BENGALURU: As a young student of sociology, Hokuto Kaya, wanted to travel the world, learn about people and cultures, and ‘live in many different countries’. Pursuing a career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan, he is now the Deputy Consul General of Japan in Bengaluru, playing an important role alongside the Consul General in fostering cultural ties between Karnataka and Japan. This happens through all the serious business of diplomacy, of course, but also by hosting beloved events like Japan Habba and the Japan Food Fest that have woven themselves into the cultural fabric of the city.
Interestingly, this is not Kaya’s first brush with Indian culture. His first stint in the country was in Allahabad, where he was ‘sent to study Hindi in 1996’, followed by working at the Embassy of Japan in New Delhi for two years, which, in all likelihood, deepened his grasp of the Hindi language. He has been surprised by the climactic serenity of Bengaluru, having been stationed here for more than a year now. He goes on to speak about the tolerance of Bengaluru to cultures outside it.
Kaya sees a political and economic strengthening of ties between Bengaluru and India as ‘truly a win-win relationship’. As Kaya understands, a political relationship is impossible without a cultural one; in his words, “I was rather surprised to find many similarities between Japanese and Indian cultures. For example, many Indian deities have been introduced to Japan as protectors of Buddhism. When I came to India 20 years ago, I was surprised at how similar the Indian god Saraswati looked to the Japanese god Benzaiten,” he says.
During his stay in India, Kaya has learnt a lot about its culture and found considerable merit in the mindset he has witnessed. “Indian people are dynamic and flexible in their thinking,” Kaya states, continuing: “I would like to emulate this and take new initiatives that are not bound by existing initiatives when I work in the Consulate General.”
While thinking of emulation in terms of Indian culture, including personally taking up yoga, Kaya has been generous enough to organise the Japan Food Fest annually. Using food as a means of cultural commingling, Kaya’s initiative saw a footfall of 1,600 people, a metric hopeful of a blossoming relationship between India and Japan.