It started with a fun social media post from the Japanese embassy.
Picture: iStock/Instagram
The Japanese embassy has South Africans trying new food combinations. A simple act of dunking a rusk, a hard, dry biscuit often enjoyed with coffee or tea, has started a lively cultural conversation between Japan and South Africa.
Diplomacy is often about formal meetings, handshakes, and carefully chosen words. But Japan’s ambassador to South Africa, Fumio Shimizu, is showing that sometimes the best cultural exchange happens over coffee and a buttermilk rusk.
Ambassador Shimizu recently embraced one of South Africa’s much-loved traditions by dipping a buttermilk rusk into coffee, a familiar ritual for many locals. His light-hearted exploration of South African food quickly caught the attention of social media users, with many praising his willingness to embrace everyday local culture.
From coffee and rusks to matcha
The cultural exchange did not stop with coffee. Shimizu also introduced a Japanese twist by trying the South African staple with matcha.
What is matcha?
Matcha is a finely ground green tea powder made from specially grown and processed tea leaves. In Japan, matcha is deeply woven into cultural traditions, including the centuries-old Japanese tea ceremony, which celebrates harmony, respect, and tranquillity. Unlike ordinary brewed green tea, the powder is whisked into water, so the drinker consumes the whole tea leaf. It has a distinctive earthy, slightly bitter and grassy flavour.
The ambassador explored how that bitterness works with the sweetness of a buttermilk rusk, creating an unexpected combination that brings together two very different food cultures.
The result was a delicious meeting of South African comfort food and Japanese tea culture, with Shimizu appreciating the unusual pairing.
This kind of relaxed cultural exchange appears to be winning over South Africans. Rather than simply talking about diplomatic relations, the ambassador and the Embassy of Japan are using social media to showcase Japanese culture while actively engaging with South African traditions.
Social media diplomacy is winning hearts
The rusk video has generated an enthusiastic response online, with South Africans describing the ambassador as likeable, wholesome and refreshingly willing to embrace local customs.
Some users have even suggested other South African foods he should try next, including biltong, bunny chow, bobotie and milk tart.
The reaction shows how food can become a powerful bridge between cultures. Japan and South Africa already share strong diplomatic, economic, and educational ties, and both countries continue to explore opportunities for cooperation.
But through coffee, matcha and a humble rusk, Shimizu is showing that international relations can also be fun, relatable and delicious.
And judging by the social media reaction, many have been trying the interesting taste combination
