"... I once was in Japan and eating alone. A Japanese couple came and wanted to practice their English. They asked me what I did. I said I was a mathematician but could not get the idea across until I said: “Like Hironaka”. Wow! It’s as though in America I’d said “Like ”, or , or . Perhaps Hironaka’s name is ... the only one known, but in America I don’t think any mathematician’s name would get any response."