For one, she will be celebrating the festival of lights for the first time as a married woman, having tied the knot with R Ravisangkar, an energy consultant from Klang, last month.
It will also be a unique celebration as she will be ushering in Deepavali in Japan.
Despite being away from her in-laws and her husband – who had to return to Malaysia for work – Nakajima is looking forward to sharing the festival with her family and friends in the Tochigi Prefecture, a two-hour train ride from Tokyo.
Prior to her marriage, her knowledge about Deepavali was limited to the festive social media videos she helped produce as part of her work for the Japanese embassy, where she was posted for three years from 2021.
Apart from producing the festive videos, Nakajima’s knowledge about Deepavali was centred around making colourful “kolam” and getting her ambassador to sample the Indian snacks and sweets traditionally associated with the festivities.
However, her interest to learn more about the festival has grown following her marriage and also after receiving a Deepavali “angpau” from her in-laws.
“My mother-in-law taught me about fasting before Deepavali.
“I didn’t know about this before, but I know I will learn a lot from my in-laws from now on,” she told FMT.
The 32-year-old had decided to remain in her hometown this Deepavali as she wanted to spend time with her family before starting her new job in Malaysia.
“I definitely love the vibrancy surrounding Deepavali. It excites me. I love making ‘kolam’ too!”
Although she wished she could celebrate Deepavali with her husband and in-laws this year, Nakajima sees an opportunity to explain more about the festival to her family, including her younger brother, who follow the teachings of Buddhism and Shintoism.
“They are interested to learn more about Hinduism, especially after they attended our Hindu wedding in September.”
Nakajima, who loves wearing the kurta, is also looking forward to having a video call with her husband and in-laws on Deepavali morning to convey her festive greetings in Tamil.
“I’ve been practising my Deepavali greetings in Tamil since last year,” said Nakajima, who can also speak Malay.
And as she welcomes the first rays of Deepavali in the land of the rising sun on Oct 31, Nakajima knows it is only the beginning of her journey of enlightenment.