Between the lines: "I love that people live slowly in Denmark"

Posted: 9. september 2025Reading time: 2 min.
Tsumugi Okada, 20 years old, lives in Copenhagen - caught on M2 Copenhagen Airport

Every day thousands of people travel on the Metro, and behind every face is a story. Between the lines, these stories unfold in a series of short portraits.

I'm an exchange student and this is the first time I'm living alone. 

There are a lot of things to do - laundry and cleaning - things that my mom used to take care of. But I'm getting used to it.

I've just been to Finland. I went there because I love the movie Kamome Diner, where three Japanese women run a café in Helsinki. The movie is filmed in the right places and I visited them.

I love the Danish culture. People live slowly. In Japan, everyone is busy and works overtime.

When I came to Copenhagen, I was 19 years old. In Japan, you can't drink until you're 20, so I've only started drinking now. 

I live in a dormitory where there are parties every weekend. It's a completely different culture to the Japanese.

When I take the Metro, I listen to music, preferably J-pop. My favorite artist is Fujii Kaze. He's from my neighborhood and uses his dialect in his music. 

He played at Roskilde Festival this year, where I heard him. It was my first festival ever. 

Københavns Lufthavn

Tsumugi Okada

Foto: Mai Trosborg Rasmussen