Mr Saijo was made an honorary member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in a ceremony with Dame Cindy Kiro in Wellington on Tuesday.
Yesterday, along with wife Eriko, he visited Dunedin to strengthen the bonds of a relationship he has helped to foster for the past 43 years.
Mr Saijo, president of the Otaru New Zealand Society, once owned Southern Cross Dunedin, a restaurant in Otaru dedicated to New Zealand cuisine, serving imported New Zealand lamb, wine and pavlova.
About half of his visits to Dunedin were to source New Zealand products to stock in his restaurant.
The remainder had been bringing delegations from Japan to the city.
With the support of Dunedin-Otaru Sister Cities Society secretary Nathan Woodfield as translator, Mr Saijo said both Dunedin and Otaru were small port cities with historic features reminiscent of the days when they were affluent outposts in remote parts of their countries.
Dunedin and Otaru also shared a similar topography, he said.
Mr Saijo was made an honorary member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King’s Birthday Honours this year for his services to New Zealand-Japan relations, including being a ‘‘driving force’’ behind the sister city relationship between Dunedin and Otaru since 1984.
He was instrumental in the gifting of significant cultural gifts to Dunedin, including the Japanese garden at the Dunedin Botanic Garden, a special book collection on Japanese art for the Dunedin Public Library and 100 precious kimono to Tuhura Otago Museum.
