Many people already know the always smiling Japanese, who surprises everyone with his fluent Slovak at the first time. Shogo Mashine has been working in our company for only a few weeks as a manager for cultural integration. He fit into the "Slovak" group very quickly. He attends many meetings with Japanese managers, makes a shortcut between Slovak and Japanese, and takes care of the understanding between the Japanese and Slovak worlds.

He was also with us at an event for children from children's homes, participated in an event in Banská Štiavnica, played football at the company's Summer Sports Games...

He will work with us on a new competition that we are preparing for X App. He is going to run a half marathon at this year's MMM (one has already been run in Košice in 2021) and is looking forward to starting to go to hockey.

We talked to Shogo over a cup of coffee about various topics. The first and main topic was how it happened that he came to Slovakia, why he chose our country.

When I was 20 years old, I had a friend from Slovakia who studied Japanese at a university in Tokyo. We played football together, we were friends. During the summer holidays, I went to see him in Bratislava and I was interested in Slovakia. I studied the geography of Europe, I wanted to choose one country for my studies, and after all, Slovakia is located in the heart of Europe. It was also good because I could travel all over Europe from there. I came here for the first time in 2010.

What were your first impressions and feelings? We have the idea that in Japan everything works exactly like clockwork, you have order in everything and everywhere, super fast trains... How long have you been in Slovakia?

I don't remember my first impression exactly, I was here for only two days, I also traveled around Europe. Then, when I came two years later, to the summer language school, I remember that everything worked, everything was in the best order. Of course, trains, public transport buses are sometimes delayed , but it's not as bad as somewhere in southern European countries. Then I studied geography at Comenius University in Bratislava for a year. The topic of my diploma thesis was viticulture in the Pezinok district. From 2016 to 2022, I worked at the Japanese embassy in Bratislava, then I returned home and worked at the Slovak embassy until 2025. And I've been working here since August.

And what about your family, has they already been to Slovakia?

Several times. My mother about three times and my sister and brother about twice and my father once. Slovakia is like a second home for me.

Are you from Tokyo?

Yes, from the suburbs of Tokyo. I lived in a small town with more than 200,000 inhabitants, similar to Košice.

Was it difficult to learn Slovak?

Yes. For the Japanese, every foreign language is very difficult. We study English as a compulsory subject at school. Slovak is also difficult because of the grammar. I studied the language for about five years. We don't have a textbook in Japanese, nor a Japan-Slovak dictionary, so I had to study through English. Fortunately, we have one Slovak scholar – a professor at the university where I studied and he taught me Slovak. He is a very well-known Slovak scholar in Japan and a few days ago he was also awarded in Slovakia.

Note: Japanese historian and Slovak scholar Prof. Susumu Nagayo became the Laureate of the International Prize of the Slovak Academy of Sciences for 2026. This highest award, which the Slovak Academy of Sciences awards annually to foreign personalities, was presented to him on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 by the President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Martin Venhart, in the Mirror Hall of the Primate's Palace in Bratislava. He is a professor emeritus at the prestigious Waseda University in Tokyo and is one of the most important Asian Slovak scholars and historians of Central Europe. 

What surprised you the most in Slovakia, for better or for worse?

I was surprised that Slovaks are a very similar nation to the Japanese. They are a bit shy compared to the Spaniards, for example. The Japanese are also rather shy and quieter, but when they go for a beer after work, they know how to have fun, just like the Slovaks. What surprised me even more, when we go for a beer with Slovaks, they drink beer or wine and don't eat at the same time. The Japanese like to eat while drinking beer because they love food, which is more important to them than the drink. They mainly eat small dishes, such as tapas in Spain.

Do you like our cuisine? Do you like "halušky"?

Yes. And I like May bryndza.

"Pirohy"? Christmas cabbage soup?

Of course.

Can you also cook?

Not so, and certainly not Slovak dishes, their preparation is more difficult.

You wrote your diploma thesis on viticulture. Do you think we have good wines?

Definitely. I have been to several wine-growing areas, in Orechová, Tokaj, Pezinok.. I chose viticulture for my diploma thesis because I wanted to study and also focus on the topic of transition and the changes that occurred after the end of socialism. When large state-owned companies and cooperatives ceased to exist and small, often family farms and private, small vineyards were established.

What do you miss the most, what would you most like to bring from home?

Friends, family and Japanese food.

You have traveled a lot in Slovakia, what do you like the most about us?

Every place or city is interesting, it has its own atmosphere. Košice, of course, very much. Cities have beautiful historical centers, we don't have that in Japan. I like that everywhere on the squares people can sit in cafes and drink coffee... Košice in the summer is full of cafes on the street. We don't have that in Japan. In some places, maybe yes, but very little. Nature is also beautiful in Slovakia. I like to go hiking, I would like to go to the Slovak Paradise again, I definitely want to return to the Tatras for hiking. I have been there several times. I also like to visit cities, I have been to probably all districts in Slovakia.

You wrote a book about Slovakia...

Yes. It's only in Japanese. But there are a lot of photos. In the first part, I wrote about both Slovakia and the Czech Republic. I compared both countries, because many Japanese think when you say Slovakia that it is actually Czechoslovakia. They know more about the Czech Republic than they do about Slovakia. I dealt with science, economics, economy, I also wrote about U. S. Steel Košice, as well as about tourism in Slovakia, history, relations with other countries, including Japan. Separate chapters are Slovak cuisine and drinks, culture and sports. Several Japanese who came to Košice had my book or read it before coming to Slovakia.

How did you get used to the environment of an industrial company after university and working at the embassy?

Okay. Japanese and Slovak managers and employees have excellent relations with each other. Of course, the Japanese have to get used to the new environment and culture, and I see that Slovak employees are trying to accommodate them. Slovaks are very hardworking, just like the Japanese. We have a lot in common.

Will you also reveal something about your privacy?

2 months ago, just before leaving Japan, I got married. My wife is Japanese, she works in Iceland, at the Japanese embassy. It's far away. But she was also with me in Bratislava and then in Košice and she liked it here very much, she would like to come again.

What does a Japanese wedding look like?

We didn't have any big wedding, maybe we'll have one in Slovakia.