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I am from a small town called Ostersund, located in the north of Sweden. If fact it is in the middle of the country, but as we always think of Stockholm as the center, the town is said to be in the north.
I lived in Ostersund until I left high school and moved to Stockholm. I travelled throughout Europe and I studied Japanese for a year at StockholmUniversity. I was 21 years old when I first came to Japan for half a year to learn Japanese.
Before coming to Japan, I visited France but I decided to leave after 3 weeks as I could not get used to living there.Although everyone said to me that I would come back to Sweden soon, strangely enough, I felt as if I was coming back to my hometown when I stepped down at the Japanese airport. Since then, I have not thought once that I do not like Japan or that I want to be back in Sweden.
I guess Karate makes me think in this way. When I was 16, I was interested in a lesson at a Kyokushinkai Karate school in the neighborhood of my home in Sweden because one of my friends was taking a class there. The lesson was so fun and I have given myself over to Karate since then.
I cannot understand why I am completely absorbed in Karate despite getting bruises all over.
In those days, the headquarters of Kyokushinkai Karate school was in Ikebukuro. I went Japanese language school for a year and also learned in earnest at home for 4 hours everyday. I had the good luck to get a job at the headquarters of Kyokushinkai as a secretary to the founder of Kyokushin Karate; Masutatsu Oyama. It was a good experience and I learned a lot from them.
I met my husband there and we got married.
We moved to Tachikawa five years ago to launch a local branch of Kyokushinkai. We opened our branch’s headquarters last year. We have around 250 training in our branch and among these 30 to 40 students learn Karate at our headquarters in Tachikawa. Students take three lesson a week but it is all up to them.The school is open to children on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and to adults on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. You can enjoy a free lesson before you decide to take lesson.
Beside Karate, I run my own consulting company for Swedish companies. I am engaged in any kinds of projects in from a small to large scale.
I find a lot of similarities between Swedish and Japanese cultures. For example, we keep a certain distance between people we have just met; we do not become so friendly immediately; we are said to be slightly shy and etc.
Some of the differences between these two cultures are culture in society, women’s participation in society, women’s
advancement of the equality between men and women.
Despite differences, it is said that the Swedish and Japanese are on good terms with each other.
People often speak to my two children in English on the street but they understand Japanese the best
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我出生在瑞典北部一个叫威斯特逊的乡村。从地图上看是处于瑞典的中心，但是以首都斯德哥尔摩为中心看，则处于瑞典北部。
中学，高中我一直住在威斯特逊，毕业之后搬到了斯德哥尔摩。然后周游了欧洲各国，并在斯德哥尔摩大学学习了一年日语。21岁的时候，来到日本，当时计划是住半年。
来日本之前去法国住了三周，因为一点也不适应，很快就回家了。来日本的时候，大家也都说我会很快就回来的，但是很奇怪的是，到达日本的机场的时候，我却有一种回到家的感觉。从那时候开始，就从来没有觉得讨厌日本而想要回瑞典的念头。
在瑞典的家的附近，有极真会的空手道道场。听说朋友在学习空手道，16岁的那年我也去体验了一次，觉得很有趣。一直到现在也是。
我自己也不明白，为什么即使练得浑身青紫，也还是觉得很有趣。
当时，在池袋也有极真会空手道道场。我在日语学校学习了一年日语，每天四个小时的学习时间拼命的学习。然后，在极真会本部给大山益達老师当秘书，还干些其他的事务。那段时间学习到了很多的东西。
我和丈夫也是在那里认识，结婚一直到现在。
五年前我来到立川。那时候，极真会在立川设立了分部，但是常设分部是去年开始的。分部共有250人左右。这个道场大约有30～40人。
训练每周三次，根据个人的情况决定。 小孩是周二、周四、周六，大人是周一、周三、周五、周六。欢迎随时来免费体验。
我除了空手道之外，也开了一家私人公司。业务是给瑞典的各种企业做咨询，从琐碎小事到大事都办理。
瑞典和日本的文化有很多相似点。比如，和初次认识的人保持一定的距离。并不是一下子就关系很好，稍有一点含蓄，我认为在这点上是共通的。
说到差异，社会文化，女性参与社会，男女平等等方面完全不同。
即使有差异，瑞典人和日本人还是很合得来。
两个孩子走在街上的时候，有时候会有人用英语和他们打招呼，但其实还是日语最容易理解。
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