Atsushi Taketani knows exactly how to make himself stand out in public in a way that also helps promote his home country.
"This one is called haori. H-a-o-r-i," the Osaka native says, pointing to the black traditional Japanese jacket he is wearing especially for an interview with Asia Focus at his office in downtown Bangkok.
"This one is hakama," he adds as he points to the loose trousers, also spelling the Japanese word. "It's complicated even for a Japanese like me."
The Bangkok-based president for Asean of the Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) says it takes about 30-40 minutes for him, with the help of his wife, to put on the outfit. "Actually, men can wear this by themselves but I don't know how to do it," he notes, with a smile.
"Back in Japan, I didn't have a kimono like this but I noticed after I arrived here that everybody, all Thai people, got to see my wife's kimono. It's really easy to sell Japan in that sense when people get together. When I dress like this, people will be more interested in myself and in Japan also."
While more and more Japanese women who live in Thailand have brought kimono outfits with them, Mr Taketani feels he is among the few male Japanese expats to have a traditional costume.
"I haven't heard anyone who brought kimono for men (to Thailand) like me, and even I didn't bring it with me when I first landed here. Then, when my wife had a chance to go back to Japan almost a year ago, I asked her to buy a kimono for me."
Wearing the traditional outfit, he says, also reinforces his identity as a boy from Osaka, and that is what he likes the most about his home town. "People there are very relaxed. You know, in Osaka, the culture is totally different. We should be really funny. Humour is really an important part, so in every conversation, we have to kind of make jokes. It's the Osaka style.
"Dressing like this … to be a little bit different in the normal, formal setting is a way of joking. I like to be funny or interesting. That's my style."
The Osaka style, says Mr Taketani, is especially important for young people. "For elementary school kids, especially in the case of boys, a funny boy is the most popular and respected in the classroom … among both boys and girls."
The reason, he surmises, has its roots in Osaka's history as a commercial centre. In the old days, when merchants wearing formal samurai attire wanted to communicate, they tried to be funny to make the conversation less formal and put their companions at ease. That style continues today.
"I try to be funny as much as possible except during conversations with colleagues," he acknowledges. "But what is funny is different from one culture to another. If Osaka people think it's funny, in most cases, Tokyo people don't think it's funny. The culture is different.
"My wife, for example, is from Tokyo and she is totally different. Sometimes she doesn't really understand why I find something so funny. So, I have to adjust and now I'm really accustomed to it."
It's no surprise, in his view, that more than half of Japanese comedians are from Osaka, Kyoto or other parts of the country's western region. "People in the western region have a strong tradition of being funny, while Osaka people have a strong tendency to think people in other cultures are stressed. In some cases, they simply say, they are too boring.
"But when I say you are boring in Osaka, that is very bad. Calling someone boring shows contempt. So, I try to be funny."
STEADY ADVANCE
When it comes to his career, however, Mr Taketani has taken a fairly serious and methodical approach to advancing in the public service. The holder of a Bachelor of Arts in Law from the University of Tokyo, he started his career at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (now known as the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry or METI). Five years later, he decided to further his studies in the United States.
"I married before I went to the US, so I went there together with my wife and my first daughter," he recalls. "At that time, I thought I needed to brush up on my English skills. Then the ministry allowed me to go abroad after I passed the internal exam."
To study in a foreign language, Mr Taketani chose political science because he had already gained a good understanding of how politics and public organisations work. "In the law department (in Tokyo), I studied political science as well, and also international politics. At graduate school in the US, I studied American politics and also Chinese politics, Latin American politics and international relations.
"I have a particular interest in the international economy because my work at the ministry focused on promoting the Japanese economy," he says. "In some cases, we have to negotiate with governments, so it is important to understand how the politics in other countries work."
His studies at Stanford University in California from 1995-97 put him in a position to seek greater opportunities in the Japanese public service, and in 2004 Mr Taketani was posted to the Japanese Embassy in Washington DC, a very different place from where he had gone to school.
"The West and East coasts are totally different," he says. "In California, people are very casual, relaxed. I never saw people wearing a necktie or a suit.
"On the east coast, especially Washington DC, people are kind of formal. DC is special kind of city, the centre of American politics. International committees get together there for important negotiations so it's a unique type of city. Sometimes people are very pressured also."
However, he says he doesn't have any preference in terms of where he is living and working. "The weather in DC is quite similar to Japan, I think. In summertime it's very hot and humid, but in wintertime, sometimes it snows. But frankly, I can live according to my surrounding environment," he explains.
He worked in the US until 2007 before returning to Japan and joining METI, mainly in charge of energy-related and climate change areas. In July 2019, he arrived in Thailand to take the helm at Jetro's Bangkok office.
"The first time I knew I was being assigned to go to Thailand, I was surprised to be frank with you," he admits. "Of course, I'd been here before when I was in charge of international energy issues. I had been here as a representative of the ministry because we have a bilateral dialogue with Thailand's energy ministry.
"When I first knew I would be sent to take the post here, I was surprised but also excited as well. Actually, I couldn't decline the offer but frankly, I happily accepted it."
ASIA'S NEW ROLE
Jetro has 10 offices in Asean countries, including two in Vietnam but none in Brunei. As the head for Asean, Mr Taketani expected to use Bangkok as a hub, and to travel around to discuss with colleagues and government officials in Asean how Japan can contribute to the development of the region. But of course, things changed completely after the emergence of Covid-19.
"After I came here in July 2019, I decided that I would focus on Thailand in my first half-year because I would like to get to know as many people as possible in this country. I made only one trip to Jakarta, to the office of the Asean Secretariat," he says.
"Then I started travelling in January last year to Laos, Malaysia and Singapore. I planned to fly to Vietnam and Yangon but then coronavirus arrived and cases were reported in Asean countries.
"Because of Covid, it's more difficult to connect with others in the team in Asean," he points out. "The travel restrictions have been very tough. Of course, the internet or web discussions can compensate greatly, actually greater than what we expected, but face to face, in other words real meetings, allow us to communicate and exchange more information, I think.
"Part of my job at Jetro is to smooth communication with Japanese people and businesspeople in other countries, as well as our Japanese headquarters. Covid has been very tough in that sense."
Besides Covid and, Asean and Asia as a whole are facing a major challenge as the region starts to take more of a leading role in the world's economic development.
"For the last few centuries, Asia was a follower in global society. We just followed the footsteps of Europe or the US in many cases," says Mr Taketani.
"Now the Asian economy is growing and also the region's population. I feel the centre of gravity of global society is shifting toward Asia. That's a very good thing, but taking a leadership role is such a totally different story for Asia.
"Asia is so diverse. How Asia faces its new role in global society is a very tough question for us, so we have to really think about it."
PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING
Asked about his management style, Mr Taketani says that as the head of the office, he would like to be fair to every employee, patient and understanding.
"When I was young, I felt like some of my colleagues didn't really work hard according with my standard, but later I noticed that some of these people had some problems with their families or health issues. That's the reality of life," he says.
"So judging people only on performance at the surface, you know, we can't really be fair. Of course, people don't usually disclose everything. What we see is just a part of the big picture."
While language can be a barrier in an international setting, Mr Taketani says being patient and listening carefully can help. "My colleagues might have some different opinions but I try to be patient and listen carefully to other positions. That what I tried to do back in Japan as well. That's my work style. Patience and understanding are very important."
At home, Japanese people are perceived to work very hard but Mr Taketani says this is slowly changing. "There is strong criticism about the working style of Japanese people in Japan. More people, especially the younger generation feel that there is no proper balance of work and private life in Japan.
"Recently, the Japanese government, especially before coronavirus, has been making efforts to change the work style of Japanese people. Since the coronavirus came, the situation has changed a little as other sources of stress have come up."
Compared to Japan, people in Asean are friendly and more relaxed. "Asean people in some ways finally find solutions to everything, partly through compromise," he observes. "That's good. Of course, Japanese culture is a little bit different from Asean but we also put a lot of emphasis on harmony or compromising at last."
When it comes to managing his own stress, the Jetro boss likes to head to the golf course. "I played tennis when I was in college and high school. Now I just watch the games and simply cheer for the players because I'm getting old and Thailand is too hot for tennis," he says, adding that two Japanese stars, Kei Nishikori and Naomi Osaka, are his favourite players.
"Now, when I have free time, golf is better. I play with a group of colleagues from Jetro. We have a tournament," he says, while admitting that he's not as good a player as he'd like to be.
"Playing sports is my way to get the stress out, but the problem with golf is that when I play, sometimes I get more stress. I like to play at a certain level but I'm still an improving player. Sometimes I get so frustrated but I still find some joy in golf," says Mr Taketani.
And while travelling to Japan is out of the question for the short term, when he does go there his favourite destination is still his hometown and the Kansai area.
"I just like the normal atmosphere in Osaka, a big commercial town where I sometimes go shopping with my wife and my daughters," he says. "We also have Kyoto which is a popular tourist place. Kyoto has some historic temples but you know, when I was young, I didn't really understand why people love that. When I got older, I started to understand why it's so appealing. Nara (the first capital of Japan) is nice as well."
Mr Taketani is also attached to the US west coast where he spent two years. "I like the relaxed atmosphere in California. There's sunshine. I also like Washington DC and the surrounding area. Compared to Japan, life is less stressful so I like those places as well."
In December 2019, Mr Taketani visited Angkor Wat with his family. His two daughters flew from Japan to Bangkok and the family flew together to Cambodia.
"Originally, I wanted to travel around (Southeast Asia) for private trips as well but I could not," he says of the plans he made after arriving in Bangkok in 2019. "I wanted to go to Vietnam to see Halong Bay. I'd been to Bali earlier for business and wanted to take my wife there."
Because of Covid, he also had to cancel trips to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in January for business and private visits. So after nearly two years of living in Thailand, Mr Taketani has only visited places in Bangkok and surrounding provinces, such as Ayutthaya, and the Eastern Seaboard area.
After Covid is gone and travel restrictions are lifted, he says the first place he wants to visit is Bagan in Myanmar. "My daughters visited Bagan before we went to Angkor Wat and they really enjoyed it. I had work here in Bangkok so I and my wife couldn't join them at the time. So, Bagan might be a good place to visit."