Bengaluru: It was an evening of merry joy, overlapping chatter, and suave networking at Hotel Shangri-La on Friday evening as an invite-only crowd celebrated the Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s 64th birthday.
Nakane Tsutomu, the Consul-General of Japan in Bengaluru, hosted the Japanese National Day reception, enabling the intermingling of Indian and Japanese culture by bringing together industry professionals from across sectors to connect over the choicest of Japanese and Indian cuisine.
M B Patil, Karnataka's Minister for Commerce and Industries and Infrastructure Development, participated in the sake barrel-breaking ceremony with the consul-general, while both of them lauded the Karnataka-Japan partnership. Patil noted that Karnataka was committed to deeper collaboration through initiatives like the Japanese Industrial Township and Clean Mobility Policy.
A short and swift Karate presentation stunned the crowd, who cheered every strike, step and sound made by the group of five.
Soon after, a small group of singers clad in blue took to the stage to serenade the merry crowd, and completely took them by surprise by singing "Huttidare Kannada Nadalli Huttabeku", eliciting loud cheers and claps.
Japanese companies such as Nissin, Yokogawa, Sharp, Canon, and Sony also had stalls to display their products.
Published 23 February 2024, 23:31 IST