It's good to appreciate other cultures, but to emulate and fawn over one or another too much (in my view) is poor form. This is why "otakus*" bother me just as much as upper-middle-class blondies who think they are black.
I guess it's also a good thing I never considered myself as an "otaku", especially after I discovered what it really means (a pretty negative way of saying "nerd", basically.
It's more Japan itself that interests me than the entire culture and everything. The place just looks quite beautiful and interesting to me, as do places like New Zealand, England, Canada, and Australia, all of which I'd like to visit someday (though I'm scared of airplanes -_- ).
Also, I'm interested in the Japanese language, but that's more for the language itself than my fondness of anime, just like the way I'd love to learn Latin. It just interests me.
If anything, my interest in Japan started from love of Nintendo, not really my liking of anime (and yes, I would do anything to be able to meet Shigeru Miyamoto).
an awsome woman in Christ!!