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Japanese Manners

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An Eight-Dollar Used Camera Lens with an Origami Crane and Note
I bought a used camera lens on eBay from Japan for eight dollars.Eight bucks.In Ohio, the cardboard box arrived on my porch.Inside, there was no printed receipt.No discount coupon.Sitting on top of the bubble wrap was a tiny origami crane, folded from floral chiyogami paper.Tucked under its wing was a note written in shaky pencil:“Thank you for finding my lens.Thirty years ago, I used this to take photos of my daughter’s wedding.Now my eyes are failing.May this glass bring light and joy to your world, as it did to mine.”I paid eight dollars for old glass.And a stranger across an ocean gave me their family’s blessings.I held that paper crane and wept.
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A Samurai Loose in Modern America Volume Two cover
New release: Volume Two — 100 stories
A Samurai Loose in Modern America — Volume Two. One hundred later field reports.
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NOBUNAGA samurai icon
⚔️ A hundred misunderstandings, properly bound.
Every misadventure with America, gathered together and footnoted with afterwords.
Behold the collection →
NOBUNAGA icon
One hand draws, one hand writes, and the tea has gone cold.
If you smiled even once, a coffee helps the next story get made.
☕ Treat the samurai to a coffee

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