Tales from Kyoto

Staying with a local family in the city,Nakayama’s idea about India changed completely when she came here. “First of all,I was expecting hot weather here. In Kyoto,during this time of the year,the temperature is always 36-37 degrees,but Pune is so pleasant! I love the rains here. I am quite comfortable,” she says. With help from the Indo Japanese Association,she is now trying to learn Hindi and Marathi and understand how language impacts cultures. Nakayama smiles as she talks about the changes in Japan. “Women are now going to work alone. There is a change in the socio-cultural set-up and women are becoming more independent. A few decades ago,Japan was like India,but things are changing.”

In Pune,she is quite interested in the Anna Hazare movement. She talks about the nuclear power and the constant violence that Japan has faced. “Every student in Japan has an opinion about atomic bombs,” she says. “In the 1960s,the government had launched and improved its nuclear power policy. It had declared that nuclear energy will be safe. But post the tsunami in March this year,many people are against nuclear power. Back home,a small revolution is brewing. It’s becoming a smaller version of the Anna Hazare movement. The government still has not made any decision for the future. But people are expecting that alternate resources like wind and solar energy can be used.” The movement in India has impressed her a lot. “I have not been able to go through the Jan Lokpal Bill,but I understand that this is a fight against corruption. It shows the power of the people.”

Nakayama plans to stay in Pune till November. “I want to have many more experiences with Indians. I see a lot of similarities between us. And my stay here has been quite enjoyable,” she says.