Manish Kumar
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: Kunna Dash, a Japan-based Indian entrepreneur, has been appointed as international tourism ambassador of Kyoto, Japan.
Kunna, who hails from Puri, owns a chain of hotels offering Indian cuisine in Japan.
Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa appointed Kunna to the position at an official function November 3. Kyoto is a cultural hub of Japan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had signed a Kyoto-Varanasi partner city agreement during his recent visit to the country.
Kunna, who is also the president of India-Japan Friendship Center in Japan, told Orissa POST: “I was overwhelmed by the affection and recognition Japanese authorities have given an Indian. I feel it is a moment of pride for Orissa, where I belong and spent much of my life before leaving for Japan to try my hand at entrepreneurship.”
Kunna had become popular in Japan through television appearances on cookery shows and was noted for his witty communication skills blended with expertise in Indian cuisine.
During a recent visit to Orissa, Kunna took artworks from the state that students had created for display at Tokyo Japan Olympics in 2020. He also met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and sought his help to strengthen India-Japan partnership.
Kunna is an active member of the Oriya society of Japan where several Oriya people meet and discuss ways to boost ties with foreign countries and to help people keen to visit Japan.
Kunna, now fluent in Japanese and familiar with traditions of the land of the rising sun, had a tough time establishing his business.
People were not used to Indian cuisine and were reluctant to experiment, he recalls. But Kunna persisted and advertised his business on his own distributing leaflets at traffic crossings for hours and through friendly interactions with passersby.