Mayo Japan: Jr NTR was surprised to see me speaking in Hindi, as I am Japanese! helobaba.com
Her connect with India is quite unique. Going all the way to another country with a different culture and language, Mayo Japan decided she wanted to learn Hindi in India after her father motivated her.
And today, she is a social media influencer, with a YouTube channel which boasts of three million subscribers. Her reels on Instagram amass millions of views too. In Mumbai recently to show a friend around, she says, “90 percent of my followers are from India. My content is in Hindi so Indian people in Japan, and those in India are fans. I am so glad people enjoy my content.”
When it came to deciding a career path after completing school for Japan, she listened to her father who would make trips to Kolkata and Nepal in his younger days. “My dad passed away at that time, and it was his dying wish that I major in Hindi. My mom was a little anxious about my decision, ki Hindi padhne ke baad bhavishya mein kya karne wali hai? Mere paas bhi iska jawaab toh nahi tha. I got into university and started learning Hindi. I convinced my mom for half a year, that if I don’t go to India toh bhaasha kaise seekhungi? I came here and then when she would see glimpses of the place, she eventually asked ‘main bhi India aaun?’ So she did while I was studying at Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, a government owned school for foreigners. I majored in Hindi,” she tells us.
Does she remember that moment when she realised that she has found her calling in life, being a YouTuber? “I never thought I will start vlogging. Par ek baar, mera YouTube channle start karne ke baad, I went to Indiatown in Japan and played Holi. I uploaded the video and it went viral. I gained 50,000 followers in a single day,” she laughs.
But the moment which she cherishes is getting to interview the entire team of the 2022 film RRR in Japan. She recalls with a laugh, “SS Rajamouli sir, Ram Charan sir and Jr NTR sir had come there to promote the film, and I got to interview them during the promotions. I was speaking in English because they speak in Telugu, I didn’t speak in Hindi. But at one point, I ende dup saying a few words in Hindi, and NTR sir, whose Hindi is very good, he got surprised. Maine yeh moment camera pe capture kar liya.”
