[samurai007]

I only lived there 2 years, but I noticed a little bit of that happening... for instance, the ax-hand chopping motion to move through a crowd became almost second nature. I wasn't fluent in Japanese and spent most of my time teaching and speaking English, so the language never really caught on so much for me.

On a broader perspective though, living and working in such a different culture really expands your horizons, gives you confidence, allows you to see many things in a new perspective, and in general is a truly life-changing experience. At least it was for me, and I've been back in the US almost 10 years now. I still am very partial to Japan, Japanese people and culture, I still read manga, hang out on Japan Forums, and help recruit for the JET program at my local university.