what do Japanese think/know about india or indians in general ?

When Japanese think about India, we usually think about curry first of all, lol

Some also complain about how because they can’t cope with eating curry and nan bread every meal, which are rather heavy for the Japanese stomach, they desperately want to go to Japanese restaurants, which are not very easy to find still (except for New Delhi, but these can be very pricey). So food is a big problem for the Japanese men sent to work in India. (Many businessmen choose to leave their wives and children back in Japan).

But there are praises too. Once in Beijing, I overheard a group of Japanese ladies at a restaurant talking about life style choices. An older lady who’s obviously very well-traveled was listening to a younger lady trying to make up her mind about weather to settle in China or in India for the next couple of years (this second lady obviously hadn’t been to India before.) Her husband had been given a choice of the two countries, and this younger lady said she couldn’t make up her mind. “Of course you should consider India because it’s akarui, (bright and cheerful),” this older lady said. “Okay, the living conditions may not be all there yet, but people are friendly and there’s something in the air that relaxes you. You don’t have to constantly worry about saying the wrong thing…..”