Japanese families here for Marmaray live and love İstanbul

We are now in the living room. To one side of the display case in the living room is a framed image of the Hagia Sophia and on the other side is a giant tiled work of art. There is a small kilim hanging on the wall. The table before us has chocolate cake, a plate of fruit, and tulip-shaped tea glasses on it. Perhaps there would be nothing unusual about any of this if we were to add at this point that we were in the home of a Turkish family, but we are not. In fact, we are in the Etiler home of Yasutake Kaneko, one of the seven Japanese engineers and directors who are in Turkey to help with the Marmaray project.

These Japanese engineers, who moved with their spouses and children five years ago to work on the Marmaray project, have not only managed to harmonize themselves with Turkish culture, but have actually "become one of us." While they work on one of the world's largest ongoing projects, the Marmaray tunnel, their wives busy themselves by carving wood, weaving, embroidering, drinking tea from tulip-shaped tea glasses and making Turkish dishes like lentil soup and vegetable börek. Their children play football for the Beşiktaş sports club, even getting involved in some of the fights that break out during matches. So, are you ready for a pleasant conversation with some of the families of the people working on the Marmaray project?

Yasutake Kaneko, 44, and Horihiko Inazumi, 44, arrived in İstanbul to work on the gigantic Marmaray Project, an undertaking which will ultimately connect the two sides of the Bosporus under water. Yasutake Kaneko, a director at Taisei, the company overseeing the Marmaray project, has worked for the Japanese construction company for 20 years. He arrived in İstanbul five years ago after time spent working in Vietnam, Pakistan and the Philippines. Yasutake Kaneko says that the only thing he really knew about Turkey before coming was that 99 percent of the people here were Muslim. Yasutake Kaneko, who started reading books about İstanbul before he arrived, admits: “I had thought that Turkey was a backwards, third world country. When I arrived though, I saw that the people here were both tied to their religion and that they were also as modern and free as people in European countries.” The engineers spent the first six months of their time here away from their families, missing their spouses and children, but then the company delivered the good news that their families would be coming to join them. And so the families of Yasutake Kaneko and Horihiko Inazumi moved their homes from Tokyo to Etiler in İstanbul. It was perhaps Horihiko Inazumi who was most overjoyed by this news because had his family not come, he would have left his job and moved back to Japan.

Construction engineer Horihiko Inazumi's 42-year-old pharmacist wife, Kaoru Inazumi, left her job in Tokyo to move to İstanbul to be with her husband. She explains: “I have three children. I didn't want them to live without their father because I knew they would be very sad and this sadness would have affected many aspects of their lives, from their education to their basic psychology. Now at least they are growing up with their father in their lives.”

When we ask whether there was anything in particular that they found unforgettable upon first arriving in Turkey, Yasutake Kaneko's wife Yuko Kaneko answers, “Well, I used to wake up because of the morning call to prayer and not be able to get back to sleep, but now I am used to it.” Yuko Kaneko also says that there are some shared aspects in Turkish and Japanese culture, noting that one of the first things she noticed which reminded her of Japan was that people in Turkey take off their shoes before entering homes.

Yuko Kaneko notes that the Japanese also love tea very much, saying, “But the difference there is that we drink green tea because it's healthier.” Kaoru Inazumi talks about how hospitable and helpful she finds Turks, and also notes that she has seen that Turkish women attach a lot of importance to cleanliness and that they are very concerned with the designs of their home. What is the one thing these Japanese families have not become accustomed to? The Turkish taxi drivers they have encountered. Yuko Kaneko says, “The taxi drivers drive so fast, we are always afraid when we get into taxis.”

Kaoru Inazumi says that because her pharmacist's diploma is not recognized in Turkey, she has had to give up her career for now and is thus focusing her free time on various activities which she mostly does with Yuko Kaneko. Both women profess a love for and interest in Turkish and Ottoman arts, noting that they have started taking courses to study various branches of these arts, including things like weaving, wood carving, and painting. Yuko Kaneko also talks about how she loves to spend time with the Turkish friends she has made here, saying, “I just love Turkish culture, I love to learn and create new things here.”

They watch the TV series ‘Yaprak Dökümü’ and listen to Tarkan

These Japanese families are not only interested in learning how to create Turkish and Ottoman art; they are also actively learning the Turkish language, and part of this is through watching Turkish television series. Kaoru Inazumi says her favorite is “Yaprak Dökümü,” but she does voice a complaint on this front: “You have to sit in front of the television set for two hours just to watch one episode. The ads last for so long! But I really don't have the time to spend two hours in front of the television.” Yuko Kaneko says she enjoys listening to Turkish pop star Tarkan's music, and that she has heard a lot about Sezen Aksu from her Turkish friends and hopes to be able to go to an Aksu concert soon. As for her husband, Yasutake Kaneko, she says he is a fan of the rock band Duman. The pair even decided to go to an İbrahim Tatlıses concert after seeing posters of the well-known Turkish singer near their home. As we said, these Japanese families have become more Turkish than the Turks. So we are not surprised when Kaoru Inazumi also tells us she is a huge fan of the Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi. She explains: “Watching the semas, I was amazed. But of course, I cannot whirl around like them; I would fall down right away.”

    The Japanese families in İstanbul for the Marmaray Project are now devoted to the city in which they reside. Some of their favorite spots include the Bosporus, Bebek, Ortaköy and Arnavutköy. And for their shopping needs, they tend to head towards the new İstinye Park. Yuko Kaneko does have one complaint though, the lack of green spaces in İstanbul. She notes, “I would like to see more parks for kids.” Both women also spend much time playing tennis here and have started to teach their Turkish friends yoga.

Kaoru Inazumi makes great vegetable börek

Is it possible to stay in Turkey this many years without picking up some cuisine tips? Apparently not. Yuko Kaneko has added Turkish dishes such as lentil soup, güveç and pide to her menu. Her husband, Yasutake Kaneko, loves chicken wings and lamb chops cooked on the grill Turkish style. As for Horihiko Inazumi, his favorite Turkish food is lahmacun, while his wife Kaoru Inazumi loves hamsi (European anchovies). Kaoru Inazumi smiles though, recalling that she has tried to cook lentil soup and artichokes in the Turkish style, but that her children did not like the results. “I guess I didn't do it right,” she says, laughing. Kaoru Inazumi says she is really quite good at making vegetable börek using yufka dough now. But both women admit that despite the fact there is lots they love about Turkish cuisine, they still stick to a mostly Japanese menu.

    As it turns out; even the children of these Japanese “Marmaray” families have become true İstanbulites. One of the ways in which this is evident is that their sons now play football for the junior Beşiktaş teams and join in neighborhood matches as well. In fact, 12-year-old Akihiko Inazumi says he adores İstanbul because the temperature feels cooler and there is less humidity than in Tokyo. He adds that his favorite thing to do here is play football with his friends and that he also loves eating mantı. As for 14-year-old Yoshihiko Inazumi, her favorite food is lahmacun. And 8-year-old Shiori, the youngest of the Inazumi siblings, says she loves the attention they get when simply walking down the street. She explains: “Older people squeeze my cheeks and kiss me. Then they give me candy.” Twelve-year-old Taiyo Kaneko is interested in tennis and talks about how he wishes he could see his father more and play more tennis. Taiyo's 7-year-old brother Yugo says he loves döner kebabs and lentil soup.

We want to see peace everywhere

When we ask about what they think of Turkey's accession talks with the European Union, the Japanese Marmaray Project engineers offer this response: “Turkey is neither Asian nor European. Turkey is just Turkey. You need to take advantage of this fact. You really don't need anyone.”

We also ask about their reactions to the incidents in East Turkistan (in western China), and the engineers note that they cannot understand the warring that occurs in the world, saying, “What we really want to see is peace everywhere.”

‘Marmaray is a dream for us too'

The top manager at the Japanese company Taisei - - which is overseeing the Marmaray Project - - Hidemi Omi, also loves working in İstanbul. Omi regards the Marmaray Project as a “dream project” and describes himself as lucky for having been able to come to Turkey for this reason. He also says he did not hesitate one moment before coming to Turkey. In fact, this Japanese engineer was really surprised to witness the many shared characteristics between Turkey and Japan when he arrived. Omi notes, “Both of our nations possess long histories and old traditions.” He also notes that one shared characteristic of both Turks and Japanese in particular is hospitality. Omi loves walking to relieve stress, especially on the Bosporus road that goes between Harem and Üsküdar. Another way he deals with stress is by heading to Kemer to play golf. Omi also professes a great love for Turkish fruit and says it is because of their variety and freshness.

    Omi does, however, miss his family very much, and is only able to see them twice a year at the moment. He says he will not live in İstanbul forever because of this, but will definitely come back to visit. Omi has also taken great pleasure from his experiences with Turkish engineers, noting that he would like to work on further projects in the future with his Turkish counterparts. Omi was in Japan last month for meetings when authorities involved in the Marmaray Project reiterated how important they find the archeological digs at Yenikapı which have slowed down progress on the underwater tunnel. Omi though, notes that his company is focused largely on simply getting the Marmaray into a functioning mode for the Turkish people right now. In the meantime he is enjoying just experiencing life in another country.