In an Indian interior city, hotels become Japanese shelters for automatic expatriates

By Aditi Shah

Vithalapur, India (Reuters): In the Gujarat of India, eating meat or seafood is frowned upon, but in the dusty industrial city of the state of Vithalapur, hotels with names such as the Osaka Palace are producing ramen and tempura, all to please the engineers and managers of Japanese cars that now reside in them.

The transformation of the cultivation lands of Vithalapur, which are 75 km (46 miles) east of the state capital of Gandhinagar, owes much to the increase in foreign investment in Indian manufacturing, one of the key policy boards of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Honda motorcycle unit began to occur in Vithalapur almost a decade ago, while Suzuki has an eight -year -old plant that began launching its first electric cars in August. A group of suppliers related to the car and other Japanese industrial companies have also established a store.

The direct investment of Japan in India reached $ 2.5 billion for the year that ended on March 31, an increase of 27% of four years ago, according to government data, and much of them are allocated to the automotive and electronic sectors.

Not far from the factories of Vithalapur, Mizuki Ryokan and Midori are among half a dozen road hotels who are thriving, home of Japanese staff now in India with contracts of several years. Such has been the growth of the city that Hyatt will open a property of 108 rooms this year.

But coming to Gujarat, Modi’s native state, can raise a great cultural shock for many Japanese. Many Gujaratis are very strict about the practice of vegetarianism due to Jain and Hindu religious and cultural beliefs. The State is also one of the small Indian states that prohibit alcohol, which makes only a few closely regulated exceptions for foreigners.

The first efforts of Japanese expatriates to acclimatize in regular homes in nearby cities did not work, with the lack of easy access to flesh and fish often demonstrating too much.

The 110 -room imperial AJU, where AJU represents all Japanese public services companies, seeks to provide home comforts as a signaling in Japanese, sushi made with imported fish from Australia and Toto washing baths, a expensive indulgence for Indian standards.

“We wanted to give people the comfort of the place and food so that they can concentrate on work,” said Prakash Yadav, founder and managing director of the hotel, which houses about 100 expatriates at any time.

But state restrictions on alcohol consumption remain a challenge for expatriates, said Yadav.

To enjoy the liquor, Gujarat requires that foreigners and hotels obtain special government permits, which are broadcast after a long process and must be renewed often. Even then, the amount they can buy every month is ration.