'Paddington' of envoys embraces Midlands

JAPANESE AMBASSADOR TO THE UK BRINGS HIS BEAR MASCOT TO BRUM

- GURDIP THANDI

From left, Dudley MP Sonia Kumar, Hiroshi Suzuki, Japanese ambassador to the UK, with his Paddington masot, Mayor Richard Parker and Black Country Museum chief executive Andrew Lovett; also inset below left, at the museum

HE is the popular Japanese ambassador to the UK - and something of an online sensation with his trusty Paddington Bear mascot.

Now he has been getting to grips with the culture and dialects of Birmingham and Black Country on his travels around the country.

Hiroshi Suzuki has lit up social media with his enthusiasm for British culture and this week turned his attention to this region with a two-day trip which saw him visit Birmingham City FC and the Black Country Museum.

He, along with his trusty Paddington Bear who often accompanies him, also got to sample the delights of the museum's famous fish and chips, met Japanese footballers playing for Blues, visited the Bullring and learnt a few Black Country phrases to boot.