A bit of Japan in Gujarat

The Land of the Rising Sun has been slowly but ceaselessly casting its affect in and around Ahmedabad, building up an financial and cultural presence via big-ticket investments and projects. The good fortune of the primary Japanese Industrial Park at Mandal has resulted in a second challenge at Khoraj, and a slew of investments from Japanese industrial giants. With the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro challenge and the Ahmedabad-Mumbai High Speed Rail challenge (bullet teach) firmly heading in the right direction, the cultural affect of Japan may be being felt within the city.
While the binds between the 2 nations began formally with Japan-India diplomatic members of the family first being established in 1952, the tempo of Japanese funding in India, in particular in Gujarat, has risen considerably during the last decade. Ahmedabad is now home to around 200 Japanese nationals.



Raining investments

Japanese firms have made big-ticket investments here. Apart from iconic infrastructure projects, a number of automotive and technology giants have set foot within the state. "Investments worth at least Rs 10,000 crore have been made by Japanese companies. With big-ticket investments, direct as well as indirect employment from allied industries is generated. Moreover, Japanese firms bring in technology, which will help the overall growth of industries here," mentioned D Thara, vice-chairman and managing director, Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC). Hiroyuki Kitamura, director of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Gujarat, mentioned, "Several companies have invested here and we’re encouraging more to invest in the second Japan Industrial Park. We hope that there is adequate social infrastructure support, including schools, hospitals and road and transport connectivity near industrial clusters, so that more people from Japan can come in and live here with their families."

More takers for Japanese

The first step to realizing a rustic’s tradition is to familiarize oneself with its language. When the primary Japanese language categories began in Ahmedabad in 2009-10, merely 52 scholars took hobby. Currently, the number has grown to more than 500. "As Japanese firms began setting up operations in Ahmedabad and Gujarat, hobby within the Japanese language grew amongst pros. The choice of scholars

enrolling in novice’s and complex Japanese categories have doubled over time," mentioned Mukund Patel, leader officer, Japan Information and Study Centre in Ahmedabad, which has two language lecturers from Japan.

From sushi to bento bins


Sushi, Tempura, Tamagoyaki or Oyakodon are dishes that had been once difficult to seek out on menus even at Ahmedabad’s best eating places and hotels. Not anymore. To cater to the expanding influx of Japanese industry delegates in addition to the ones residing here, hotels have been importing particular ingredients and meat. "Delegates from Japan account for a major chunk of guests at our hotel. This encouraged us to start offering bento boxes, which are typical Japanese takeaway boxes, to our guests. Today, we have a specialized Japanese kitchen and a wide range of cuisine on offer," mentioned Sanjay Kaushik, a hotelier from Ahmedabad. The call for for Japanese meals grew with more Japanese other people coming to Gujarat. Hotel chains that began operations lately have been serving firms too. "From the time we began, we started serving bento boxes, which go to some Japanese automobile companies around Ahmedabad. We’ve been supplying roughly 500-600 boxes every month," mentioned Vishwapreet Singh Cheema, any other city hotelier.


Growing cultural hobby and alternate


Gujarat University’s academic alternate programme with a Japanese college in 1970-71 was step one to inspire academic alternate between scholars of the 2 nations. In 1975, this grew stronger with the root of the Indo-Japan Friendship Association (IJFA), Gujarat, which made consistent efforts to advertise Japanese tradition and language in Ahmedabad. Mukesh Patel, president of IJFA Gujarat, mentioned, "A major milestone came when Japan agreed to be a partner country at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) 2009. That’s when we launched Japan festivals in a completely new avatar, which presented several cultural aspects of Japan, including its fine arts and performing arts." Today, the Japanese Association of Ahmedabad (JAA) is administered by means of a group of Japanese nationals. A opposite cultural alternate additionally came about, as they adapted, to an extent, to the local way of life. "It is always a feeling of warmth to be among Indians who treat me like a family member. I enjoy life here, be it mangoes in summer or the historic buildings in the old city. I’ve participated in a few activities of the JAA, as it is a remembrance of my own culture, especially cooking Japanese food," mentioned Sayaka Homma, a commercial supervisor at a Japanese corporate who lives in Ahmedabad.


A bit of Japan in Gujarat A bit of Japan in Gujarat Reviewed by Kailash on May 27, 2018 Rating: 5
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