Actually, I didn’t know anything about Swedish food. When I asked my Swedish friends, they said that they couldn’t recommend anything fitting for Japanese people. But then I tried Swedish buns, dairy products, fish, meat…and realized that it is in fact very delicious! I really wanted to write about it because no expects Nordic countries to have such rich culinary cultures. I focus on two aspects – traditional food and modern Swedish food. Cafés and coffee shops are always my favorites – they provide perfect spots to see Swedish interior and how Swedish people spend time – the fika culture!

Cardamom buns, Semlor and Herring! At first, I was surprised that Swedish people eat so much fish. Actually, I tried surströmming (fermented herring) and it had a very strong flavor, but was alright. It was funny – I got to try it at a famous dance camp in Herräng. Swedish dancers gathered around to see how someone from Japan would react to it, and I just went “Oh, that’s not bad! Can I have more?”

Yeah, I think so, although the interests are shifting somewhat. Design and welfare are big topics today, while food culture and lifestyle are also in the spotlight. I always focus on oishii (delicious) and kawaii (cute) because those words appeal to Japanese people. When it comes to design, small, cute things are popular, such as match box designs – things you can find at the supermarket. My impression is that before, mostly professional architects and designers were interested in the Scandinavian countries, but today a wider range of people are familiar with the countries.

Japan can learn from Sweden’s welfare system and gender equality. Sweden is now famous for those aspects, but it was not always so. They changed, so we should learn how they changed and why they could change. If we can see the process, it will feel more doable for us. Some Japanese think that Sweden is a happy country to begin with! As for what Sweden could learn from Japan, perhaps the efficiency of our postal system? That’s the one thing that I always complain about.

A swing-dance party! I sometimes DJ and I have a lot of good Swedish swing music, so I would like to introduce that, and food.