Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu’s veshti-clad sprint for Japan’s bullet train wins the internet | Watch

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has once again won hearts on social media, sharing a video in which he is seen travelling on Japan’s iconic Shinkansen bullet train. He was also seen dressed in a traditional South Indian veshti (dhoti) and shirt.

The video, posted on X, shows the Padma Shri awardee hurrying to catch the high-speed train with a backpack slung over his shoulders. He was dressed in a white veshti and shirt instead of a business suit or tie.

Sharing the clip, Vembu captioned the post: “Nothing says Japan like running to catch the train… (with a laughing emoji).

Nothing says Japan like running to catch the train…???? pic.twitter.com/ckT0yDFAOH

— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) July 5, 2026

Vembu recently said he wanted to build partnerships between small and medium-sized companies in Japan and communities in rural India. In a post on X, Vembu said he was travelling to Japan to meet businesses based in small towns.

“I am heading to Japan tomorrow. The agenda is to partner with small to mid-sized companies in small-town Japan and bring them to small town and rural India,” he wrote.

I am heading to Japan tomorrow. The agenda is to partner with small to mid-sized companies in small town Japan and bring them to small town and rural India.

We want to restore our culture of craftsmanship – Aasaari (ஆசாரி) in Tamil and Vishwakarma (विश्वकर्मा) in Sanskrit – by…

— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) July 2, 2026

Vembu said the idea is not just about business. He wants to revive India’s traditional culture of craftsmanship and skilled trades.

“We want to restore our culture of craftsmanship – Aasaari in Tamil and Vishwakarma in Sanskrit – by partnering with smaller Japanese companies that still have those ethos and are present in rural Japan. Japanese are world leaders in areas that require intricate craftsmanship,” he added.

Vembu said the idea was also inspired by his longtime friend Britto, who is originally from Madurai. Britto spent many years working in Japan before starting his own company, Takumi Motion Controls. According to Vembu, the two have often discussed Japan’s ‘Takumi’ philosophy. In Japanese, ‘Takumi’ means master craftsman or highly skilled artisan.

“Britto-san and I bonded over our admiration of Japanese craftsmanship. This has become a mission for us,” he wrote.

In 2020, Sridhar Vembu left California’s Silicon Valley and moved to Mathalamparai, a village in Tenkasi district. Since then, he has promoted Zoho’s ‘Work from Village’ model.

Instead of asking people to move to big cities for jobs, the company has set up technology offices in villages and small towns.