For a soldier, for any man who has seen the horrors of battle and war, there is a shared understanding. It changes you in ways that no one who has not been there will ever understand. I myself have had disturbing nightmares of past battles. Do not mistake this for weakness or cowardice, for only a fool does not respect the lessons of war. And only a fool takes a life without regard for the consequences. I honor these brave soldiers for their sacrifice, and I join them in their prayers for lasting peace.

So much wisdom, knowledge, and learning can be found in Washington DC. Starting with the Library of Congress, then the National Archives, and finally the Smithsonian Institute. So much information and knowledge! I could spend a lifetime here. Surely, this is where I am to learn the purpose of my journey. I speed through the stacks of books at the Library of Congress. So many books! I must advise the Emperor that he must setup a similar system in Kyoto. The librarians had to push me out of the door each night as I spent every waking moment possible reading there. I also visited the National Archives where the words of the American founding fathers were available for all to see. This is truly a great nation to allow all the common people to share in this cultural history.

Finally, I began my trip through the Smithsonian system. When I am too old to fight and serve the Emperor, I will ask for permission to retire here, to live the remainder of my life in the books, recordings, and videos. My student spirit calls to me strongly here. I can hardly contain myself discovering knowledge more wondrous than the previous. This Air & Space museum seems impossible. Even though I have been on airplanes–which still remain a miracle each time–surely humans traveling to space must be trickery. Rockets and missiles have to be a child’s fantasy! What is a simple warrior like me to do with such mind-boggling ideas?

This aquarium is massive! This Bernie Marcus must have a fortune to rival even the Emperor, to give such a gift to Georgia and the people of Atlanta. I watched as parent and child alike had looks of wonder and amazement as they explored the aquarium. I myself was in awe as I traveled in a tunnel covered by millions of liters of water and the sea creatures swam around me. I spent the entire day lost amongst these fascinating creatures.

Even more than the Netherlands, 80% of New Orleans sits below sea level. It is one of the busiest ports in the United States and is the second largest producer of energy in the U.S. This is why it was so baffling that their President let Katrina wreak the havoc that it did. Further, 40% of the seafood eaten by Americans comes from here. Louisiana attracts the greatest chefs from around the world and combines culinary traditions from: Caribbean, African, Spanish, French, Italian, Creole and Cajun cooking.

I thoroughly enjoyed the airboat trip we took in the bayous and swamps. These giant lizards you call alligators are fearsome beasts. They look like fanciful drawings I have seen of dinosaurs. I wanted to jump in to see if it could best my steel, but the tour guide raised such a fuss I got back into the boat before I could find out. Some other time perhaps.

There seemed to be three kings that ruled Las Vegas. They were known as Wayne Newton, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis, although Elvis was the one most people called the King. He must be a most magnanimous king for I saw him everywhere, and he seemed able to alter his appearance slightly. I have heard that he even presides over some weddings. Such a benevolent king to be so accessible to his people.

I wanted to venture away from the casinos and see more of the locals. The further I traveled from the Vegas Strip, the more the glitzy veneer vanished. Despite the exorbitant display of wealth and excess not a few kilometers away, these people were leading lives of good, hard-working people. Things seemed more sparse and harsh the further I traveled. This heat! Gods! How do these people live in the middle of the desert like this?

No pictures I share with you will ever capture this experience. They will fail to express to you just how big, vast, and deep these canyons run. Huge evergreen trees look like dotted ants against this landscape. The scene is awash in red, rust, copper, and earth tones. I am humbled by these deep canyons.

I sat for hours in meditation atop one of the cliffs. In the distance I heard bald eagles and peregrine falcons on the hunt, echoing off the canyon walls. The wind whispered through the canyons and the trees gently swayed in the breeze. My breathing slowed rhythmically and deeply and I found myself traveling to Sensei. This was the first time this had happened unbidden. Sensei and I spoke about what I have seen on my journey and he assured me that things were going well. While it has been an incredible journey so far, I failed to see the purpose. Sensei said I had to stop resisting and open my mind to everything that was happening to me on this journey. The truth would slowly reveal itself to me. I suppose all I can do is put my faith in Sensei and trust it will work out.

I arrive in San Francisco, California, in these United States. I looked at a map before this trip and this country’s size is astounding! Over 9.2 million square kilometers. Gods, Japan is only 378,000 square kilometers! You could fit Japan into the United States 24 times! California alone is bigger than all of Japan!

Imagine my surprise when I arrive and am greeted by a museum exhibit of the “Lords of the Samurai.” I visited this Asian Museum in San Francisco. The exhibit itself was rather small and many of the pieces replicas, but I felt a strong pull of homesickness all the same. Sometimes I forget I have been gone for a few years already and the friends and family I have left behind seem so very far away. I must speak of this with Sensei later. The exhibit displayed items from the Hosokawa clan. I learned later they descended from a branch of my own Minamoto clan. Hah! At least they were not from those Taira dogs! Forgive me, these old feuds run deep.

It seemed my own sword and armor elicited quite a stir. The head curator of the museum almost fell over in shock when he saw my authentic battle armor. My sword, gifted to me by the Emperor himself for saving his life, is a Masamune, created by the master, Masamune Okazaki, himself. They pleaded with me to allow them to examine my weapon and to run some tests. It was almost their final wish. Are these Americans mad to try to take away a Samurai’s sword? I have killed men for merely daring to touch my sword. I made my hasty retreat through the crowd who had gathered thinking this was part of the display. I could have easily killed the guards, such as they were, where they stood but I have been warned by Sensei not to take any unnecessary lives during this journey.

The rest of my stay in San Francisco was less eventful. This is a beautiful region, with calm weather and diverse landscapes. Surprisingly, they had exceptional sushi and sake! Now I really do long for home. I felt I could stay in the Silicon Valley for a while, to learn more of the incredible pace of change happening on the Internet and World Wide Web. There is so much to learn and so many great things in development. I hope another host brings me back soon to the Bay Area.