The Tokyo American Club opened at its temporary new location in Takanawa last month. The club will occupy its new facilities until late 2010 while its permanent site at Azabudai undergoes a complete redevelopment.

The club, which was established in 1928, has approximately 3,700 members from 52 countries. The Takanawa site was formally a company dormitory of developer Mitsubishi Estate. After the Tokyo American Club relocates back to Azabudai in 2010, the Takanawa facilities will be demolished.

The transition has been a hectic time for Michael Bumgardner who has been club general manager since 2002. Born in Washington DC, Bumgardner was in South Korea working for the U.S. military doing MWR (morale, welfare and recreation) at 400 facilities throughout the country. He came to Japan to work at the Tokyo American Club in 1994.

Japan Today editor Chris Betros visits the club to see how everything is going.

What does the GM of the Tokyo American Club do?

It is a little bit like a hotel GM, but with a difference. Unlike a hotel, all the members are owners, so I guess I have about 3,700 owners. The club has a board of governors who are voted in by and representing the greater membership, rather than the directors who are senior managers within the club and who are employees. The board sets policy, whereas the management is responsible for implementing the policy and for the day-to-day running of the club operations.

How did the move go from Azabudai to Takanawa?

It was hectic but went well. It was 2-3 weeks of solid effort. The planning started months in advance.

Tell us about the Takanawa facility.

It is truly a tribute to Japanese construction design. This is not a cookie cutter facility. It is custom designed with every floor and room different, and they built it from start to finish in seven months. It has an area of about 10,000 square meters. We’re right next door to the historic home of Mitsubishi’s founder which is a landmark. We actually had to put signs at the entrance there because some of our members and visitors thought that was the American Club.

But this facility is going to be demolished when you move back to Azabudai in 2010?

At first, everyone is surprised when they hear that. Contractually, Mitsubishi must demolish this building. There was never any question of us moving here permanently. We own the Azabudai site and it is the preferred site for the majority of members. The people who are going to be here a long time are absolutely looking forward to the new club in 2010. On the other hand, some members who are only here for two years will never see the new club.

Do the taxis know where you are now?

We contacted all the taxi companies well before the move and provided them with maps and information. The taxi association sent us a letter of appreciation because not many organizations go to the trouble of telling the taxi companies that they are moving.

Did you lose any staff in the move?

We started a staff restructuring program at the beginning of last year. It was accomplished primarily through attrition — an early retirement program. It was all voluntary.

Has there been a change in the mix of people using the club here in Takanawa?

We are seeing a lot of new faces. We have about 52 nationalities among members. What seems to be changing is the ratio of Americans to Japanese. That has to do with the economics of what it costs to station an expat in Tokyo, particularly if you are looking at expats with children. Obviously, it’s a lot further for some members to come for lunch, compared to Azabudai.

On the other hand, there are some 120 companies whose offices are in the Shinagawa-Takanawa area. For them, Azabudai was too far. And we have a lot of Japanese members who think Takanawa is a very prestigious area. We see more Japanese ladies coming to lunch.

What attracts Japanese to the club?

We think that most of the Japanese members have joined because they have had a taste of international life through traveling, work or studying at college overseas. They want to retain some of that element of international experience and they enjoy the casual atmosphere.

Do you have a concierge service for members?

Yes, a very large one. In many ways, they go beyond what hotel concierges do. They do the usual things like arranging tickets to the theater, baseball, sumo, etc, but they also get all sorts of calls from members. One might be at the vet with a pet and needs help with English, someone might be lost, others want to know where can they buy antiques or get something translated, and so on.

The club is a lifeline for new people who have never been overseas. It gives a sense of security to the family while the exec learns his job. Whereas the exec has the support base of his company, the family doesn’t. We can help them get acclimatized. We also think of it as a springboard by providing info on Japan.

Are you here every day?

The job is demanding, but I am not here seven days a week. In the old club, I lived there. By contract, I have to sample the food and see what’s going on in all the restaurants. I am also expected to go to outlets outside the club that members frequent to see what the competition is. We do surveys asking members what their top three restaurants are when they don’t eat here.

You must have heard lots of stories about the club in Azabudai, especially with the Russian embassy next door.

There are lots of jokes. They used to say that the CIA paid for our rec building. But I do remember one time when some of the kids got on the rec building roof and started throwing things into the Russian compound. Another time we had to go over and negotiate who was going to trim the trees.

I think we got more interference from Tokyo Tower than from the Russians. The radio waves interfered with car doors, walkie-talkies and cell phones. We had to change the frequency on the push button front doors.

Has anything interesting been found whenever construction was done before?

Whenever you do construction, you have to do a sort of cultural dig to see if anything of significance is buried down there. Both times that we have done construction on the Azabudai site, the contractors found old bomb shelters. We found an old toilet seat and the door to a Coca-Cola vending machine from the 1960s.

Do VIPs visit the club?

Tom Cruise came in once and played three-on-three basketball with some very surprised members. It was a last-minute thing. Ronald Reagan was scheduled to come here but when his security people found out that we were next to the Russian embassy, they canceled it. Some state governors have been here. We get a lot of people invited by ACCJ to speak at lunches or alumni groups. Condoleezza Rice attended an alumni party once.

What is the most enjoyable part of the job for you?

Meeting and talking to movers and shakers like CEOs. I learn a lot from them.

For more information on the club’s redevelopment project, visit http://www.tokyoamericanclub2010.org.

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