
Have you ever heard of Buena Vista Social Club? This name became famous thanks to an album created in 1997, born out of a session between American musician Ry Cooder and a group of elderly Cuban musicians who were previously unknown outside of Cuba. In 1999, a documentary film was produced, capturing their story. These Cuban musicians were active from the pre-war period through the 1940s at Cuba’s live music venue, the Buena Vista Social Club. Following the establishment of the socialist regime in 1959, Cuba became isolated from the United States, and these musicians continued their craft in secrecy.

The final scene of this documentary-like film is particularly moving, showcasing their tour to New York, where they performed live at Carnegie Hall to great acclaim, bringing tears to the eyes of the audience. The film’s opening is equally striking, featuring Ry Cooder riding a motorcycle along the seemingly desolate Havana coastline. This scene vividly captures a city frozen in time.
Although Cuba had been described as the world’s only successful self-sustaining socialist country, free from Western ties, the streets of Havana appeared to have time-traveled back to the 1940s, sending shivers down my spine. Surrounding Ry Cooder as he stopped his motorcycle were classic American cars—Dodge, Chevrolet, Ford, Cadillac—all with large bodies and powerful engines typical of cars from the 1960s or earlier. Astonishingly, these cars were still operational, serving as the daily transportation for the Cuban people.
Fast forward to around 2008, when I attended an international conference for my previous multinational employer in Greece. To my surprise, on the outskirts of a Greek downtown area, I saw abandoned American cars, similar to those still in use in Cuba, left by the roadside as junk. I couldn’t discern how such large cars had found their way into Greek streets in such numbers, but it was fascinating to observe the stark differences in how time had shaped the destinies of these vehicles over the past 50–60 years in different countries.

Mr. Hisashi Iwase
Life Science Innovation Advisor at the Japan Analytical Instruments Manufacturers’ Association (JAIMA),
and President & CEO of BioDiscovery Inc. Born in 1951, Tokyo.
Graduated from the Department of Industrial Chemistry, College of Science and Technology, Nihon University.
Mr. Iwase’s extensive career in managing and marketing analytical and bioscience instruments includes
positions at Merck Japan, Waters Japan, Millipore Japan, PerSeptive Biosystems Japan, Applied Biosystems,
Varian Technologies, and Agilent Technologies. In 2001, he established BioDiscovery Inc., and since 2013,
he has served as a Life Science Innovation Advisor for JAIMA.