Couple of general observations to add on; for the record, my exposure is drawn mostly from a short relationship with a Japanese immigrant (native-born, not Nisei) quite a while ago.
First, the Japanese have a much different attitude toward natural body (toilet) functions, as opposed to sexual functions, than Westerners do. You can say "turd" (unchi) in Japanese, but you can't say "scat" (as an expletive) because the context is not the same.
And this carries over into their media ... a couple of famous Japanese TV ads showed a talking cartoon unchi and a group of children (strategically placed and covered) bathing communally in which, after the "song and dance", someone apparently broke wind underwater.
All of this can be linked to the fact that Japan has over three times the population of California, crowded into the same amount of land, and without the farming capability. Under those conditions, the Japanese proverb that "the nail that sticks out must be hammered down." is more understandable.
It's also worth noting that the Japanese don't expect Westerners to fully understand all their nuances of culture. The Japanese word for "foreigner" is gaijin, literally, "not one of us", and a Japanese who emigrates faces a stigma should they decide to return home.
If the world is, indeeed, a global village, then Japan is that village's most introverted and withdrawn citizen, and needs to be approached with special concern.