Special thanks to all the TAC members who have been working on the new satellite branch in Nihonbashi. It’s great for Mitsui and great for TAC members to have this new facility. Nihonbashi will gain it’s own new members, but core members from Azabudai will be able to seamlessly use both clubs.
Ginger Griggs, Jim Fink, Sam Rogan, and all the TAC staff that have made the effort to set up the new site… We love you!
They’ve done extra work as the opening was extended from 2020 to sometime before 1 April 2021 is the goal.
Back in 2010, MABT started with 30+ TAC members concerned about the way the TAC was being managed and changing stories about the finances (sounds like some government budgets somewhere..). In 2020, MABT reunited as members wanted to promote transparency from the board of governors, committees, and club management after the club was shut down by two board members locking members out. Members spoke up and have been actively connecting and discussing the issues on this website and in social media groups.
We’re happy, we’re positive, and we’re TAC members. We all ‘own’ the club and we all have to be accountable to each other regarding information and decisions. There is still a lot of ‘gray’ in how the club is governed and we all want to MAKE A BETTER TAC. Members still need a voice.
We are please to announce that we decided to rebrand our TAC members group to be supporting members group for the board of governors, TAC employees, but most importantly to voice the common needs of dues paying members. Effective immediately, MABT becomes
ABTAC or A Better Tokyo American Club. ABTAC will continue to host member discussions here on www.abetteramericanclub.com
Suggestions? Let us know how we can enhance this wonderful international community in the center of Tokyo. Remember we’re TAC members, we’re professional, and we’re always positive. More on our site policies here.
Email from new Mike…apparently installed by the old Mike. (Typos corrected in message)
Keeping Your Club Safe: Traders’ and Vista Hours
Dear Member,
Earlier this week, the Tokyo government requested restaurants serving alcohol to shorten their hours in an effort to contain the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the capital.
The Board of Governors has decided to comply with the request and will introduce an earlier closing time at Traders’ Bar and Vista from November 27 to December 17.
Both venues will close at 10pm instead of 11pm on weekdays. To help lessen the impact to Members, last orders for both food (selected menu items) and drinks will be 30 minutes before closure and Happy Hour will be extended by 30 minutes to finish at 7:30pm on weekdays.
Thank you for your understanding as we continue to do our part to keep our community and that of the wider Tokyo population safe.
Michael Benner Representative Governor Tokyo American Club
As we all know, 2020 has been a difficult year for the Club and our Members, but it’s been even more so for our employees. Not only have they been affected by the business reductions within the Club, their year-end discretionary performance bonus scheme for 2020 has been eliminated. Yet, without them, not only would we not have been able to reopen the Club, it is their efforts that keeps the Club safe for the Members. In fact, they are a big part of the Club experience and are what makes the Club great. And they do this while risking their own health and that of their families, without complaint or additional consideration. For us, the Members.
So why don’t we Members do something special for the employees this holiday season?
Starting next month, with the support of the Board of Governors, we will initiate a special drive for Members to express their appreciation for our employees. The Board has authorized an employee bonus fund-raising drive to offset the loss of the 2020 employee discretionary performance bonus (click here for some FAQs), and we will also be coordinating a number of other employee appreciation initiatives in expressing our thanks. More details will follow, but our employees are the heartbeat of the Club and have been unwavering in their support of the Club and us Members, so let’s show our employees that we consider them an important part of our community!
In the meantime, the next time you see an employee doing something around the Club for the benefit of Members, let them know that you appreciate their efforts. A simple thank you, or even remembering their name, can go a long way. Small gestures matter.
The new Tokyo American Club Nihonbashi is coming together. It won’t be as massive as the Azabudai property but is a smart move by Mitsui Fudosan to bring an international flavor to Nihonbashi area.
After the dust settled last night, TAC has new leadership, sort of, because it’s the same leadership we had for the past 4 years. The members have what they voted for, sort of, given that two of the American candidates who appeared to have a large amount of support were nixed from the election before they could do any damage to the status quo by getting, well, elected. At least the Board & the Nominating Committee protected the status quo though, which has gotten us to where we are right now. It would be good to get feedback from the Nominating Committee to hear their reaction to not having one of their American candidates get elected to the Board. You can’t count incumbents, unless you’re desperately seeking validation.
The Who?
A Curious Choice
The new Representative Governor is a curious choice. He’s clearly had his eyes on the ‘top spot’ for years. Great for people who want to volunteer, have the time to do so & then make the commitment. But the choice is….underwhelming….most likely due to the lack of choice amongst the Board. If there were ever a place for change in Governance at the Club, one would imagine that giving the Representative Governor free reign to choose the Committee Chairs, including the Nominating Committee chair (the group who puts the slate of candidates together) needs to change. Has there necessarily been collusion or something nefarious at work to maintain the ‘wa’ of the Board? Maybe not. But given the events of the past few years around who has headed committees, who has made the slate, who has not headed committees & who has not made the slate (the latter two much more important to focus on) a clear pattern emerges.
Always There For ‘You’…
The good news is that the new Representative Governor is always at the Club. Literally, he is always there. If you ever have a question or issue you have a very high chance of finding him in the Club. Any day of any week of any month of the year. In the past, once others have reached the pinnacle of the TAC volunteer experience, they’ve spent less & less time at the Club (e.g. the last 4 years). It is understandable.
The volunteer position is not one to be taken lightly. The number of complaints, feedback from ‘experts’ & a complete lack of understanding around how the Club works from a small number of members (80-20 rule in full effect) is truly astounding. The only way to head this off is to be as open as possible, give people their 15-20 minutes, & hopefully they’ll get bored & move on. Or, on the odd occasion, have an idea that can be implemented. Many, however, still have not moved on.
As such, perhaps we will see the new Representative Governor act more in accordance with how the Club was designed & not use it as his personal office. TAC used to interview potential members at their offices. It might be time to look at that policy again. Membership dues do not equal using TAC as a serviced office.
A curious choice indeed.
It has not been confirmed but it is quite likely that the successful candidates for the Board are announced in order of the number of votes received. It certainly isn’t (or wasn’t) alphabetical, given that the new Representative Governor was announced last & his last name would put him very early in the list if that were the case. Given that, is it possible that by nixing the two American candidates the powers that be cleared the path for not only the new Representative Governor to make the Board, & alas, become the new Representative Governor? It couldn’t be!
We are a social club, as we are told, when we are being told to behave. But when the elected leadership needs to get something done, electioneering, decorum & following the rules somehow seem to become optional. If you are of the opinion that the propaganda from the GMO (the vote on the loan, the ‘preferred’ candidates for the Board, etc), does not constitute electioneering then we have a bridge we’d like to sell you.
Anyway, onwards & upwards.
At the end of the day there is only one TAC. There is only one place that does what TAC does & let’s people come together the way that we do. At times such as this it is good to remember that the elected leaders are members, just like the rest of us. There is no President, it is not his company, it is not the Board’s company. In fact, there is no company. There is a Club that we all belong to, no one’s opinion is any more valid than anyone else’s. We have somehow clearly lost sight of these facts. Like many of us I had high hopes for the election yesterday. Unfortunately if your new puppy pees in your house, no matter how many times you rub his face in it he will not learn that he’s supposed to pee outside. Did the 4,000 puppies just have their faces rubbed in their own pee? Time will tell.
The ‘change agents’ among member candidates we had hope for didn’t do so well in this election. Three of the MABT 10-member recommended candidates were disqualified for electioneering. Did they ‘electioneer’? Two of them dispute that, but with them off the slate, the chances of good change may have went out the window before the vote. What members were ‘elected’? The list is here. We’ll paste the list below.
Elected Governors American Citizens Michael Benner Trista Bridges Bivens Sam Rogan Dean R Rogers Christina Siegel
Japanese Citizens Tetsutaro Muraki
Other Nationalities Anthony Moore
Statutory Auditor Koichi Komoda
The biggest disappointment was the new representative governor. Bred in the land Alfantia (more on that here), where member lockouts are considered normal, the new RG is not exactly popular with members, or in this case club employees either. He follows his own rules as one of our team documented here. The club is his home office, you’ll always see him around. Will he attempt a third vote on the same rejected loan? We’ll soon find out. However, the most important thing for the board is this. Please make the club fun again so we don’t lose any more members or the magic of what brought us all here in the first place.
With COVID, it’s been a tough year for many businesses. The Tokyo American Club is not considered a business, but in fact it does have a P&L (profit and loss) to report. Sometimes, budgets get shifted around to hide funds and the committee system slows things down. But all in all, TAC members have been happy with what they are paying for…
Unfortunately, many active members believe that closing the club for 2 months was a huge mistake by the current board of governors/representative governor. Members had no say in the matter other than pay their monthly membership and bear it. Coming back to the TAC hasn’t been a great experience for both members and employees of the club. Questionable decisions have continued.. This begs the question,
Where’s the fun of being an American Club Member gone? American club members are classy We’ve got a great facility and location TAC gives us a connection to our community
Believe or not, there is better food outside of the club. TAC members are there for the social side.
What do you miss about TAC? What will bring back the benefit of being a TAC member?
