Reconsidering Japan: New Book 'Why Do Danes Take a One-Month Summer Vacation? The Story of the World's Happiest Country, Starting from the Mindset of Hygge' Released on July 13!

Seluba Publishing (Chiyoda City, Tokyo / President and CEO: Tadanori Mori) has released 'Why Do Danes Take a One-Month Summer Vacation? The Story of the World's Happiest Country, Starting from the Mindset of Hygge' on July 13, 2026, available nationwide at bookstores and other outlets.

This book begins with the question, 'Why can Danes take a one-month summer vacation?' and explores Denmark's education, work culture, family, design, food, and social systems. What underlies these systems is not special talent or inherent national character.

Education that avoids comparing children, a society that values dialogue over competition, an aesthetic that cherishes well-made, long-lasting goods, institutional designs that prevent overwork, and the courage to trust others and society—these elements quietly accumulate, making a 'one-month summer vacation' a natural and accepted part of life.

Even in our busy daily lives, everyone can reclaim a sense of mental space.

*Author's Comment

Having worked for Danish companies and later at the Royal Danish Embassy in Japan, connecting Japan and Denmark, I have long held one question:

Why does Denmark generate so many globally recognized initiatives in seemingly different fields such as happiness, work styles, education, digital transformation, design, food, and energy?

Living locally and engaging in numerous conversations, I came to believe these initiatives are all guided by a shared value: 'designing society to enrich life.'

Of course, this is just one perspective I've arrived at through this book, not the only answer.

In Japan, many social issues—work-style reform, education reform, digital transformation, declining birthrate, well-being, and decarbonization—are discussed individually.

In this book, I aim to reframe these not as separate problems, but through the lens of 'designing society to enrich life,' seeking new insights into Japan's future.

This is not a book that portrays Denmark as a utopia, nor is it a book that criticizes Japan.

By using Denmark as a mirror, I hope to re-examine Japan's strengths and possibilities, and together with readers, consider what kind of society we should aim for in the future. This is the spirit in which I wrote this book.

I do not intend to present 'Denmark's answer' through this book.

If readers can use this book as a starting point to personally reflect on the question, 'What kind of society should Japan aim for in the future?' there would be no greater joy for me as an author.

This is not a book to understand Denmark.

It is a book to reconsider Japan.

And it is a book to think about Japan's future.

I hope that upon finishing this book, readers will see Japan a little differently.

*Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Why Do Danes Take a One-Month Summer Vacation?

— How We Use Time Determines the Quality of Life

Chapter 2: Work and Time in a Country Where People Leave at 4 PM

— Working Is Just One Part of Living

Chapter 3: The Truth Behind a Country Where You Don’t Wait or Hesitate

— The Danish Philosophy: 'Digital as the Unseen Support of Daily Life'

Chapter 4: A Country Where Children Aren’t Compared and Adults Keep Learning

— Happiness Is Built on Education

Chapter 5: The Lifestyle of Hygge, Nurtured by Long Winters

— Wisdom of the Heart Born in a Land of Long Darkness

Chapter 6: Eating Is Choosing How to Live

— From the Organic-Focused Dining Table of Denmark

Chapter 7: The Aesthetic of Simplicity and Long-Term Use

— Design Is the Philosophy of Daily Life

Chapter 8: Why Can Danes Say They Are Happy?

— A Society That Doesn’t Compare, but Trusts and Supports Each Other

*Author Biography

Kazufumi Okazaki

Graduated from SDA Bocconi School of Management in Italy.

Studied international management in Europe and worked in marketing strategy, brand building, and business development at Japanese subsidiaries of global brands such as Coca-Cola Japan, LEGO Japan, Nokia Japan, and Baccarat Pacific.

Since 2018 until 2026, he has served as Senior Commercial Officer at the Royal Danish Embassy in Japan, working at the forefront of business and cultural exchange between Japan and Denmark.

He continues to explore how the Nordic approach—focusing not only on corporate competitiveness and institutional design but also on people's emotions, values, and everyday choices—can be translated into Japanese society.

In recent years, he has been active in writing, lectures, and dialogue initiatives on themes such as 'Hygge,' 'marketing that moves emotions,' and 'management and society centered on empathy.'

*Publication Details

Title: 'Why Do Danes Take a One-Month Summer Vacation? The Story of the World's Happiest Country, Starting from the Mindset of Hygge'

Author: Kazufumi Okazaki

Release Date: July 13, 2026

Price: 1,650 JPY (1,500 JPY + 10% tax)

Format: B6 size

Pages: 168

ISBN: 9784868510666

Publisher: Seluba Publishing Co., Ltd.

Purchase URL: https://seluba.co.jp/

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4868510665/