The Samurai Guy

Washington, DC – WWII Memorial

The Greatest Generation. This is what Americans call the generation that produced the soldiers of World War II and the women who supported them back home. Gods! The idea of a World War still seems impossible to me. Have we not grown weary of violence yet? I know this is [...]

Washington, DC – Capitol Building

The seat of power of the mighty United States. We have had a tumultuous relationship, you Americans and we Japanese. I truly hope we have found lasting peace. This nation’s capital is awe-inspiring. It seems I will not be able to see all the wonders of this place during my brief [...]

Atlanta, Georgia – Fernbank Museum

This urban safari continues. Now I truly have seen the future and the past. These dinosaurs would have been unstoppable beasts in their time.

Atlanta, Georgia – Georgia Aquarium

This part of my journey has certainly stirred the warrior spirit in me. First the alligators in New Orleans, now these gigantic whale sharks in Georgia. Their American caregivers are trying to inspire education and conservation to the public by making these colossal creatures available to view. The Georgia Aquarium even had [...]

New Orleans, Louisiana – Bayou

Music. Joyous and melancholy. Somber and lively. Songs of loss, of pain, and sorrow. Songs of faith, of love, and desire. It seems there is no limit to the range of feelings they can express with song, these people of the South. I remember seeing stories of the devastation [...]

Las Vegas, Nevada – Wynn

Sin City. Whatever your heart desires can be had in Las Vegas. I wandered through the casinos in disgust. Gambling, *pagh*! A weak vice. If a man is going to gamble, then let it be on the battlefield and serving a greater purpose. I cannot deny, however, that this [...]

Grand Canyon, Arizona

There is no experience that could have prepared me for my first sight of the Grand Canyon. Even our most sacred Mt. Fuji seems an improper comparison. While Mt. Fuji feels otherworldly and transcendant, this Grand Canyon is earthly, awe-inspiring, and defies all words. Surely, only the hands of the Gods could [...]

Los Angeles, California – UCLA, Royce Hall

San Francisco, California – Ghirardelli Square

San Francisco, California – Lords of the Samurai

This trip has been long. Over 13 hours in this airplane. The strongest horse would have needed rest many times over and would have traveled only a fraction of the distance. These airplanes will take me to far off lands I would have never been able to see in a lifetime of [...]