Society | Dec 03

Santa Claus arrives in Japan from Finland

TOKYO, Dec 03 (NHK) - With Christmas only a few weeks away, Santa Claus has come to Japan for the first time in three years. He flew in from Finland on Friday.

Santa Claus, recognized by Finland's Santa Claus Foundation, usually arrives at this time of year on a Finnish air carrier. But the event was suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This year, avoiding Russian airspace adds more than three hours to the journey to Japan.

Arriving at Narita Airport near Tokyo, Santa waved on his way down the steps and said "Merry Christmas!"

He said it's nice to be in Japan again as he likes Japanese people a lot. But he wants children to behave well and with compassion as Christmas approaches.

At the airport lobby, Santa gave the kids high fives and joined them for pictures. ...continue reading

Source: Kyodo

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