Obsolete: What was your entry point (into the east)?

[TreyofHearts]

For Japanese culture, in general. Your favorite show, film, or a manga? Mine is a bit weird: my grandfather was a World War II vet that was stationed in Japan for a while, so I grew up listening to him yell at me using the one word he managed to glean form his experience--"YAKAMASHII!!"--which I believe means "SHUT UP!!" Despite this, I've been trying to learn Japanese ever since.

 

[Serpentsounds]

I enjoyed some Japanese games and tv as a kid, but I didn't know they had anything to do with Japan (and they were all completely in English).

My first exposure to the language was the word さようなら/sayounara, which some of my friends and family were familiar with as a way to say goodbye and would sometimes use (along with things like adiós).

My next exposure was from the Styx song, Mr. Roboto, which opens with this bit:

どうもありがとう Mr. Roboto また会う日まで / doumo arigatou Mr. Roboto, mata au hi made
どうもありがとう Mr. Roboto 秘密を知りたい / doumo arigatou Mr. Roboto, himitsu wo shiritai

However, I didn't know until years later that they were speaking Japanese.

I guess my own personal interest didn't begin until I started diving into anime later.

 

[LavenderTownGhost]

For me, it was certain Japanese RPGs and anime. Eventually when I started getting older and using the internet more, I got into Japanese fashions too, such as Lolita.

 

[Left_4_TF2]

Cheesy Godzilla movies and Gundam Wing were my entry points into the world of anime, manga, and japanese culture in general. Also Helen McCarthy's enlightening and excellent lectures on the world of japanese culture, in general, also helped.

 

[Muur]

I'd watched the generic ones like Pokemon, Digimon and the like but it wasn't until I finished College (2012) and had (still have ¬_¬) way too much free time that I really got into it. Was recommend and watched K-On and haven't looked back since.

 

[97SaturnSL1]

Pokemon and Godzilla were the shows. But Honda, Mitsubishi and Chrysler Corp got me more interested in the auto world of Japan

 

[SSJ_Jup81]

Back in the mid-80s,when I was about six, I was watching television with my father. We were watching VH1...you know, when it used to play music videos like MTV. Anyway, a music video played. It was a Japanese video and the woman was dancing with fans dressed in a kimono and the music was very nice, and I also noticed an instrument I'd never seen before. Later on (as an adult) I found out it was a Koto (箏). I liked the song and the music, but I was completely mesmerized by the dance. I'd never seen that style of dance before and being six, I'd yet to learn much about the vast world around me. I didn't know of Japan or any other country quite yet, not counting England. Anyway, the dancing style was Nihonbuyou (日本舞踊). I'd been semi-interested in Japan from that point forward.

I asked my dad about the group's name and all that. I knew of Asian people in general, I grew up around them, but never though much regarding pretty much anyone's background at the time. Still don't really since to me people are people in a general sense. Anyway, my father told me the name of the group and that it was a Japanese music group. I didn't truly get really interested into Japan until about 2000 or so. Forgot what rekindled that, though, but over the years I'd wanted to go to many places, not just Japan. That also happened back in the mid-80s, when my mother's next to youngest sister joined the Navy. She would send us presents and write us letters and send postcards from the places she'd visited. Unfortunately, Japan wasn't one of them. She was never stationed in an Asian country.

Anyway, here's the video. Found it on YT.

Spoiler

[video=youtube_share;sJEzRA_FbFo]http://youtu.be/sJEzRA_FbFo[/video]

 

[Karamazov]

Mine was when I saw Smash's hosts dress up like the Pokemon anime characters and harass children.

Joking aside, I always really liked the architecture found in Japanese history. As I looked into stuff like that, I learned a lot about how different other cultures were from my own. Those differences are just so interesting.

 

[Scarlet Sky]

I think what first interested me was actually a game series with heavy Japanese influences. The Touhou Project of course. The dialogue and whatnot is rife with references to Japanese culture and mythology. (Though it occasionally touches on other mythologies and cultures too, but Japan is obviously the focus.)
I've studied a bit of Japanese mythology too, but not a ton. Still pretty interesting though.

 

[FossilTrainer30]

My entry point to the east was when Dragonball Z started airing in the Netherlands back in the summer of 2000.

That's when my facination of anime, manga and everything Japanese started to bloom and has never deminished ever since

 

[Illusione-Tempus]

My entry point was Pokemon. However, I didn't even know that it was from Japan 'til I encountered some of the movies in Japanese.

And then a bit of history class, and after I have the internet, research, as well as some anime, I learned a lot more about Japan. Heck, I can draw a kimono with no problem lol.

 

[Almonds]

First exposure was probably Sailor Moon. But I didn't know it was a Japanese anime back when I was a kid.

The entry point for me was probably around when Pokemon and Digimon came out. Especially Digimon.

 

[Saturnidae]

Definitely when I started learning Japanese for fun. Mind you I did this pretty much just to get an exposure to Eastern culture. ^_^" You can learn alot just from the basics of the language.