One area of Japan gaijin are often fascinated with is the way kanji names work. While foreign names are generally written using the katakana writing system, it’s possible to assign kanji for Western-style names based on the pronunciation of the characters, and it’s fun to see what meaning will be communicated, like my friend Rodger whose kanji name translates as “old snake.” It’s not uncommon for anime series to feature characters with Western names written in kanji as a way of adding an exotic European element to the story, and the anime Umineko no Naku Koro Ni has several characters with names like this. It’s a time-honored tradition for gaijin to ask a Japanese person to come up with kanji for their name, perhaps making a custom hanko kanji name stamp like the ones we sell. I did this, too, but accidentally went a step further, registering my outrageous kanji name legally. As a result, signing official forms like insurance documents is extremely long and complex, and whenever I go to the doctor and present my official insurance card they think I’m Chinese. (The characters in my kanji name roughly translate as Flying Great Asia Peaceful Temple.)
