Japanese expatriate loves Malaysia

It was truly a defining moment when Japanese expatriate Ayako Sugahara first came to Malaysia as a tourist in 1997. Ayako, who is the Japanese liaison manager at the Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur, fell in love with life in Malaysia after backpacking around the country and visiting Pulau Kapas. “I really enjoyed my visit to Pulau Kapas. I ended up staying there for seven months. I even met my godmother, who is a local operating a resort there. I visit her every now and then,” she said.

Ayako, who studied to be a dietician, has been in Malaysia since 2000 although she has lived in several other countries such as Denmark. “I lived for two years in Denmark as my husband was posted there a few years ago, but I was not fond of the lifestyle there,” she said.

Local flavour: Ayako prefers to wear kebaya to work.

“It was hard to communicate as the people there only spoke Danish. The weather was also too too cold for me,” she added. In Malaysia, however, Ayako adapted to the lifestyle easily. “Here I have a lot of friends and I have no problems with communication as most people here can speak in English. I also like the warm weather as I enjoy the outdoors,” she said.

Ayako, who loves the outdoor and nature, has travelled all around Malaysia. “I have been to Taman Negara 17 times. That is probably a lot more than most Malaysians,” she joked. “It is very easy to get around in Malaysia and the people here are so friendly, hence I have no issues,” she said.

An avid diver, Ayako has been to many of the prominent diving spots in Malaysia. “Some of my favourites are Pulau Kapas, Pulau Perhentian and Pulau Sipadan,” she said. Ayako added that she even preferred the Malaysian lifestyle compared the Japanese. “I am rather taken up by the traditional clothes here. The designs are very colourful and I like to wear dresses such as kebaya to work,” she said.

“In Malaysia, people are not so formal when it comes to dressing. “The Japanese tend to be rather formal when going to work and I was never comfortable with that,” she added.

Ayako also said that she found local food hard to resist. “The food here is also really good. I really like spicy food and a lot of the local hawker and street food,” she said. When asked about her plans for the future, Ayako said she would love to continue living in Malaysia. “I really like working and living here as all my friends are here,” she said.

-thestar online.