom and a “Dessert Wonderland” (like to die for) by the three hotels in the 39th-floor foyer. The first-class crowd enjoyed a relaxed, elegant evening with interesting people, good music and superb cuisine. The flower and table arrangements were some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. The Park Hyatt is a long-time favorite of international celebrities, and the health club is the favorite in Japan of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Robert De Niro and Jude Law really love the New York Grill.
Hilton Tokyo, as always in keeping with the trends, will have a Vietnamese promotion from June 30 to July 11 in the hotel’s Marble Lounge, and two guest chefs will be flown in from the Hilton Hanoi Opera to prepare their authentic Vietnamese cuisine at the Monday-to-Friday lunch buffet and the Saturday and Sunday brunch buffet.
*First published at the Tokyo Weekender
