Tokyo [Japan], August 29 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Tokyo on Friday morning, where he was welcomed by the members of the Indian and Japanese communities with cultural performances.
Members of the Japanese community embracing Indian culture presented several performances, ranging from various forms of classical dance to folk songs.
A group of Japanese people dressed up in Rajasthani attire welcomed PM Modi with a traditional folk song. Another group performed various classical dances, including Mohiniyattam, Kathak, Bharatnatyam and Odissi.
"It was such a great chance to perform for Prime Minister Modi. I am very happy. I performed Mohiniyattam, a classical dance form from South India. I have more than 25 years of experience. This dance is an individual dance form, but for Prime Minister Modi, we made it a group performance," one of the Japanese artists said.
Another Japanese artist who performed Kathak said performing in front of PM Modi is like a gold medal for us.
"We performed Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Mohiniattam and Odissi together, on live music... This is the third time I came in front of him, but this is the first time I got to be close to him. This is like a gold medal for us," she said.
"I was surprised, and I didn't expect him to take a picture with us. I was happy to perform and also get a picture with him," another artist.
Adding spiritual mysticism to the welcome, a group of Japanese nationals performed the Gayatri Mantra in front of PM Modi.
PM Modi also interacted with members of the Indian diaspora, who warmly welcomed him with chants of "Bharat Mata ki jai."
PM Modi arrived in Tokyo on Friday morning, beginning a two-day official visit to attend the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit.
This marks his first standalone visit to the country in nearly seven years, aimed at deepening bilateral ties and advancing the Special Strategic and Global Partnership with Japan.
The visit comes at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. During the summit, PM Modi will hold in-depth talks with his Japanese counterpart, reviewing progress across multiple domains and exchanging views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Following the Japan visit, he will travel to China from August 31 to September 1 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.
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