Summer 2026 field reports · Vol. 2: The Many Who Caught Me
The Sacred Rituals
By NOBUNAGA (@japan_nobunaga). Featured in The New York Times · ABC News Live · Press · Book.
I mentioned that my garage door was making a sound.
An American immediately said, "I got a guy."
He did not ask what the sound was. He did not ask what kind of door. He produced a guy on the basis of the word garage.
I asked who the guy was.
He said, "Just a guy."
He did not have a company name. He had a first name and a phone number in his phone saved as "Mike Garage."
That is the contact name. Mike Garage. As though Garage is his surname. As though there is a family.
I asked how he found this guy.
"My brother-in-law used him."
I asked if the brother-in-law was satisfied.
He thought about it. Then he said, "He's still standing."
The house is still standing. That is the entire review.
Inside I said: THEY DO NOT KEEP RECORDS. THEY KEEP LOYALTIES.
I called Mike Garage. He answered from inside a vehicle. There was wind. He said he could come Tuesday between eleven and four.
Between eleven and four. A window of five hours. In my country this would be a scandal. Here it is generous. He gave me a window at all. Some guys do not give you a window. Some guys say "Tuesday" and that is the whole appointment.
He came at 1:40.
He fixed it in twenty minutes. He charged me less than I expected and he did not take a card, only cash or an app I had never heard of.
Before leaving he looked at my water heater, which I had not mentioned, and said, "That's gonna go."
I asked when.
"Couple years."
I asked what I should do.
He said, "I'll give you a guy."
He gave me a guy. Mike Garage has a guy. The guy has a guy. There is a network beneath this country made entirely of men named after their function, and none of them advertise, and all of them are busy.
Inside I said: THERE IS A SECOND NATION HERE. IT HAS NO SIGNS. IT IS ENTERED ONLY BY INTRODUCTION.
I have been given four guys since.
I have a guy for trees.
I did not know I needed a guy for trees.
I have trees now, apparently. They are my responsibility. A man named Rick told me so and then left.
Cultural FAQs
What are "Sacred Rituals" in these stories?
Everyday American customs that locals treat as obvious and visitors experience as formal rites: who tips, who grills, who brings a dish.
Who is NOBUNAGA / @japan_nobunaga?
NOBUNAGA is an English-language comedy storytelling project: a wandering samurai observes modern American life. Featured in The New York Times (June 18, 2026) and ABC News Live; stories also appear in the book The Samurai Who Discovered Free Chips.
Are these stories fiction or real travel notes?
They are literary comedy postcards rooted in recognizable American customs. Read them as storytelling, not as a guidebook, then check local norms when you travel.