Japan, a Buddhist majority country carries several traces of Hinduism, owing to the shared heritage of both the religions. Four out of Japanese '7 Gods of fortunes' have their origin rooted in Hindu religion. So Kichijo-ten, much revered in Japan is actually Goddess Lakshmi. And, there is also a town named after the deity near Tokyo, called Kichijoji.
Recently, Consul general of Japan , Takayuki Kitagawa recollected the deep ties between two countries sharing this anecdote in Bengaluru. Attending an event he was quoted by IANS as saying, " “You will be surprised to know that the town near Tokyo has its origin from Lakshmi temple. Kichioji means Lakshmi temple in Japanese". He also recollected how many of the Hindu Gods are worshipped in Japan. Kitagawa also said that Indian languages like Tamil and Sanskrit have influenced Japanese languages. To give an example he said, "For instance, Japanese dish sushi is made of rice and vinegar. Sushi is also associated with shari, which is from Sanskrit word ‘zaali’, meaning rice".
According to experts, nearly 500 words in Japanese languages bear its heritage back in India. There is a significant percentage of Indian population currently living in Japan.
