Artur Galata, a staff member of the Baltic Pavilion at the World Exposition in Osaka, is pictured in April 2025 at the expo venue. (Kyodo)
OSAKA (Kyodo) — A Latvian staff member at the World Exposition in Osaka has drawn over half a million social media followers after posting about his experience of engaging with Japanese language and culture as a foreigner.
Artur Galata, 31, who has been posting on X and Instagram, said he was “very happy to work in my favorite country” after having visited 11 times since April 2017, traveling to more than 40 of the 47 prefectures.
Galata has been fascinated by Japanese anime since watching it aired in the Latvian language when he was an elementary school student. He then deepened his knowledge of Japanese culture and customs by reading books related to the country given him by his family.
“The most attractive part is the kindness of Japanese people,” Galata said, adding he has been particularly impressed by the well-maintained roads, packaging for onigiri rice balls sold at convenience stores, and how he was served at restaurants.
His popular social media posts include humorous descriptions of how certain Japanese words using the same kanji characters are read differently and expressing his amusement about soy beans transforming into different kinds of food such as miso, soy sauce and tofu.
In the expo, Galata has been working at the Baltic Pavilion jointly presented by Latvia and Lithuania, using four languages to welcome guests. He enjoys communicating with his followers and going to karaoke with other expo staff.
During his planned eight-month stay, which began in April, Galata plans to visit the remaining prefectures he has yet to travel to, he said.
AloJapan.com