HOKKAIDO - Urakawa, a Hokkaido town of about 10,000 people known as one of Japan's leading thoroughbred breeding centers, is seeing a rapid increase in Indian residents as local farms turn to experienced overseas workers to offset a shrinking pool of Japanese horse trainers.
Horses can be seen throughout Urakawa, where around 180 farms have supported the town's development as a center of racehorse breeding and training. But the industry has been hit by population decline and a fall in the number of people willing or able to work with horses.
"As the population declines, the number of people who like horses also declines in proportion," one local farm operator said. "Most Japanese workers are now from the main island."
The shortage has pushed farms to recruit Indian staff as immediate assets. Many have more than 10 years of experience working at racetracks, making them ready to work soon after arriving in Japan.
At Morimoto Stable, a farm that breeds and trains racehorses and prepares them for sale, about 100 horses are kept under the care of 40 employees. Half of the staff are now from India. Until about 10 years ago, the farm employed only Japanese workers.
Atish, an Indian rider who has been in Japan for seven years, has worked at the stable for the past five years. His day begins around 5:30 a.m., shortly after sunrise, with feeding the horses, an essential part of building their physical condition.
Riders, known as training staff, are responsible for raising and conditioning racehorses. Atish attaches numbered gear to a horse before heading to one of Japan's largest racehorse training facilities. The site, covering an area about 85 times the size of Tokyo Dome, is equipped with a variety of training courses, including a 1.2-kilometer straight track and a 1-kilometer uphill course.
Atish carefully checks each horse's condition during training. Since arriving in Japan, he has also learned Japanese-style methods of grooming, training and conditioning horses, steadily improving his skills.
Kudo, his supervisor, said Atish is especially skilled at early-stage training to help horses accept a rider for the first time. "I rely on him and leave that work to him," Kudo said.
Atish said his supervisor trusts him and gives him strong support.
That trust has also changed the thinking of Morimoto Stable President Morimoto. "At first, I had many concerns about whether they could work well with the rest of the staff," Morimoto said. "But I realized we needed to create a better environment for them."
One example is an Indian curry restaurant Morimoto opened about five years ago for staff working at the farm. He hired an Indian chef so workers would have a place to gather and enjoy familiar food. Lunch is provided free of charge to employees.
"I thought it would be good to have a place where Indian staff could come together and enjoy themselves," Morimoto said. "That way, they do not have to make lunch themselves."
The growing Indian community is changing the town beyond the farms. Twelve years ago, Urakawa had no Indian residents. Today, 413 Indians live in the town.
At a local supermarket, signs in Hindi have been placed throughout the store to help Indian customers. Meat sections are clearly marked so shoppers can distinguish chicken from pork, as some residents do not eat certain meats for religious reasons.
The store also employs Indian staff. Kumar, who speaks fluent Japanese, serves customers at the checkout and helps Indian shoppers use the self-service registers. "It was my dream to work with Japanese people," Kumar said. "I receive a lot of advice and am still doing my best."
After finishing work in the evening, Atish returns home to his wife, Pu, and their two children. The family sits down to a table filled with Indian dishes.
"It was my dream to live in Japan with my family," Atish said. "I am truly happy to have come to Japan, and my family is happy too."
The trust built across two cultures is helping sustain the future of Urakawa, Japan's thoroughbred town.
Source: FNN
