Susan and Peter Grilli. (Courtesy photo by Richard Wolfson)

As president of the Japan Society of Boston, Bolton Road resident Peter Grilli spends his workday facilitating cross-cultural ties between Americans and Japanese in any way he can. Whether he is promoting Japanese art and culture at the Museum of Fine Arts, helping a Japanese business establish a market presence in the U.S., or simply acting as a cultural representative for both countries anywhere he finds himself in the world, Grilli has a profound belief in the positive effect the two countries can have on each other. So when Red Sox management called him last October to ask for advice in negotiating for rookie wonder-pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, Grilli said he was thrilled.

“It just fell out of heaven,” he said.

Easing Matsuzaka’s transition into life in the Hub began last October, when the team first asked Grilli for help negotiating the intricacies of Japanese etiquette as they started the process of bidding for the 26-year-old pitcher. Already a star in Japan, the Red Sox saw the potential addition of Dice-K as a twofold advantage: not only would he add strength and a unique dimension to the pitching staff with his legendary gyroball, but his presence in Boston would give legions of Japanese baseball fans new exposure to life in New England. As the Red Sox began negotiating with the Seibu Lions for the right to bid on Matsuzaka’s contract (a privilege for which the team paid an unprecedented $51.1 million), Grilli worked to ensure that the Red Sox never made the kind of cross-cultural faux pas that can unwittingly sink a deal. He was quick to credit the Red Sox team, however. “I’m so impressed with the Red Sox [organization],” he said. “They did everything right every step of the way.”

It paid off: after the Red Sox signed the pitcher to a six-year, $52 million contract—a deal Grilli called virtually unprecedented in baseball—the naming of Matsuzaka as a new member of the Red Sox started a wave of Dice-K fever in both countries. His work did not end there, however. Bringing Matsuzaka, his wife, and young daughter took a team effort that continues to this day. Grilli has been instrumental in arranging schools, housing, and any number of other cultural reference points for the young family since they arrived. In addition to Matsuzaka, he has also worked on behalf of relief pitcher Hideki Okajima and his family. He is a fan of both players, he explained, calling Okajima the team’s “secret weapon.” Although he and his wife, Susan, didn’t follow baseball closely before coming to Boston, they are now confirmed members of Red Sox Nation, he said.

Grilli is uniquely qualified to be such a liaison for the Red Sox, and in fact anyone interested in the culture and people of Japan. His father, who worked for General MacArthur in the post-war occupation government, moved his family there in 1947. When not working on government issues, his father always found time for his interest in cross-cultural music exchange, Grilli said, and it was a strong influence on his own choice of career. After leaving for college in 1959, he returned to Japan after graduation for a job he found there. “I’ve been going back and forth ever since,” he said.

Grilli has served as president of the Japan Society of Boston for the last seven years, having previously worked for the Japan Society of New York. Established in 1904—and one of the oldest organizations of its kind—the Japan Society of Boston was formed to foster cultural ties between the U.S. and Japan through art, business, education, and public policy. For Grilli, whose fascination with all things Japanese is evident in both the Asian décor of his home and in his enthusiasm for sharing his knowledge on everything from Japanese cultural traditions to raku pottery, the job is a perfect fit. “My greatest strength is cultural exchange,” he said.

The Grillis came to Harvard relatively recently, after they were captivated by both the gardens and the architecture of the home designed by Bill and Virginia Thurston. The contemporary and vaguely Asian architecture of the house provides the perfect setting for the collection of Japanese art the Grillis have amassed over their lifetime of travel, something he said struck them immediately upon entering the home for the first time. The house provides a perfect extension of his work at the Japan Society, too: as he looked out over the large patio, Grilli envisioned gathering people together to listen to Japanese music on summer evenings. The garden, which adjoins the Virginia Thurston Healing Garden, is a particularly special place for everyone, Grilli said. Although the Grilli home and the Healing Garden are two separate entities, Healing Garden clients and staff are welcome to walk anywhere in search of the many “secret gardens” scattered throughout the meticulously planned and cultivated property. It’s important for Healing Garden clients—many of whom are women suffering with breast cancer—to be in nature as much as possible, Grilli said, and although he and Susan have no formal role with the organization, they try to offer support in any way they can.

Grilli envisions a future spent right here in Harvard, he said, continuing the work that has become his life’s mission. Like Candide, he said, he doesn’t want to leave home. “I just want to spend the rest of my life in the garden.”