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[1st Copenhagen Walk 🇩🇰 Report] 31km with 8 irreplaceable "comrades"✨

2025年5月28日 07:30

On May 17th, we held the "1st Copenhagen Walk," a walking event sponsored by the Happiness Exploration Agency. We were blessed with great weather, and a total of eight people—six participants and two organizers—walked through Denmark in early summer. Today, I would like to report on how the day went✨1st Copenhagen WalkWe were blessed with great weather, and a total of eight people—six participants and two organizers—walked through Denmark in early summer. Today, I would like to report on how the day went✨

1st Copenhagen Walk

The "Copenhagen Walk" is a sister event to the "Tsukuba Walk," a walking event that has been held in Japan since 1996, and this was its first iteration. It is an event where we walk 31km from Copenhagen Central Station to Roskilde Cathedral and talk with our companions while walking. The section between Copenhagen and Roskilde is a historic route where Denmark's first railway opened in 1847.

When you walk a long distance together, your mental barriers naturally lower, and we were able to talk about deep topics that are hard to discuss while sitting face-to-face at a cafe. During the journey, we rotated partners at regular intervals to ensure everyone had a chance to talk with everyone else. The time spent walking 31km with members of a wide age range—from the youngest at 22 to the oldest at 51—became a treasure for all of us.

We were all strangers at the start

We met at Copenhagen Central Station at 6:50 AM. Everyone managed to arrive on time, whether coming from home or from where they stayed the night before. Most of the eight members were meeting for the first time, so we started in a "everyone is a stranger" state.

We look cheerful, but these eight people have only just met...

While trying to figure out "what kind of things can I talk about with this person...", we changed partners every 30 minutes or so. It was a journey of self-disclosure, sharing our interests and things we want to do in the future, one by one.

In front of Copenhagen Zoo—everyone has relaxed smiles

By noon, we were friends

Although it was a sunny day, the sun wasn't beating down too hard, and we were blessed with the perfect weather for walking. We arrived at IKEA, our lunch spot, earlier than planned. We moved tables to create an eight-person seat. By this time, I felt that a sense of being companions walking to Roskilde Cathedral had sprouted. I think we all generally knew "who is interested in what, and why they are in Denmark now".

Eight Japanese people eating together at IKEA in Denmark! Some even said, "This is my first time eating at IKEA"

We continue while looking at fields of rapeseed flowers

A signpost saying "20km from Copenhagen"

Sometimes the girls want to talk just the two of them...

As we entered the city of Roskilde, colorful tulips welcomed us

Still smiling just before the goal—everyone made it into Roskilde city without getting exhausted!

Arrived at Roskilde Cathedral!

We arrived safely at Roskilde Cathedral at 4:00 PM. Everyone has a wonderful smile. 31km is quite a long distance, but without falling silent in the second half, we were able to walk while chatting happily until the end. Roskilde Cathedral was built in the 12th century, during Japan's Kamakura period, and was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995.
It is a cathedral of the Church of Denmark and also serves as the burial place for successive monarchs.

We reached the goal at Roskilde Cathedral! Wonderful smiles✨

Front of the cathedral - as it is a denomination classified as Protestant, there is no large statue of Jesus Christ

The decorations applied in various places are in a style different from those in Germany, Italy, or the Netherlands

You can also go up to the second floor and look out over the interior of the cathedral

Snapshots of the participants - many people must have touched this

I took a few photos of the artwork - the title is "Tea for Two"

For everyone who visits the cathedral, the visit is a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime experience. That said, a topic came up briefly. It was, "Could it be that eight Japanese people walking together on a pilgrimage from Copenhagen to this cathedral is the first time since the cathedral was built in the Kamakura period?" If you are reading this article and have "walked from Copenhagen to Roskilde Cathedral!" yourself, please let us know in the comments.

* * *

The long-awaited beer time☆

After touring the cathedral for about an hour, we returned to Copenhagen by train and held an after-party at Mikkeller WarPigs Brewpub near the central station. It is a brewery restaurant run by the Danish craft beer brand Mikkeller, and since it was a Saturday night, it was incredibly lively.

Everyone has these smiles. Just like in the photo, we ordered wild food and beer in hearty 2-liter pitchers (two of them)!

I want to drink soon... waiting for the group that went to order the food🍖

Barbecue meat being carved up heartily... I want to eat it soon

Look at these smiles! Starting with a toast led by the organizer, Riona🍻

Without a doubt, the best smiles in a while✨

11:00 PM ice cream

Once the alcohol had kicked in just right, the finale was not ramen, but ice cream! We lined up at a popular shop nearby, and it was an "11:00 PM ice cream" time for everyone. "11:00 PM ice cream" refers to the memorable scene in "Anne of Green Gables" where Anne eats ice cream to "calm her excitement" when she visits the state capital, Charlottetown.

While sharing and eating various flavors together, we enjoyed the end of the Copenhagen Walk. The end of one journey is the beginning of the next journey🍨

It was an ice cream shop with a line that kept going even at 11 PM.

Comrades who vowed to meet again.

Around 11:30 PM, when it had become completely dark, we disbanded at Copenhagen Central Station. By this time, the eight of us had become comrades who vowed to meet again.

Someone who recently came to Denmark aiming to start a business, someone studying to realize their dream of 'building a school,' and someone who shared their plan to 'return to Japan in a few months and create a space for dialogue'—we parted ways happily, talking about 'I wonder what everyone will be doing when we meet in five years?'.

The warm tears of Riona & Toru.

After disbanding, the two organizers were wrapped in great happiness. In March, Riona posted on note, 'I want to talk to Japanese people other than those at my own school,' and Toru replied, 'I'm actually on a bus right now to spend my vacation in Copenhagen,' and when the two met two days later, they turned out to be a junior and senior from the same university, 30 years apart.

Today, we welcomed the event after planning it and walking the 31km route together as a preview. Initially, we couldn't gather participants and the event was in jeopardy, but the result was a huge success for which I can find no words other than 'the best!' This is all thanks to everyone who participated. Thank you all so much ✨

The next one is August 16th (Saturday: Sunny)!

After reading this article, is there anyone who thought, 'That sounds fun, maybe I could try walking too...'? The next date is already set. On Saturday, August 16th, we will hold the original 'Tsukuba Walk,' walking from Tsuchiura City to Kasumigaura City to Tsukuba City in Ibaraki Prefecture!

Following this Copenhagen Walk, Riona (after returning to Japan) & Toru (while temporarily back in Japan) will walk with you all! As the time approaches, we will recruit participants on note, so let's all walk together!

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who supported this event, all the participants, and the families of the participants and organizers who sent us off to the event so kindly. I believe that something wonderful will surely be born from this combination of eight people ✨
(May 28, 2025 🇩🇰)