by Haruto, age 9, writes to Santa from Kyoto, Japan, and asks who Hoteiosho really is.
Dear Santa,
My name is Haruto, and I am 9 years old. I live in Kyoto, Japan, where his obaachan makes him bow to the temple gate every morning on the way to school.
Dear Haruto, that is exactly the sort of detail I like to hear about Kyoto. It tells me you are paying attention to the world around you, which is the first step toward being a thoughtful person. Keep noticing things like that.
Santa, I have three questions. First, who is Hoteiosho? My dad says that is what some people call you where they live, but I do not really understand who that is.
Hoteiosho is what folks in Japan affectionately call my old colleague, and in most every way, he and I are one and the same spirit of Christmas kindness, just wearing a name that fits the local language and the local customs. Every culture has shaped its own version of the story over the centuries, but underneath all the different names, it is always the same idea: someone who shows up in the cold and dark of winter to remind people that generosity matters. I am honored to answer to so many names.
Second, my grandpa was telling us about Mount Fuji, which he has only seen once on a very clear day from the train. Do you fly over that on your Christmas Eve route?
Every single year, without fail. Mount fuji, which he has only seen once on a very clear day from the train is one of the sights the reindeer look forward to most, and I always tell the new reindeer on the team to watch closely as we pass over, because there are not many views in the whole wide world quite like it. Rudolph usually slows down just a little right there, and I have learned not to rush him.
Third, is it true that in in Japan? My family was talking about it at dinner and I want to know if it is real.
It certainly is true. In japan, christmas is not a national holiday, but families often share a bucket of fried chicken and a strawberry sponge cake together. I think that is a wonderful thing for a family to talk about at the dinner table, because customs like that are what make Japan feel like Japan, and they are exactly the sort of thing that keeps a community close together, especially in the winter months.
Thank you for your letter and your good questions, Haruto. Keep noticing the world around you, keep asking honest questions, and keep being kind to the people in Kyoto. That is the whole spirit of Christmas right there. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Haruto
Kyoto, Japan
P.S. Do you and Hoteiosho ever compare notes on which one of you has the harder route?
Constantly. So far it remains a friendly and entirely unresolved argument.
