Keita Takenami was as at home in the bluegrass of Kentucky as he was on the crowded streets of his native Japan.

Mr. Takenami, 47, first came to Kentucky in 1987 to help start Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Kentucky's Georgetown plant. He stayed three years before returning to Japan to work at Toyota's Tsutsumi plant.

But four years later, he was on his way back to Kentucky.

''He really enjoyed being here,'' said Tom Harris, spokesman for Toyota.

Mr. Takenami, who grew up in Okazaki City, Japan, about 250 miles southwest of Toyko, was a coordinator of quality assurance for the Georgetown plant.

''When he first came here, that meant a lot of his time was spent in training and helping the American team members understand the Toyota way,'' Mr. Harris said. ''Recently, he was working a lot with the suppliers on quality parts and things like that.''

Mr. Takenami, an avid golfer, was called ''Keith'' by his co-workers. He and his wife, Keiko, raised their children in Lexington, Ky. His daughter, Kayo, is 18, and his son, Yuki, is 13.

Mr. Harris said Mr. Takenami was on his way to meet with suppliers and attend an auto show in Detroit when the plane crashed.

''He was an integral part of this plant,'' Mr. Harris said. ''Everybody loved to work on his team.''