The University of Washington actually has a really neat cherry blossom promenade and they are definitely in bloom right now, but I was referring to a little algorithm/Grok quirk that happened on “X.”

Japan suddenly showed up, in massive numbers, but even better, their posts were automatically translated into English. It was like a sudden tsumani of delightful wholesomeness from Japan! Oh my goodness, the most adorable squirrels, river otters, elegant food, amazing art! And of course, many who romanticize and imitate American culture. I’ve been watching Japanese bluegrass, Japanese cowboys, and answering lots of questions about BBQ.

Is it true you eat meat 7 days a week and have lots of guns? It is! Gun cleaning and target practice in the afternoon, BBQ every night, lots of country music and monster trucks in between!

Ninjas! Ice cream shaped like roses. Delicious food. Beautiful gardens. Sunsets. Adorable animals. I could go on and on but you get the point. People have been joking that our alien lizard overlords must have noticed, Americans seem a bit glum this week, release the Japanese!

This sudden friendship kind of represents the best of the internet, the potential of social media. No language barriers, no media filters, just people getting to know one another. I used the word “wholesome,” I guess because it’s in sharp contrast to the usual pop culture swill that we usually endure in America without even noticing. Suddenly we’re actually talking about art and music, culture and literature, food and friendships, with some genuine admiration!

Many people in Japan seem to really love America, perhaps in a way we haven’t always been allowed to ourselves, so that was really refreshing and flattering. Ha! People have been joking about how we are now inspired to try to become the kind of people the Japanese imagine us to be!

Before Japan descended upon the social media algorithms, some of us were already really enjoying Sanae Takaichi, the current Prime Minister of Japan. She recently had a fun and charming visit at the White House, and a lot of us just fell in love with her. It’s hard to explain what makes her so interesting, but she was just a breath of fresh air. I guess she used to play drums and was once in a heavy metal band. It’s a bit comical, I want to say she’s just as cute as a bug, but she’s also actually nicknamed the “iron lady.”

So that’s what I’ve been doing lately, traveling without ever leaving the house, exploring the world and enjoying a bit of culture.