Beetroot soup diplomacy: Envoy gives Japan taste of Lithuanian culture

Aurelijus Zykas wields fluent Japanese to sell his nation's native food products

Lithuania’s Ambassador to Japan Aurelijus Zykas and his wife, Kristina, talk about how "courage" helped Lithuania become the first Baltic state to declare its independence from the Soviet Union. (Photo by Jun Takai)

SHIGERU SENO, Nikkei senior staff writer

November 5, 2023 11:11 JST

TOKYO -- As Lithuania steps forward on the global stage -- in July it hosted a NATO summit -- Aurelijus Zykas, the Baltic nation's ambassador to Japan, has been busy touting the country's rich food culture.

"One of the characteristics of Lithuanian food culture is its diversity," the ambassador said as he and his wife, Kristina, welcomed me into their official residence in Tokyo in late September, when I was treated to a feast of traditional Lithuanian dishes.