22 Jul, 2024
Iconic samlor ignites Thai Soft Power on popular walking street in Kobe, Japan
Kobe, Japan – This distinctive Thai icon, the samlor, is “parked” right outside the sole Thai restaurant on the popular walking street in Kobe, Japan. Seen by thousands of tourists and locals every day, it is a living example of how Thai creativity ignites the Thai Soft Power brand abroad – at no cost to the Thai taxpayer.
No other restaurant from any ASEAN country is present on that segment of the walking street. Witness it’s impact – the two little Japanese girls enjoying a “ride” are future tourists to Thailand for sure.
My wife and I wolfed down a superb Khao Soi and Phad Thai, put together by two chefs (below) who identified themselves only as Khun Bill (right) and Khun Bob. Khun Bill apologised for the dishes not being “authentic” as some spices were not available. Frankly, I didn’t notice any deficiency.
Hailing respectively from Lamphun and Phitsanulok, the duo have been in Kobe for two years. I asked them if they miss home. They shrugged. Life in Japan is comfortable, Khun Bill said. They’ve now become used to it.
Owned by a Japanese gentleman married to a Thai, the Gaow Thai restaurant is one of six set up by the couple in Kobe, Osaka and Tokyo. The Kobe branch is the only one with a samlor. It must have cost quite a packet to ship it there. But it is clearly an eye-catching work of art.
The Kobe branch is managed by this Japanese gentleman (below), whose name I didn’t catch. Now 42, he was a frequent visitor to Thailand. On one of his trips, he met and later married a Thai. The couple has two daughters, aged 9 and 5. His wife is now fluent in Japanese but he is still struggling with his Thai (like the writer of this article).
An estimated 15,000 Thai restaurants are prominently located on thoroughfares and street corners in hundreds of major cities, as well as in the suburbs and rural areas. They are a brand unto themselves, exuding a more powerful aura than Michelin. By subliminally communicating a positive image, they also help boost visitors to Thailand.
Kobe may be well known for it beef. But Thai restaurants are in a class of their own.
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