There’s a lot to love, but here’s what we love the most.

Here’s a question for you, SoraReaders. What day is March 10? Okay, yeah, it was a Tuesday. But what holiday was it? You might shout “National Blueberry Popover Day”, or “National Pack Your Lunch Day”, or even better, “National Mario Day!” But while those are all perfectly valid and worthwhile holidays to celebrate, March 10 is special for us at SoraNews24 because in Japan it’s Sato Day.

Yes, following in the Japanese tradition of making holidays based on puns (“3” can be read as “sa“, and “10” as “to“), March 10 is the day to honor all people with the surname Sato, and who better to celebrate than our very own, fearless, extravagant, weird and wonderful Mr. Sato? So we’re honoring him with a special tribute: a list of the Five Wonderful Things About Our Own Amazing Mr. Sato.

▼ We’ll just ignore the fact that he is not, in fact, actually named Mr. Sato.

Amazing Thing #1: Mr. Sato is incredibly gracious with his fans.

You know the old moniker, “Never meet your heroes”? Well, that does not apply to Mr. Sato. He is always happy to meet and chat with his fans. Our other Japanese-language reporter Takashi Harada walks home in the same direction as Mr. Sato, and he told us that they’ve been stopped by fans on the street many times. “Are you Mr. Sato from SoraNews24?” they say. “I’m always reading your articles!” (he’s come a long way from his first ever autograph in 2014.)

Takashi told us about one particular time they were walking home, when they were approached by a man in his 30s or 40s. The man was so excited to meet Mr. Sato in the flesh that his voice was shaking, as if he were meeting a famous celebrity. Normally in these cases, a celebrity would exchange a few words with their fan and then part ways, but not Mr. Sato. He shook his fan’s hand and said, “Shall we take a photo?”

Thanks to his smart and kind actions, the fan was overjoyed, and got a photo that will always remind him of meeting his idol. Takashi was not only touched, but so proud to be in the company of such a great man.

▼ Currently the SoraNews24 editing team is working from home to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, but if you happen to see Mr. Sato walking around, feel free to say hello!

Amazing Thing #2: Mr. Sato is very close with his international fans.

Of course, thanks to you, SoraReaders, Mr. Sato, who just may be the world’s most famous Sato, has a number of international fans too. He’s had a fan travel all the way from Peru to meet him, and has also taken photos with international fans on the streets.

Though he’s not yet fluent in English or any other languages, Mr. Sato deftly makes use of his beloved iPhone to communicate with his foreign fans, and he always makes sure they have the best time in Japan, even to the point of taking them out to dinner. Truly, he will do anything for his fans. His idol status is more than justified.

Amazing Thing #3: Mr. Sato is in amazing shape for his age.

You might expect men in their forties to have a little beer belly or a nice “dad bod”, and up until a few years ago, Mr. Sato did. But after starting pole dancing, Mr. Sato has whipped himself into shape, and now has a smokin’ hot bod any man (or woman) would be jealous of. Since then, Mr. Sato has become the office’s expert on health and fitness, always ready to offer advice to his coworkers on staying healthy.

Amazing Thing #4: Mr. Sato is bursting with self-confidence.

It’s a beautiful thing to love yourself, and Mr. Sato loves himself so much that if you were to look up “confident” in the dictionary, you’d see his photo. Where many Japanese might feel shy about posting selfies, Mr. Sato most certainly does not. One out of every two or three of the photos on his feed are selfies.

Nor is he afraid to get half naked and smash bellies with his colleagues, do weird and embarrassing experiments, and try out strange fashion trends on the streets of Tokyo. And that, my friends, is what makes him so special.

However, Mr. Sato does have one fatal weak point: though he shines in photographs, he cannot seem to produce the same level of awesome in videos. It’s hard to believe, but Mr. Sato is actually a very serious and earnest person. We at the office all think it’s very endearing.

Amazing Thing #5: Mr. Sato is extremely generous with his money.

Sure Mr. Sato never holds back from trying expensive food, but he doesn’t limit his extravagant spending to himself. He’s always willing to help out his friends and coworkers, and he especially loves to take care of the younger members of the office. Whenever he takes us out drinking, we never get a chance to pay the bill because by the time we pick it up, Mr. Sato has already paid it.

▼ He even gave us all expensive bentos in the New Year. He is the glue that keeps the office–nay, the world–together.

So there you have it: five wonderful things about our own Mr. Sato, in celebration of the National Day of Satos. Though the day may be over, give a shout out to Mr. Sato on social media or if you see him on the streets. He’ll be delighted to receive so much love!

Photos ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]