Eric Takabayashi <etakajp@yahoo.co.jp> wrote in message news:<3FA4DCBB.C7681EC7@yahoo.co.jp>...
> Please cc, come on back and tell me how irrelevant
> language and culture are to nationality. 

The funny thing is that all this discussion (between Eric and cc)
started with a misconception. Namely, that to be fluent in Japanese
you need to "understand 100% of the Japanese culture". Nonsense.
Speaking a language fluently means being able to speak it naturally,
"smoothly", without unnatural pauses, etc. I know many people who
speak fluent Japanese but who don't understand "100% of Japanese
culture", whatever that means.

Rafael Caetano