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One thing I always do my best to stress as a language teacher is that when you find an aspect of the culture that strongly draws your attention, it'll do a whole lot more to help you develop the kind of vocabulary and ways to express yourself that YOU want to. Part of this, is because any language you study will have cultures and sub-cultures with very rich histories, vocab and methodology behind them, and when you find one that truly fascinates you, it'll keep you motivated to struggle through all the mistakes and study that comes with learning a whole new way to express your thoughts and a whole new way of living. That said, what would be some of your favorite parts of the Japanese culture? Is it Yakuza stuff, nerdy stuff, or perhaps something else entirely?

As a language teacher, one of the more fascinating things for me delve into are the subtles that separate Japanese culture and customs from others, which, in the case of standards of Eastern and Western beauty, is best embodied by this video.

From a pure anthropological perspective, I enjoy researching Japan's Bubble Economy era, especially because it seems to be something many other countries are going through right now. in fact, this article helped clue me into the whole era and how it all went down.

I love Japan's history and interpretation of the world. I have some of their classical texts (The Tale of Genji), and several books on their tales and stories. The Japanese view on illness and odd happenings is so interesting.

I want to get the books in the original Japanese (although genji monogatari is in Classical Japanese, so that would be harder for me...) I enjoy reminiscing about the olden days (with every country, actually :S ) and Japan's is just really different.

I enjoy learning about their history, pop culture, language, and mannerisms/customs.