Dinner with Mr. Tanaka

I had dinner with an old university friend. He made a restaurant reservation for us. We met in front of the restaurant and waited till it opened. He whispered to me, “I reserved as Mr. Tanaka to avoid inconvenience.” He is not Tanaka, which is a very common family name in Japan. I couldn’t understand why he had to use a false name. To avoid inconvenience? Then I finally understood why he did it.

His family name is very unusual. I have never met any other person or family with the same last name. When he first introduced himself to me, I couldn’t understand him. His family name is too unusual. I found out there are only about eighty people with the same family name in Japan. Only eighty? If his relatives were killed by someone three or four times, they would become extinct.

The people who met him for the first time, including me, always asked him, “Say it again?” “Is that your family name?” “How do I spell your name?” “Are you kidding?” He needed to answer these questions every time. It could be bothersome.

On the other hand, Tanaka is a very familiar family name. There are many Tanakas all around Japan, like the prime minister. Everyone can recognize it immediately. Moreover, its letters are easy to write, 田中. Even a first-grader can spell it. He loves to use “Tanaka” because it is the most popular and simplest family name. Tanaka is what he always wants to be.

My family name is Miura, which is also common. I have longed for an unusual one. But if I had an extremely rare name like him, it would be bothersome.

Picture by mounel