I came across this observation about why an idealized Japan is so popular with geeks. I think it's scarily accurate. I'd love to go to Japan but I know it won't be anything like the Japan I think I know and love. Sigh.
"For a lot of Western otaku, Japan fills the same function as Middle-Earth or Starfleet or twelfth-century England does for other flavors of geek: it's a fantasy world where everything is attuned to their desires and, if they could magically get there, they wouldn't feel like outsiders anymore.
In this Japan, nerds are the ruling class, video games and comic books abound, cutting-edge high-tech toys flood the streets, and everyone dresses in cool, crazy fashions. And, of course, hot teenage girls fight each other for the right to hook up with introverted geeks.
This fantasy version of Japan is seductive to a certain young, tech-saavy, socially awkward but culturally aware type -- the type that increasingly dominates the Internet."
Check the article this is from. It's a pretty neat analysis of a variety of webcomics and their importance or lack thereof. The quote is from the section on Megatokyo, a webcomic I've looked at askance once or twice but have never been drawn into like many of my friends have.
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