Chennai, home to vibrant beaches, art and cultural getaways, industries, and some delectable food has been a city full of wonder and amazement for its people. The world-class tech parks, SEZs, and ports placed strategically in and around the city made it easy for businesses to set up their base here. With such infrastructure abundance, it will not come as a surprise that close to 500 Japanese companies have their base in Chennai along with the ex-pat business community and their families calling the city their home.
In an effort to bring the two communities closer and to give the locals a flavor of their traditions and culture, the Consulate General of Japan has been organizing celebrations of Japanese festivals, conducting workshops and art expos including photography, Manga, film festivals, and much more.
Japanese Language Schools such as ABK AOTS Dosokai also go the extra mile to conduct workshops on films, bonsai, origami, and much more to help their students get a first-hand experience of Japanese art forms.
Ms. Vedha Narayanasamy, who has been closely associated with the Japanese community for over a decade now shared an interesting fact about sourcing daily supplies. She says, “Earlier Japanese employees working in the city would have to make short trips to nearby countries, to stock up on native produce. But now the city boasts of shops like Kurofune, Osaka foods and many more that specifically cater to their cuisine”.
Vaishnavi Kumar, a Japanese language expert, and director of ABK AOTS Dosokai, OMR, Chennai adds “Even Japanese restaurants were barely present a decade ago but today the city boasts of a handful of them offering authentic Japanese cuisine. Not just that, we now have restaurants with the entire menu card in the Japanese language and hotels which even have instructions, lift signs, and boards in Japanese. These have definitely made them feel more comfortable and welcoming.”
With so many Japanese businesses and families calling Chennai their home, expertise in the language can become a great skill to have. The city boasts of many Japanese language training institutes that can be leveraged to land yourself a lucrative job as a translator for companies and families. You just need to have an eye out for the right opportunities.
Though the Japanese ex-pat settlements in Chennai were primarily business-driven, the warmth of the city, culture, heritage, and the people, made them feel at home here. With the advancements in technology, communication between the two communities has not just become easier but also more effective.
It is evident that our relationship with the Japanese has been a mutually beneficial one so far. However, this is not where Japan and Chennai would like to stop. Our efforts to evolve and take this relationship to a greater scale will always be ongoing.
