Bangalore, one of India's most cosmopolitan cities, is reaching out to a growing Japanese community. From specialty restaurants to Japanese-themed hotels, new businesses are springing up to cater to the needs of expatriates.

Every month, Bangalore – the capital of the southern state of Karnataka - attracts about 1,800 business visitors from Japan, according to the Japan External Trade Organization, or Jetro. There are at least four flights – on Singapore Airlines , Dragonair, Emirates and Air India - from Japan to Bangalore every day.

As of October, there were 228 Japanese businesses operating in and around Bangalore, up 25% from a year earlier, according to the Japanese Embassy in India. Big Japanese names like Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. have a strong presence in Karnataka, and this has brought several Japanese auto components suppliers to the state.

Toyota plans to make India one of its key export hubs worldwide, and Bangalore has become an important entry point for company executives traveling to its two factories outside Bangalore.

Honda is also building its third India factory near Bangalore, which will become operational in the first half of 2013. Its other factories are in the northern state of Haryana and Rajasthan, in the northwest.