To follow up the December 13th, post, there are a lot of misconceptions Japanese people have about America. I'll touch on some of the lighter misconceptions...

As Charlie commented, there's the misconception about American eating habits. In a few words, "beef and bread." More specifically, beef in either steak or hamburger form. As for the bread thing... plain white bread. Not potatoes. But bread. I don't know how many times I've been asked, "Do you eat rice or bread?" As if it's an either, or thing. For a while, I tried explaining that I eat both rice and bread, along with beans, potatoes, tortillas, etc.. To which, I get this blank stare that says, "What are you talking about?"

Second, there's the whole chopsticks thing. "Do you know how to use chopsticks?" "Chopsticks are very hard to use." Any foreigner coming to Japan will get asked this question at least once. For a while I was courteous, and replied with a quick little, "Yes, I do." But now, every now and then, I want to say something like "Yes, I do... do you know how to use a fork?" Luckily, I don't get asked the question as much as I used to.

Third, the usage of land. Most Japanese have this image of America as this huge wide open space. And compared to Japan it is. But recently, I showed this picture of San Francisco chinatown to some Japanese friends, and they were surprised by two things. Chinese characters in America... and the density of the city. "Oh, it's crowded in America too?" On the other hand, they can't grasp how country the country is in America. After hearing that in some parts of America, a family's neighbor could be miles away, my pastor had this look of bewilderment.

Fourth, gun ownership. After watching movies, TV shows, and news reports, most Japanese people think every American household has a gun. 'Nuff said.

Oh, bonus one... the military. I've been asked on a number of occasions, "Have you served your time on the military already?" "Are you afraid of going to the war?" Looking at the nearby examples of Taiwan, China, and Korea, many Japanese naturally assume that America also has a mandatory military service period. After explaining that military service isn't mandatory in America, many openly ask me, "How does America support their armed forces then?" Most Japanese I've talked to are surprised that all current American military personel are volunteers.