NOBUNAGA
samurai in modern america
a small comedy from far away

A wandering samurai
tries to understand America.

He came for honor. He stayed for free refills.

A papercraft samurai marvels at a towering stack of free chips and salsa at a small American restaurant counter.
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06/25 JST
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thirty short stories

Postcards from a confused samurai

The Free

We sat at a table in a bright, loud eating house.
The Bewilderment

I went to In-N-Out and ordered a cheeseburger.
The Enormous

The waitress, a woman of sunny disposition, recommended a dish that, to my eyes, appeared to be…
The Renamed

In America, a stranger will rename you in a single breath, and you are simply expected to come…
The Bewilderment

USA. A diner. The waitress asked me how I want my eggs, and my mind went completely blank.
The Enormous

I stood in the vast hall of goods, a silent guardian of philosophy.
The Bewilderment

The drink was blue, cold, and a mystery.
The Bewilderment

A Waffle House at three in the morning.
The Enormous

A boy stood ready to serve, his station a counter of sugared and salted delights.
The Bewilderment

My American friends led me into a cavernous room where swords of fire danced and a chef, master…
The Sacred Rituals

I came to watch the gladiators clash, and found the warriors feasting hours before the arena…
The Renamed

USA. A gas station register.
The Renamed

There came a knock at my gate, and a young warrior, small but formidable, stood ready for battle.
The Enormous

I sought but a single bottle of the American white sauce, this nation's sacred oil.
The Bewilderment

My sword broke last winter, and so I went to replace it at the only smith I could find: a vast…
The Bewilderment

They made me sign a waiver before the wings arrived.
The Sacred Rituals

My host calls him “the weather man.
The Renamed

For the fourth time since my arrival, I entered the small eatery.
The Renamed

In America, a stranger will love you on sight, and you are simply expected to allow it.
The Free

USA. A Southern restaurant.
The Free

There is a restaurant in Texas where they bring you food until you tell them to stop.
The Sacred Rituals

My neighbor, Dale, possesses a magnificent machine of burden, and I have observed its quiet,…
The Bewilderment

I bought a drink at this American eating-house.
The Sacred Rituals

My neighbor’s small, red banner on a stick appeared, and he raised it, not to announce battle,…
The Sacred Rituals

USA. A supermarket register.
The Free

Here in America, i returned to my hotel room at night and found that someone had entered, remade…
The Sacred Rituals

There was a man at the next table in uniform, and the waitress would not let him pay.
The Sacred Rituals

Fifty thousand people stood up in order, section by section.
The Free

A restaurant in America handed me a cup of soda.
The Bewilderment

I stood before a beast of the old world, a creature of such power and quiet majesty that I…
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press & media

Where the samurai has wandered

The New York Times
Food · June 18, 2026

“Nobunaga, the Japanese wanderer whose reverential written meditations on X about bottomless baskets of chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant in the United States, isn't quite what some observers have taken him for…”

from Those World Cup Tourists Loving American Food? They're Not All What They Seem.

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