To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
Only because it has a large pop-culture export to the west. It's ironic that so many westerners have such an obsession with Japan, a country that is simultaneously obsessed with the West and incredibly xenophobic.
Eh. I know a few folks that have an unhealthy obsession with everything Japanese, and I just don't see what's so great. I mean, Japanese culture is interesting, but not any more than other cultures around the world