So what got everyone interested in Japan in the first place?
For me it was all about Shogun: Total War. That game made me trawl wikipedia for information about the sengoku jidai and then I came across Genji and Heian Japan. I was fine not knowing the language and just using translations, until I started hearing it in songs, films and anime. Hearing it makes me want to learn it for some reason. That and about all I can say is 'O Genki desu ka' which doesn't make for a paticularly exciting conversation with your aunt or cousin when the family in Japan phones.