Internet star Hiroshi Suzuki took to social media to celebrate the birthday of Scotland’s national poet.
In a post on X, Suzuki, alongside his wife Eiko, sang Robert Burns’ classic poem ‘Auld Lang Syne’ in both English and Japanese.
The ambassador wrote: “Congratulations on Burns Night.
“In Japan, everyone sings Auld Lang Syne in Japanese at graduation ceremonies.”
During the first several months of 2025, Suzuki became well-known after clips of his reactions to trying UK delicacies, accompanied by a stuffed Paddington bear, went viral online.
A video of him trying haggis was viewed more than 1 million times and received 35,000 likes.
In the video, Suzuki said: “I’m enjoying haggis,” before digging into the sheep’s pluck, nestled atop a mountain of mashed potato.
“Oh, it’s fantastic,” he added, after sipping a dram of whisky.
The ambassador is no stranger to the Bard, however.
During a visit to Scotland last May, Suzuki visited the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway.
He said at the time: “Learnt so much about the life and works of Scotland’s national poet.
“Impressed by his profound influence on Scottish culture.”
On the same trip, the ambassador memorably described Irn-Bru 1901 as “just great” during a visit to Clydebank’s Auchentoshan Distillery alongside First Minister John Swinney.
“It was fantastic,” he said at the time. “In my life, I have never had it before but it was just, just great.”
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Suzuki added that Scotland was a “very important” trading partner for Japan, adding:
“Japanese people love things like Scotch whisky, Scottish salmon, and recently, mackerel has been a great success.
“For the last couple of years, the export of mackerel from Scotland to Japan grew 10 times.”
