Tokyo meets the world: Panama

I got here just in time for the enthronement of the Emperor. That was hard a time for me since my family wasn’t here yet, but it did give me the opportunity to really walk around Tokyo – through the little alleys, getting to know where the best ramen places and small sushi restaurants are. On the weekends I used to walk 16 kilometres per day. I had my driver drop me off at the Skytree and then I’d walk to Shibuya, where I used to live. Those walks took around three hours, and it was relaxing since there weren’t that many people in the streets due to the pandemic.

Walking is a great way to get to know the city, since you pass by places too fast when you’re driving and when you go by bicycle you have to be careful. I encourage everyone in Tokyo to walk since that really lets you engage with the city, plus you stay healthy. Tokyo is safe, so you can walk everywhere. I’ve enjoyed every moment of my stay here, and now I can take my family to all those places I discovered.

Now that I’m here, I’ve been asking myself why I never came before. I always had an appetite for knowing about Japan but thought of it as being too far away. But now I’m the biggest fan of Japan, and encourage everyone who can to come visit the country, experience the culture, the cuisine, the people, the nature. Japan has exceeded my expectations: it’s very safe, with well-educated people and outstanding public services and public transportation. It’s different from what we Latin Americans are used to, since we’re a bit more joyful, expressive, loud [laughs] – but I’m enjoying every moment.

I’ve been impressed with how Tokyo, the most populated city in the world, has barely any traffic compared to my country. I also love to read about the history of Japan and see it for myself, learning about how the country has come from where it once was to where it is now. I personally believe Japan has the strongest economy in the world, because that’s what I’ve seen with my own eyes.

Yes, I went to Kyoto with my wife in November 2019 and have never seen so many people in one place – it was packed. But then we visited again during the pandemic, and it was like we had the city for ourselves. We’ve also been to Okinawa, Nagasaki, Hiroshima and Niseko. Niseko has great skiing and incredible ramen – I’d like to go back just for the ramen [laughs].

Personally, I’ve visited the city of Imabari, since it’s the sister city of Panama City and a very important place for us, in part because of the shipbuilding industry there. Sixty percent of all Japanese-owned ships are registered under the Panamanian flag, and Japan is the second-largest user of the Panama Canal.  

Next, I’m hoping to go to Fukuoka, and Ishigaki Island in Okinawa. We’re going to travel more in spring though, because it’s too cold in winter!

We’re blessed to have the geographical position we have. Eight percent of world commerce passes through the Panama Canal, as does 80 percent of the natural gas used in Japan. In addition, Panama hosts the United Nations Humanitarian Hub of the Americas, where first aid and other necessary supplies are stored so that they can be sent to the countries of Latin America in case of a natural disaster, and the subsea internet cables pass through Panama, connecting Argentina in the south to Canada in the north. Panama is also a hub for many companies that want to establish their business in Latin America, thanks to our advanced banking system and use of the US dollar.

Unfortunately not, as there are only about 100 Panamanians living in Japan. But if you’re interested in Panamanian cuisine, I recommend dishes like rice with chicken and plantains, ‘ensalada de feria’, which is a potato salad with beetroots, and tamales – the food people eat at festivals and on special occasions like New Year’s parties.

On the other hand, though sushi and ramen were not that popular in Panama 20 years ago, nowadays there are globally known franchises that have branches in various countries and have adapted sushi to Western tastes, rather than serving the kind you get here in Tokyo.

Panama’s música típica or ‘Típico’ is a kind of folkloric music that’s not very commercial, unlike that of famous Panamanian singers such as Rubén Blades or, in the last few years, Sech, one of the biggest artists from Latin America. 

Típico is the kind of music you hear outside the city of Panama, in the interior, the stuff people have danced to throughout history. It originates from the provinces of Los Santos and Herrera, where they hold carnivals that are some of the most important yearly festivals for Panamanians.

Famous singers include the Sandoval siblings Samy and Sandra, and Osvaldo Ayala. Besides Típico we have salsa and merengue, and Latin reggae actually started in Panama, though Puerto Rico now has a bigger share of that market.

Panama is already playing an important role in this regard, being one of the three negative-carbon countries in the world, along with Bhutan and Suriname. The Panama Canal is significant too, in helping reduce emissions by giving incentives to ships that go green faster. One of our president’s star programs is to end hunger in Panama and make us a more equal country, while our foreign minister and two vice-ministers are women, demonstrating our commitment to gender equality. 

The commitment to the SDGs is also apparent in our coffee production. The famous Geisha bean – which comes from a part of Ethiopia called Gesha – was originally taken to Costa Rica by a scientist in the mid-20th century. In the ’70s, a Panamanian coffee farmer was given these beans to try them in Panama, and he planted them on his farm.

Then, 14 years ago he put them for sale at the annual coffee auction. The regular price of coffee was about 80-90 cents per pound, but the Geisha was sold at 3 dollars – to a Japanese company, as it were. That caught people’s attention, and the Geisha’s reputation took off from there. In 2021, [a pound] sold for 2,800 dollars.

It takes a long time to establish a good story for a product. [This one] started in Ethiopia but it was Panama that really elevated it, because we have the right conditions for growing [the Geisha], be it in terms of temperature, humidity or altitude. Sustainability is key here, by making sure that the farmers get equal rights and proper pay.