Japan appoints Masako Ono Cultural Ambassador of Tokyo

NEW DELHI: With numerous awards and accolades to her credit, Masako Ono (小野 雅子 Ono Masako), the Odissi dancer of Japanese origin and now living in India for 23 years has done India proud yet again.

Japan has appointed Masako Ono as the Ambassador of Tokyo for promoting art, culture, and tourism between the two countries.

Not so frequent on social-media platform facebook, Masako Ono wrote on her facebook page on Tuesday night, “Now I am officially the Ambassador of Tokyo City tourist promotion department…. Welcome to TOKYO.”

Having performed for the events in the presence of former Prime Minister of Japan, Junichiro Koizumi, she has also performed for both the prime ministers of India and Japan, Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe in Varanasi in 2015.

With 4897 friends on this social networking site, Ono also attached the Certificate of Appointment issued by  Akito Tadokoro, Director,  Tourist Promotion Department, Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Masako Ono her immediate plan to promote tourism is ready.

“My first official work would take off from Chennai in the first week of February when we will connect Indian travel companies to Tokyo Tourism promotion department officials. A  celebrity from Chennai and I together would be delivering a talk show on Tokyo, Japan followed by Q & A session and individual guidance by TOKYO Tourism department,” Masako Ono told Asian Community News (ACN) Network.

As soon as Masako posted this information on her social media pages, she started to get swarmed by congratulatory comments from her fans from India as well as across the world including Japan.

Living in India since 1996, Masako Ono is the resident of Bhubaneshwar now where she got married to Manas Das, a native of Odisha.

In May, she had led an Odissi dance troupe to Japan to perform Indian classical dance at the National Theatre, Tokyo on May 25.

It was for the first time ever in the history of Japan that country’s iconic theatre where events related to Japanese Emperors, Prime Ministers and others of high repute happen, hosted Indian classical dance performance. And it was a sold-out show.

Also read: Masako Ono does India proud, to perform Odissi dance at Japan’s National Theatre