Yen for Japan: How Japanese culture is finding a new home in India

Time of India

10-05-2025

Divishth
Pancholi
, a 16-year-old in Jaipur, had a simple, stubborn wish. He wanted to watch Japanese filmmaker Makoto Shinkai's anime film, Weathering With You, which was getting a worldwide release in July 2019. The teenager did not want to download a pirated version; he wanted to see the real thing on the big screen.
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In February of that year, he launched a Change.org petition to get the distributors to release the movie in India. Young Pancholi didn't expect a thing—but over 50,000 people signed on, many of them realising for the first time that they were part of a large anime community in India, drawn to the medium's visual artistry and unique storytelling. Shinkai, moved by the petition, agreed to show his film in India and even flew down for the screening.
'When the petition worked, I was very surprised,' recalls Pancholi, now a 22-year-old animator, who is preparing to study on a Japanese government scholarship. 'I'm just glad that I could be part of a pioneering moment for anime in India—at least in the modern context. Now anime releases are normalised.' This fall, Pancholi will head to the
Kyoto University of the Arts
where his research will focus on combining Rajasthan's phad painting tradition with modern Japanese animation.
It was more than just a win for Pancholi. Koji Sato, director-general of the Japan Foundation, a Japanese government-funded institution for cultural exchange programmes, in Delhi, calls it a turning point. 'Twenty years ago, when I was a young officer [at the Japan Foundation], Indians were satisfied with their own content. There was hardly any space for commercial screening of Japanese films. Now, in every corner of India, there's a craze for contemporary Japanese movies and anime.'
Crunchyroll, which has one of the largest collections of anime titles, says India is one of its fastest growing markets. A spokesperson of the Los Angeles headquartered OTT company says most of its Indian users are under the age of 35. And they spend over 60 minutes on average a day watching its content. 'We've seen a significant uptick in engagement since 2022, fuelled by growing awareness, improved access to legal, licensed Japanese anime content and a strong focus on localisation—including dubbing popular titles in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu,' the spokesperson says.
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HELLO, JAPAN
Indians are increasingly saying 'Kon'nichiwa' (hello) to Japan. From anime film festivals in tier-1 cities to a growing appetite for sake and
sushi
to booking tickets for the sakura (cherry blossom) season, India's fascination with the East Asian nation is on the rise. What began as a niche interest has evolved into a broad cultural connection, influencing food, travel plans and university choices.
At the centre of this shift is a growing community of Indian fans like Pancholi who are transforming their personal passions into shared cultural spaces. If the Indian movie aficionados who adored 20th century Japanese filmmakers like Yasujiro Ozu and Akira Kurosawa were few and scattered, now anime clubs are popping up across cities . Some of them are over a decade old — like the Bengaluru Anime Club, which became active in 2006—but they are all bustling with watch parties and offline meetups.
IT professional Nabaneet Mondal, founder of the Otaku Guild—Kolkata, an online community of anime fans in the city, says, 'My first anime was Digimon. It had so many layers. I was hooked.' The club partners with anime events and manga publishers, and holds quizzes and treasure hunts.
From pop culture to food is often just a quick hop. In Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, Japanese restaurants are mushrooming. Restaurateur Anurag Katriar, who heads deGustibus Hospitality, says his Japanese restaurant
Otoki
in Mumbai is not catering to a niche customer base: 'Sushi and matcha desserts are no longer niche—they are mainstream.' Chef Mohit Singh of Otoki, trained in Japan, wants to ensure authenticity on the plate, even if ingredients are imported from Thailand.
Meanwhile, chefs are also tweaking Japanese dishes to suit the Indian palate— from spicy tempura to curry-laced ramen.
And these are washed down with sake and Japanese whiskies. Sake imports from Japan to India have tripled in five years, according to media reports quoting Trade Statistics of Japan.
Meher Kohli, cofounder of
Tokyo Matcha Bar
, a matcha-focused cafe in Mumbai, says Indians travellers, who are exposed to the green tea abroad, are looking to recreate their experience. 'People are travelling more and getting exposed to different cultures. Back home, they are willing to spend on an authentic experience,' she says.
SPRING IN THE STEP
Indian tourist arrivals in Japan have grown by leaps and bounds. It crossed 233,000 in 2024, rising by 40%, y-o-y. Direct flights, streamlined visa processes and favourable exchange rates ( `1=1.70 Japanese yen, on May 9) have contributed to the boom. 'Japan speaks to the Indian traveller who wants a mix of tradition, comfort and cultural depth,' says SD Nandakumar, president & country head — holidays and corporate tours, SOTC Travel.
'Indian travellers who have explored Europe are now looking for fresh experiences in Japanese destinations that offer new culture, cuisine and futuristic experiences,' says Bharatt Malik , senior VP– air and hotel business, Yatra Online.
Japanese gastronomy is a major attraction—from Michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo and Osaka to traditional kaiseki meals in Kyoto and local markets in Fukuoka and Sapporo. Meanwhile, seekers of mindfulness are drawn to meditative tea ceremonies, spiritual retreats in Kyoto's monasteries, relaxing onsen baths and the slow life in rural prefectures. 'Indian travellers are looking for more than a checklist— they want connections, stories, mindfulness,' says Puneet Chhatwal, MD & CEO, Indian Hotels Company.
The peak season for Indian tourists is March, coinciding with the sakura season, says Rajesh Magow, cofounder, MakeMyTrip. 'There is also a surge in October and November, aligning with India's festive holidays, and the beginning of the leaf-peeping season in autumn, another period of high traveller interest,' he adds. Searches for Japan on the portal grew by 54% in FY2025 over the previous year. Japan is quickly becoming a year-round destination, says Rajeev Kale, president and country head for holidays, MICE, visa at Thomas Cook (India). 'We are curating winter-wonderland tours and trails in the Japanese Alps,' he says.
COURSE IN TOKYO
Students are also ticking Japanese universities in their preferences. Like Pancholi, Manish Nair, too, grew up on anime and had set his sights on going to Japan. Now, the 19-year-old from Delhi is studying engineering at the American University in Tokyo. 'In a class of 30, over 10 are Indians,' he says.
'We are seeing a strong interest from Indian students in undergraduate courses in engineering and business in Japan,' says Kim Dixit, founder of education consulting firm Red Pen. The numbers are still small but growing. According to a response in the Rajya Sabha in August 2024, the
Ministry of External Affairs
stated that 1,532 Indian students were pursuing higher education in Japan. There were 1,300 students in 2022, according to another
MEA
estimate.
Japan's universities are tapping Indian students, offering English-language programmes in innovation, robotics, clean tech as well as humanities.
Naushad Forbes, co-chairperson of Forbes Marshall, says, 'Many business and engineering programmes are offered in English, which helps Indian students. Compared with other countries, inflation has been low in Japan, which makes it an attractive option for them. Also, with Japan's ageing population creating workforce gaps in IT, engineering and healthcare, Indian professionals are finding real opportunities there.'
This is a world away from when Sato flew down to India for the first time in 1999 when Japan wasn't a destination— for education or tourism. 'When I came back in 2021, I was surprised by the development of Japan-India relations and Indians' fondness for Japanese culture. It has been a phenomenal change,' he says.
Even the number of Japanese language learners in India is inching up. 'From over 11,000 in 2006, the number jumped to 36,000 in the Japan Foundation's 2021 survey, with newer figures expected to cross 50,000,' says Sato. 'We want to catch the tide and make Japanese pop culture a nationwide trend.'
Will a Japanese wave sweep the country like the Korean wave did? 'I don't think Japan and South Korea are competing at all. In fact, we can work together to create platforms where Indians can enjoy both cultures together,' says Soto.