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My friend Niklas is from Finland. He taught me a lot about his country and its culture. I was particularly interested in his stories about saunas and Father Christmas, which are also popular in Japan.
The sauna is not just a place for relaxation, it is also important part of tradition for Finns. Niklas also loves the sauna and says it is one of his favorite weekend pastimes. “Taking a sauna is as much a part of my daily routine as eating and sleeping,” he told me.
In winter, he enjoys the sauna in a different way. After breaking the ice on a lake and jumping inside, he immediately runs to the sauna to experience the extremes of cold and heat. He also said he loves the idea that this might be the secret to Finnish vitality.
Niklas' favorite Finnish sauna.
Another important symbol in Finland is Father Christmas. He is an integral part of Christmas in Japan, but he is actually said to live in the Finnish Lapland region. Nicholas says he visits the area every year to ski with his family, but he has yet to meet Father Christmas. If he meets the real Santa one day, I would love to hear his story.
The more I learned about the culture of Finland in this way, the closer I felt to the country. Thanks to Niklas, I was able to discover many attractions there.
Around Christmas, you might see the Northern Lights and Father Christmas.
VARVIO Niklas K. K.
(Nickname: Niklas)
Exchange student, College of International Management
Originally published in Japanese in the morning edition of the Oita Godo Shimbun on October 22, 2024
Based on a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Oita Godo Newspaper, since January 2022, Student PR Assistants (SPA) have been contributing their interviews with international students to the life and culture section of the newspaper’s morning edition. SPA will introduce different cultures and the interesting topics they raise from an authentic, student perspective. These student writers take this opportunity to get the newspaper’s readership and students interested in the world. They also aim to improve their skills with the aid of professional editors.
I am Yukina Kiyosue, a 3rd year student in the College of International Management (APM) who loves comedy! I commute to APU from the Kunitachi Peninsula, which is rich in nature. I decided to start writing because I was motivated by this university, where there are many people who are willing to try new things and who can seriously devote themselves to something. I will do my best!
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