So you don't speak Japanese, huh?!

If you've been following my blog, then you surely have learned so much about Japan in the past few months. 

But there are plenty of things in America that come from the Japanese, and you probably never realized it!  And I'm not just talking about karate, karaoke, origami, haiku poems, and sushi!

Here's a list of words that Americans have borrowed directly from Japan:

bonsai - miniature tree
edaname - beans boiled whole in the pod
ginkgo - a tree with fan-shaped leaves
hibachi grill - but in Japan "hibachi" refers to a charcoal stove for heat, not cooking
honcho - as in "head honcho"; chief
kabuki - crazy theater performance
koi - carp fish
ramen - noodle soup
rickshaw - a human-pulled wagon
shiatsu massage
shiitake mushrooms
skosh - meaning a small amount; a bit or a few (sidebar: Jason Biggs claims to have invented this word specifically for the movie Loser in 2000.  I remember reading it in Entertainment Weekly a decade ago.  Go ahead, google it.  I'm serious!)
soy sauce
teriyaki - meat broiled or grilled in a sweet soy sauce
tofu - bean curd
tsunami - large wave caused by earthquakes
tycoon (originally spelled taikun) - wealthy business leader
wasabi - spicy green horseradish
zen - enlightenment through meditation

So what else has Japan influenced in America? 

Loads of manufacturers, such as Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sony, and Nintendo.

How about Japanese people who are famous in America?

Well, those are a little trickier to come by.  They are out there, but I'm not sure about household-name status.  For my money, I'd say the most famous native Japanese person is...

Yoko Ono!  Find me someone in America who doesn't know she was the wife of John Lennon and quite possibly the reason The Beatles broke up!! 

As for Japanese movie stars, some people may know Ken Watanabe from The Last Samurai and Memoirs of a Geisha.

Some might say Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki Pat Morita) from the original Karate Kid.  Although he does have Japanese heritage, they won't claim his as their own since he is an American citizen and has lived in the US his whole life.

There are a few Japanese players in MLB, but I can't name them.

I think the reason is because Japanese generally like to lead a simple life.  They are not as likely to thrust themselves in the Hollywood spotlight.  I see plenty of cute Japanese models, but you don't see them walking down many red carpets or in the tabloids for being drunk at a club and not wearing any panties.

Perhaps the most well-known thing to come out of Japan is Hello Kitty or Godzilla or Pokemon!!

Drop me a line if you can think of any other native Japanese person who might be considered a household name in America!  My colleagues at work are always quizzing me about this stuff, and I feel like I am constantly disappointing them.