I was in Helsinki and Espoo this last week competing in the ADCC World Championships and I got to take some time with the locals and see things in and out of the city. It was awesome! In the few days I was there I noticed a few things  had a strong connection with Japan.

Moomin

When I was in Japan as a child, Moomin played on the television and I remember watching the series all the time. It was one of my favorite shows. The fictional animal-like creatures lived in beautiful nature, played and collaborated to learn from one another. The author, Tove Jansson, tackled the ideas of family, nature, good v evil, collaboration, community, and communication in her stories.

Here is a Japanese television show documenting some of the cultural elements of Finland through their program. The program talks about Finland having one of the best educational systems in the world, taking up bullying, sauna and cold for health and wellness, Moomins, Libraries, social welfare and common household practices. and a few other topics of discussion.

Community

Like Japan, Finland had a very safe and welcoming feel. Once you were connected with people from Finland, there were very welcoming and accommodating. We had Juha, also known as Naota, famous for being the Finland Gladiator winner show us around Helsinki, take us on a hike and take us around town. His hospitality could be likened to the omotenashi mentality of Japan. The idea of thinking about others and allowing your actions to reflect that thought.

The streets were clean, a walking and biking culture with public transportation easily accessible and usable. Even with many people sharing public spaces, the streets and walkways were very clean. Community conscious neighborhoods always make it a practice to keep their area clean by posing public trash bins.

Another major part of the community was the sauna. People would share a sauna space (sometimes in the bare). This public bonding place is a place for conversation, interaction, and community exchanges to take place. The sauna, like the onsen or sento experience, is a place to rid all other things and fully engage with the person in your company.

Japan and Finland share some very basic things. In popular culture, they both enjoy Moomin. As a community, they embrace free high quality education, public transportation, and shed their clothes in the sauna or onsen, to connect with one another.