BENGALURU: Outgoing Japanese vice-consul, Amao Mitsuhiro, talks to City Express about his first foreign posting, how he is spending his last few days in namma ooru, the lessons he takes back home to Tokyo and more
Ahead of his arrival to India three years ago, Amao Mitsuhiro, vice-consul, Consulate-General of Japan in Bengaluru, had three other choices – the United Kingdom, Italy and China – for his first foreign posting. His final decision came as a surprise to those around him. But as his term here comes to a close, Mitsuhiro is convinced he made the right choice. As a diplomat, Mitsuhiro has been involved with various activities of the consulate, including strengthening the Japanese network in the city. Now, he is packing his bags to go back to Tokyo to join the Ministry of Justice, where he worked prior to coming to Bengaluru.
“This was the first time I was living abroad and it was initially difficult for me to use a foreign language on an everyday basis. I came here when my son was three months old and when he cried in public places, restaurants or airplanes, people didn’t mind. I was impressed at how Indians around me treated us with a very tolerant and friendly attitude. To be honest, in Japan, when a child cries in public, one has to be very careful about the surroundings,” says Mitsuhiro, for whom family outings included trips within Karnataka, like Mysuru, Hampi and Madikeri.
But as expats find, nothing can prepare you enough for India, which Mitsuhiro heartily agrees with. “Compared to Japan, unexpected things would happen in an overwhelming manner on an everyday basis. But I think I enjoyed it because I was able to have a friendly relationship with people here who were tolerant,” he says, adding that this spirit towards others is a learning he takes back with him.
“In Japan, one is taught ‘to not bother others’, but in India, I have heard that one is taught that ‘because you grow up concerned about others, you have to be kind to others’. I find this very accurate,” he says. But it did take some time to get used to curious passers-by stopping him for a friendly chat. “There have been times when uncles I don’t know at cafeterias have stopped to make conversation. When I tell them that I am Japanese, their first association with the country is that it is a place with hardworking people. That’s actually a serious social problem, which the government is working to solve,” he says.
Working at the consulate was never easy and it was a series of difficult experiences, especially with the sudden announcement of the lockdown, as Mitsuhiro puts it. “The difficult part was the operation to have the Japanese nationals return to Japan during the lockdown. Since all international flights had been suspended in India, many Japanese were unable to return home. Luckily, special flights were possible,” he adds.
Speaking of which, the pandemic also played spoilsport to his own plans of riding a camel in Rajasthan, taking a train ride from Jaipur to Jaisalmer, and enjoying a quiet week in Varanasi. But Mitsuhiro is hoping it happens some day. Until then, he’s soaking in his last few days, shopping for local delicacies and relishing the jalebis he’s come to enjoy here.