[kireikoori]

People define the word differently. The way you and the topic starter have used it is this new slang thing.

Phile is Greek for love. You can love Japan without being hateful towards that which is non-Japanese and being delusional about Japanese culture.

I would say that I'm am interested in things for the simple fact they are Japanese. I want to understand Japan better. I may not ever be particularly fond of the music Japan makes in comparison to some music from other countries, but it's interesting to watch the PVs and read up on the artists and listen to it just because it's Japanese.

So I would say yes to that "like it just because it's Japanese" thing. But that doesn't mean I proclaim it's superior. Being someone interested in Japan, the fact that it's Japanese in the Japanese language can sometimes make me overlook qualities I would normally not overlook.

Books are good for studying Japanese but it's nice to have movies and such to go with it. And nothing gets you pumped up to learn a bunch of kanji like watching a few Japanese movies.