Bill Hersey’s Partyline Column

PEOPLE I played couch potato quite a bit during the holidays, and thanks to the Uemura family (Tohoku Shinsha, National Supermarkets), I…

PEOPLE Many friends traveled over the holidays include Lilo Maruyama, her husband Mitsuo, and her sons Helge and Thomas. They celebrated Helge’s birthday in…

PEOPLE NICK MASEE’S ANNUAL CHARITY BARBECUE I’ve known Nick Masee, managing director of Asian Tigers Mobility Japan for a long time and…

PEOPLE The city’s fashion calendar has been lively. Vogue had their annual fashion night on Omotesando and Mercedes Benz had many events…

PEOPLE U.S. CULTURAL ATTACHE RICHARD MEPS SAYONARA AT THE CANADIAN EMBASSY As it was with Christian and Helene Masset, it’s never easy…

PEOPLE DR. EUGENE AKSENOFF, 1924-2014 I also wanted to say a sad farewell to a medical man who has done so much…

PEOPLE A big welcome to the new Brazilian Ambassador Andre Correa Do Lago and his dynamic wife Beatrice. They’re a very tall…

Thanks to the busy promoters at Kyodo Tokyo, whose artists include the Rolling Stones and Paul McCarthy, I met the rising star…

PEOPLE Years ago, I used to hang out with world-renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa, but I hadn’t seen him for a long time….

PEOPLE Moving on, I’d like to thank a lot of really good people for their hospital visits and support. These included a…

PEOPLE Nobody likes health problems, but let’s face it. They’re all a part of life. Needless to say, I’ve had my share…

PEOPLE Paramount brought in director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio to promote The Wolf of Wall Street and Warner Brothers had…

PEOPLE GRAND HYATT’S SAYONARA CHRISTOPHE, WELCOME ANTONIOThe most rewarding thing about writing this column is getting to meet and know so many…

PEOPLE Ran into Indonesian Ambassador Muhammad Lufti and his Austrian wife, Bianca, in the Ritz Carlton Hotel lobby recently and was really…

PEOPLE Min-On Brings Cuba to Japan “Oops They Did It Again.” As I mentioned before, Soka Gakkai’s Min-On concert association is a…

PEOPLE After 8 years in Japan, British Air’s Vishal Sinha and his family have relocated to New Delhi where he’ll continue as…

PEOPLE Infinity Memorial for Kazuo Ogawa On May 1st, 2011, so many of us lost a wonderful friend, world renowned jewelry designer…

PEOPLE It was really great seeing beautiful and dynamic Australian model Miranda Kerr, who took time out of her almost non-stop working…

PEOPLE Forum for Sarah Brightman’s “Dreamchaser” concert tour. Her ex-husband Andrew Lloyd Webber (Evita, Phantom of the Opera, etc.) is right on…

PEOPLE Paramount’s GI Joe PromotionKorean Superstar Byung-Hun Lee was in Japan with top Korean Director John M. Chu to promote the SF/Martial…

PEOPLE Toko Shinoda’s 100th birthday celebrations Toko Shinoda, Japan’s Grande Dame of beautiful Abstract Expressionism was honored with two gatherings last month…