Directly after the catastrophe in Japan and in the days after, for us the world stood still. Although everyone in the Netherlands was shocked by the intensity of the natural disaster and the disastrous consequences of it, the emotions where really tangible in our hotel. No wonder when you realize that more than one third of our colleagues is Japanese!

Of course they all wanted to know to what extent immediate family and friends were affected by the violence, but fortunately there seems to be none. On the day of the earthquake and the tsunami, coincidentally enough, our General Manager Mr. Van Aelst, was just on his way to Japan. He has taken the lead as much as possible in Tokyo, by calming the staff and mapping the physical damage to the hotels, which also seems to be manageable.

What we saw on television, happened in the days and weeks that followed at our hotel, the Japanese picked up normal life again and worked and lived as normal as they could in these strange circumstances.

Okura also picked up normal life, but in a special way. On Friday, the 8th of April, we host a charity evening for Japan, where we expect as many as 500 people! The event is part of the general campaign 'Holland helps Japan’, and will take place in the Grand Ballroom of Okura. The proceeds go entirely to the Red Cross. Obviously we hope the proceeds will be considerable, thanks to the auction supervised by Christie's. The main auction piece is a KLM trip to South Africa. That in itself is wonderful, but it is really special when you realize that the well-known chef Margot Janse of Le Quartier Français in Franschhoek's will pamper the winners. Her restaurant is in the top fifty best restaurants in the world for many years now. And trust me, because I know Margot very well: this is an experience you will never forget!

Moreover, all the chefs of Hotel Okura Amsterdam will do everything possible on the 8th of April to give all charity guests the ultimate treat. The chefs of our Japanese specialty restaurant Yamazato, the Main kitchen, my own Ciel Bleu Restaurant and our new Serre Restaurant will make a fabulous four course meal together. During this evening we will stand on a large open stage in the ballroom, so there will not only be the taste of the food, but there is also a lot to see and do. Because of to the great interest and the many enthusiastic registrations, all couverts have been sold out! If you wish to support the Foundation Holland Helps Japan, you can do so with a financial contribution.

We hope we can count on you. It can also us ... Onno Kokmeijer and team