Manga & Anime: Of course! Seriously, I can't find a single Jap who DOESN'T like one or the other. I mean, they come in all genres for all ages. I don't see why there'd be an opposition, cept by gaijins totally misinterpreting anime. "Why's their hair blue? " *ugh*
Video games: They started it all! Again, all ages, all genres. I am an absolute DDR FREAK! I remember when I first played DDR in Tokyo. I sucked and was laughed at, but then when I found the local American Arcade got it I tried it. Again no good, but then Playstation had it, and THAT did it.
Anyways, video games are just great. Nuff said
Martial Arts: Well, this is more of a biproduct of video games and Japanese cinema, but even so, I've always been a lover of fighting. Whether it's busting a board or using Shinkuu Hadou Ken on Akuma, I've always loved martial arts.
Culture in general: Hai. Sometimes I try to do that old Japanese cleaning method where you run around the desired area with a wet cloth. My mom saw me once and was like,"What are you doing running around with that cloth? Can't you just use a mop?" Also, everytime I go to school I always think of how the Japanese have those two-door rooms with what? 42 students or so each? Inside each of them, not to mention the whole janitorial services after school, and their obsession with school & baseball being on the same plane, with baseball being a little above. Sigh, I've never been particularly good at baseball, but I can sure run!
J-pop: The only music I listen to(OK, there is some occasional KPOP). My brother's always listening to this "Pop Punk" or "Pop Rock" stuff and every time I hear it I get sick. It's always something like,"Baby I love you, come back" or "don't waste your time on me; I'll just bring you down." Now, since I'm a "Reformed/Revived Jap" if you will, I don't understand all the songs, but most of them, and although some song's lyrics disappointed me, most don't, even if they're all pretty similar. The Japanese really like to play with sounds, noises, and varieties. I used to like Linkin Park, cept all their lyrics, sounds, guitar, etc etc, all went sync.
Japanese people (friendship or more): Well, sadly there are few Japs in Georgia, but I've got a few penpals and I met one of my best friends(Daisuke) in Texas, but he moved. Of course, I'm great friends with the sushi chefs at "Miyabi
Kyoto". Although when in Japan I didn't talk too much to know how the Japanese acted towards strangers(especially half-Japanese ones XD), but from the few Japanese I've met they seem very nice and generous. I guess it's because I've been in America, but I don't get it when a foreigner speaks their language they get all giddy like it's a grand accomplishment. Maybe because Japanese isn't as important to Americans as English is to Japanese, even though the majority of American things are manufacuted in Japan(cars, video games and arcades, cell phones, DVD Playes, Hamutaro
)
Japanese language: Well, I love it because of the way it sounds, but the sentence structure always made me mad. I like the language, but I wish they'd invent words instead of just taking ours. I know they're foreign but even so. Nobu? Key? Dooru? Takshii? Come on!
Japanese food: Man, even the ignorant gaijins I have to put up with every day love Japanese food. Whether's it's un-authentic Steak & Grill style liver performance chicken or grand sushi, we all love it. The only thing I'll probably never eat: Candy Sno Peas XD
Traditional Japan (
tea ceremony, geisha,
kabuki,
noh, ikebana, ...): Geishas are just female entertainers, so they still exist...
Anyways, I've never had a "tea ceremony", but I would often invite numerous friends to go to Starbucks. The Japanese traditions have always been cool. I mean, this country's traditions all involve killing. Killing of indians for land, killing of french for maintaining land, killing of english for freedom, then killing of southernors for slave liberation and understandings of the Declaration. Although I've never been to any Japanese ceremony or re-enactment, I've always seen them on the Fujisankei News(10 AM Eastern Time, international channel
Religion (
shinto, buddhism, zen...): Although I'm aethiest, buddhism and all the zen and chakra and aura has always enticed me. I personally believe in spirits, but they're all just personality that makes up you, not things that go to Heaven or Hell or Underworld or Mt. Olympus.
*My contribution. The Last Jap is done*