A lot of people who have never lived in Japan but have only experienced it for either short or extended stays as tourists or limited business travel tell me that "Japan is wasted on (me)." They say this because I am not crazy about the aspects of Japan that they are nuts about. Those aspects vary depending on the person who I'm speaking with, but they cluck and wag their finger at me for not being obsessed with anime, manga, temples, karaoke, sushi, kimono-wearing or whatever else they are obsessed with. They don't realize that, after a long time, living in Japan is, as my friend April Marie says, "not a coffee table book." That is, the things that fascinate you in short bursts when you're here for a limited time don't remain the focal point of your attention when you live here for years.
I won't miss people telling me that Japan is "wasted on me" because I don't regard it with the same fascination as a tourist.
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