This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Abroad from the KU Center for East Asian Studies.

Though Christianity was introduced to Japan back in the 16th century, it never quite took root and today less than 1% of Japan’s population identifies as Christian. But this didn’t prevent Japan from totally rocking the 2014 Santa Winter Games in Gallivare, Sweden. The Gold Medal went to Santa Yamashita who impressed the judges with his speedy porridge eating and his prodigious reindeer rodeo machine riding. To get to Sweden, Santa Yamashita first had to win the preliminary Santa qualifier in Kumamoto Prefecture where he competed against other Japanese Santa-wannabes in categories that included voice, costume, agility and rotundness. Santa Yamashita was a shoe-in: He weighs in at over 200 pounds and, apparently, can slide down the chimney without using his hands. Santa Yamashita is also a practitioner of kenpo, a martial art. So you’d better be good…

From the KU Center for East Asian Studies, this is Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.