The 12th Borderless Onsite Meeting took place on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in association with Global Commons.
This time, Ms. Poll Miia Mikaela, a special auditing student of College of Japanese Language and Culture from the Republic of Estonia, presented on the theme of “Estonia: Where Medieval Charm Meets Digital Innovation”.
Estonia, the northernmost of the three Baltic states including Latvia and Lithuania, borders Russia to the east, Latvia to the south, and faces the Gulf of Finland to the north. The capital city Tallinn is a port city that flourished as a medieval Hanseatic town, and its Old Town is a beautiful city designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the other hand, the country is promoting IT-based nation-building as a national policy, and overall digitalization is progressing. She presented on how they are integrating digitalization while preserving the charm of the medieval era.
As initial information about Estonia, we were introduced to facts such as the ethnic composition ratio where Estonians make up 68% and Russians 22% of the population, the age distribution showing that people in their 30s and 40s are the most numerous, and that Estonia gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
She also introduced the “Festival of Song and Dance”, which is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. This festival, held every five years in Tallinn, features choral performances of Estonian folk music in the Estonian language. It is said to have raised national morale and led Estonia to independence. The festival expresses the joy and patriotism of the people who won their freedom of independence.
In addition, she introduced us to Tallinn’s Old Town, which was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 and is known for its beautifully preserved state and rich historical background, preserving the urban landscape of medieval Europe and serving as the setting for “Kiki’s Delivery Service”. They also told me about the forests that cover 50% of the country’s land, the “Smoke Sauna Tradition in Võru region” registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, and about the local cuisine.
Finally, there was a presentation about Estonia’s digitalization as a nation, with such history and culture. It was also the first country in the world to conduct online voting, government services are 100% digitalized, and it is the birthplace of Skype. Under the “e-Residency” system, anyone with a passport and credit card can become an Estonian “electronic resident” by paying a fee of around 10,000 yen, regardless of nationality or place of residence.
Although opportunities to hear about Estonia through the news and other media have increased, there have not been many chances to learn about what kind of country it is. Through this presentation, we were able to learn that while preserving the cityscape and nature, and inheriting and preserving traditional culture, the nation is at the forefront of digitalization.
