I Love Samurai

When coming up with the title for this blog, I wanted something meaningful, something that would capture the essence of our new life in Japan, something that would make me sound like a deeply introspective, highly intelligent person. Instead, I came up with "I Love Samurai."

During our Navy Area Orientation Briefing (AOB—because the Navy has an acronym for everything, including acronyms), our tiny but terrifyingly energetic Japanese instructor pointed out something I (and apparently only I) found interesting about the kanji characters for "Sasebo," the name of our town. She enthusiastically explained (read: shouted with glee) that if you squint really hard, possibly cross your eyes, and throw linguistic accuracy straight out the window, the characters sort of resemble English letters.

Specifically:

• One part looks kind of like the letter "I."

• Another part vaguely resembles the start of the word "Love."

• And, in what can only be described as an act of pure artistic liberty, a third part looks like a samurai warrior holding a spear.

佐 世 保

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “That sounds... questionable at best.” And you would be correct! But it doesn’t matter, because when a Japanese language instructor delivers this information with the energy of a caffeinated anime protagonist, you believe her. Plus, the image is burned in my brain, and so if I'm ever wandering around lost, I just look for my little Samurai friend on a road sign to guide me safely back home again.

To say she was animated would be an understatement. This woman could easily have a side hustle doing voiceovers for children’s cartoons. At one point, she even performed an acrobatic move to demonstrate the shape of the island we live on. I wish I could say it was a carefully rehearsed martial arts technique, but in reality, it looked more like the "I’m A Little Teapot" dance. Handle, spout, and all.

Now, in reality, I actually do kind of love samurai—especially after watching The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise (yes, I know, he is possibly the least samurai-looking person imaginable, but hear me out). The movie was fantastic, and it turns out the opening scene contains a flyover of the "99 Islands" right here in Sasebo. That’s right—my new home is officially cool enough to have been in a Hollywood movie. Granted, no one watching probably realized they were looking at Sasebo, but I know, and that’s what counts.

So, there you have it—the deeply significant, extremely scholarly, and totally not made-up meaning behind the title of this blog. If you’re still skeptical, I challenge you to look at the kanji, tilt your head, and let your imagination run wild. You just might see it too.

Or you might just see a confused foreigner trying too hard to make sense of things. Either way, welcome to my blog!