Events like Tokyo Mela forge stronger people-to-people ties between Japan & India: Fuminori YOKOTE
JETRO India’s Chief DG Takashi Suzuki also said there has been a surge in Japanese people's interest in India, and events like Tokyo Mela should be organized more often to increase people's connect.
NEW DELHI/GURUGRAM: Fuminori YOKOTE, Counsellor (Administration), Embassy of Japan, New Delhi has said that events like Tokyo Mela with Japanese and Indian people and commercial establishments coming together help forge stronger ties, and connecting heart of both sides.
“I hope that through the people-to-people exchange, not only diplomats and officials, but also at the individual level, and more on a commercial level, Tokyo Mela 2024 will help us forge stronger ties, connecting heart and mind of us, and launching our relations into a new height just like the Dragon aiming for the sky,” YOKOTE san said in his inaugural speech at Tokyo Mela organized at the DIA PARK Premier Hotel in Gurugram on Sunday.
An expert in Hindi language, an ardent fan of Indian culture, and supporter of India-Japan bilateral relations, YOKOTE san appreciated DIA PARK Premier Hotel for hosting Tokyo Mela. He said that 2024 is the Year of the Dragon (as per Chinese zodiac system, which most of the East Asian countries follow). He said, “People in East Asia say that in the Year of the Dragon, your luck and fortune will get improved and your energy heightened with the Dragon shooting up in the sky, bringing enormous amount of good fortune.”
Narinder Singh Punihani, Director, DIA PARK Premier Hotel that has earned the reputation of one-stop-shop for the Japanese community in the hospitality sector in India, said that the motive behind events like Tokyo Mela and Mochi Tsuki (餅つき) Festival make Japanese feel at home when away from home.
“In the past as well during the Covid-19 pandemic DIA PARK Premier was the centre of medical healthcare as we hosted Corona testing and vaccination camps in our premises for the Japanese community. It was that horrific time when most of the hotels were turning expats away, and were not allowing them admissions, DIA PARK Premier came to their rescue and opened its doors allowing Japanese people to have comfortable stay here. All of their healthcare related needs were taken care of here,” he added.
On Sunday with clear sky, Tokyo Mela witnessed mixed crowd of people from Indian and Japanese community as they enjoyed fun-filled holiday serving them opportunity of learning Japanese language & Culture, great experience of eating Japanese food with chopsticks, Japanese Cosplay, and martial art programs – KENDO (剣道)& JUDO. The team of volunteers that supported the event with their presence in various event management activities included Mayu Yokoyama from Meiji University, Hisako Sugawara from Krayman, and Noriko Nasukawa from NIHONGO Center.
The day-long Tokyo Mela 2024 with the theme “Inspire Japan Life in India” turned out to be a perfect family outing. Besides, Canon, SHARP, CASIO, Tostem, Tiger, Pigeon, Pilot, and Omron, the Mela witnessed participation of TS Tech, Delta Solutions, ASUKU India, Veena Enterprises, Alveo Dental Clinic, Bean Brew & Beyond, FORMULA GROUP, SAB, Home n Earth, Asian Community News (ACN) Network, UNICOSMOS School, Hobby Craft, KASE, URSA, Main Dish, Darkins, Jyotirgamaya, Maahikaari, DiGhent Café, and others.
Present on the occasion were Masayuki Suzuki, Managing Director, TS Tech Sun India, Yukio Takahashi, Director, Canon India, Kazumasa Matsuda, MD, Pigeon India, Shikha Mahajan, Founder & MD, Veena Enterprises, Amar Bhotika, Director – Sales & Marketing, Delta Solutions, Noriko Naskawa, Founder, Nihongo Centre Nasukawa, Ashwani Kumar, Tony The Tailor, Dr. Ramalpreet Kaur, Alveo Dental Clinic, Mohit Mahajan, ASUKU India, and others.
During the closing ceremony, JETRO India’s Chief Director General Takashi Suzuki said that he witnessed a huge jump in the interest of Japanese people in India. However, he said, events like Tokyo Mela should be organized more often to increase people-to-people exchange so that people on both side should know about their culture more. “India has around 8,000 Japanese people living here which is quite less than 5 lakh Japanese in China. Indian visitors to Japan 54,000 per year whereas Chinese visiting Japan is more than 2 lakh. As many as 1500 Indian students are currently studying in Japan but Chinese students are more than 2 lakh there. Therefore, we have to increase base of the exchange. I really think Indian people to know more about Japan, they should be more interested in Japan.”
A good number of visitors were seen clicking their photographs at the Canon booth while others took keen interest in the products being offered by Japanese and Indian stalls. The visitors enjoyed various cultural programs, quizzes on Japan, Japanese cuisine with chopsticks, Japanese language with Doraemon, and Japanese martial arts, Kendo & Judo.
Visitors also enjoyed variety of authentic Japanese food & beverages, product sales counters and also workshops on various subjects such as tasting Japanese food with chopsticks. There was a cultural program on Japan by Nihongo Center, Nasukawa. The program included Japanese quizzes with prizes, how to use chopsticks along with delicious Japanese food such as Yakitori, Tempura, and Tamagoyaki. They also enjoyed learning basic Japanese language with popular Japanese ANIME DORAEMON.
