Tokyo meets the world: Hungary

I feel fortunate to have experienced Japan through various angles and places, rather than from a Tokyo perspective from the start, and I think that has helped a lot in understanding and interpreting various aspects of [the country]. Living in Nagoya exposed me to the countryside and nature through [nearby] places such as Gifu and Mie. On the other hand, Tokyo makes you appreciate the city itself, since it offers so many different things. 

As for how Japan has changed, I think it has become a very attractive place that’s nice to live in – maybe even more so than two decades ago. Quality of life is the one thing I’d highlight as having improved during my time here. This makes [Japan] attractive for people to come here both for tourism and in the long term. These changes are incremental rather than radical; they’re about fine-tuning the remarkable things the country already has.

I’ve been in Tokyo for slightly less than a decade, but I’m still learning and looking at what the city can offer, because it’s so diverse and has such variety. It’s by the sea, but if you go to the Okutama area, you’re surrounded by nature but still in Tokyo.

As for places, from our embassy here in Mita I would highlight Azabu-Juban, an area I like a lot and a great place to wander around. We’re proud that our cultural centre was opened in Azabu-Juban in 2019, in the heart of the ‘town in the big city’. The centre is open to everyone and hosts periodic exhibitions and events for learning more about Hungary.

 I also like the small alleys in the Shinbashi area. Despite a lot of redevelopment going on there, it’s quite interesting to see that area still existing in the heart of the city. When I go out with friends or guests, I always show them the gado-shita (places under the railway tracks) in Yurakucho, which is fascinating and lets you experience a bit of Japanese everyday gastronomy while imagining what life could have been like during the first half of the Showa era. I think that’s a part [of Tokyo] you can’t experience abroad: the vibe, the atmosphere, the legacy of those places.

I also like the parks. The one nearby is Shiba Park, where I go quite often, and Yoyogi Park is a fantastic place for walking around, as is Showa Kinen Park farther away. In addition, I enjoy exploring the new offerings and their architecture, because I think Tokyo is a great city architecture-wise. I like to see how development and incremental changes take place in shopping malls and high-rise buildings, and I’ve heard that foreign real-estate developers visit Tokyo to be inspired by Japanese shopping mall architecture and concepts. In that sense, I’m looking forward to experiencing the new development in Azabudai, and I know there’s a lot going on around the Yaesu area too.

We are fortunate to have a few Hungarian restaurants as well as places to experience Hungarian drinks in town. The one closest to the embassy is called Döbrögi, it’s a wine and dining bar in Akasaka with a great atmosphere. There’s one in Jingumae called Az Finom that has quite a long history and serves nicely presented Hungarian food with beautiful porcelain made by the Zsolnay Porcelain Manufacture located in my hometown, Pécs. The restaurant with the longest history, if I’m not mistaken, is Kitchen Country in Jiyugaoka.

Let me also mention two interesting bars. Kayama-san at Bar Benfiddich in Shinjuku is an ambassador of the Hungarian spirit Unicum, a herb liqueur. He has various Hungarian spirits on offer and can make you Hungarian-inspired cocktails. The other one is Bar Pálinka in Kagurazaka, named after the national spirit of Hungary and specialising in Hungarian spirits. It’s run by a bartender who worked with Kayama-san before opening his own place.

In addition, Hungarian wines are readily available at various restaurants, and shops in general tend to have a few Hungarian items in stock, including acacia honey. Hungarian duck meat and foie gras are available at high-end supermarkets such as National Azabu in Hiroo, which has a wide selection of Hungarian meat. Chamomile tea and other herb teas are also getting more popular and can be found at stores such as Seijo Ishii.

Lastly, honey truffles are available when they’re in season, which is around summer. This special, golden-coloured truffle only grows in Hungary, in coexistence with acacia trees, and is a great accompaniment to various desserts.

Hungary was one of the first countries to lift restrictions on movement – in spring 2021 ­– and I personally believe that social interaction and human contact are vital for people’s everyday lives. I think Hungary and Budapest, our capital, have done really well to bring back social interactions and the human touch, which were lost to an extent during the pandemic.

Speaking of capitals, the Hungarian city of Veszprém, together with Lake Balaton and the Bakony mountains region, holds the title of European Capital of Culture in 2023. The title is awarded by the EU’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, and gives a great opportunity to introduce the cultural richness of this city and region, building a common space of European culture. Over 3,000 diverse cultural programmes are realised in Veszprém and the region this year, and a number of them will continue even afterwards. Let’s not forget to mention that a part of the programmes, for example the MusiColours European Youth Music Festival or the InterUrban event series, feature guests from outside of Europe, including Japan.

We’ve been hosting a lot of festivals, both big and small, traditional and modern. Budapest is establishing itself as one of the leading cities for sporting events, which energise the city and bring people together. Our capital was one of the host cities for the European football championships [in 2021], and Budapest hosted the UEFA Europa League football final at the end of May. One visible event, including from a Japan perspective, will be the World Athletics Championships, to be held in Budapest in August. We will also be hosting karate’s biggest event, the World Senior Championships, in October.

Also, the Sziget music festival in Budapest is back, having been held in full scale last year already. Events such as these provide lots of opportunities for locals as well as tourists and have helped Budapest become one of the top tourist destinations in Europe. Social events where people can gather and get together, the human touch, are vital for the survival and the future of cities.

I think a further focus on the quality of life is very important, as well as how Japan can treat internationalisation, both when it comes to short-term visitors such as tourists and in the long term, for residents and investors and investments. I’m sure the Osaka-Kansai Expo will be a great opportunity for Japan to showcase what the country can offer and what answers Japan may have for the challenges of society.

Another key issue is how Japan can energise society as a whole, possibly with bold family policies, and promote family- and children-focussed policies and initiatives so that having a family will become even more attractive than it is now.

When it comes to SDGs, I would like to highlight Hungary’s initiatives in global sustainable water management. We foster the knowledge sharing of the water sector in multilateral fora, promote international collaboration and action in the field, conduct active water diplomacy and host high-level events.
Broadening the scope of sustainability ties in with what I just mentioned about energising society and making it more sustainable.

I’d highlight the achievement of a sustainable society guaranteed by a holistic family policy as one of Hungary’s most important achievements. Hungary has been struggling with population decline since the 1980s, and in the early 2010s we realised that the situation was becoming unsustainable. So the government came up with bold policies to put the family in focus, with tax breaks and incentives for buying a home, subsidies, and various schemes to make it more attractive to get married and have children.