As my wife and I grow older, we spend a lot of time trying to understand this strange and unexpected relationship with the Land of the Rising Sun. This is not the case in other countries. I have long since abandoned my Charlie Chan-Fu Man Chu view of China developed by a thousand childhood tales told by my father. And I have no illusions of Buckingham Palace, tea with the Queen and beefeaters, when I think of England. And yet, those initial first impressions persist.
Japan somehow resists the memory bank upgrade.
Part of it is just how different the nation is than anywhere else on earth. This uniqueness lends itself to the rapid stereotyping of its culture. It is a defense mechanism of the brain that cannot adequately process Japanese imagery. I'm sure this is also true about such exotic lands as Bhutan. But Japan is not an isolated mountain kingdom.