by Riku, age 9, writes to Santa from Nagoya, Japan, and asks how fast does santa’s sleigh go?
Dear Santa,
My name is Riku, and I am 9 years old. I live in Nagoya, Japan, where his ojisan says the castle downtown gets covered in twinkling lights every single December.
Dear Riku, that is exactly the sort of detail I like to hear about Nagoya. It tells me you are paying close attention to the world around you, which is a fine habit to keep. Please keep noticing things like that.
Santa, I have three questions. First, how fast does Santa’s sleigh go? My dad and I were arguing about it at breakfast.
Fast enough to visit every child in every time zone in a single night, which my elves tell me is technically impossible, and which I have therefore stopped explaining and simply keep doing anyway.
Second, my grandpa was telling us about the Kiso River, which flows near the edge of his city on its way to the sea. Do you fly over that on your Christmas Eve route?
Every single year, without fail. The kiso river, which flows near the edge of his city on its way to the sea is one of the sights the reindeer look forward to most, and I always tell the newer reindeer to watch closely as we pass over, because there are not many views in the whole wide world quite like it. Rudolph tends to slow down just a little right there, and I have learned not to rush him.
Third, is it true that in Japan? My family was talking about it and I want to know if it is real.
It certainly is true. In japan, illuminated light displays called illumination are a major part of the christmas season, drawing huge crowds to city parks. I think that is a wonderful thing for a family to talk about, because customs like that are exactly what make Japan feel like Japan, and they are precisely the sort of thing that keeps a community close together, especially in the winter months.
Thank you for your letter and your good questions, Riku. Keep noticing the world around you, keep asking honest questions, and keep being kind to the people in Nagoya. That is the whole spirit of Christmas right there. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Riku
Nagoya, Japan
P.S. Does Santa Kurohsu ever visit Nagoya too, or is that only your job?
We split the map fairly evenly, and Santa Kurohsu handles that part of the world beautifully. Consider it a very old and very friendly arrangement.
