Today’s question: Are you inspired by any foreign cultures other than Japan? What about them inspires you?

I’m inspired by several cultures, so I’m going to do this in list form:

1. I’m inspired by my own American culture and landscape, which is often very different from what people see in movies. I’ve been to about half the states in the U.S. and every place I go, big or small, has quirky little festivals and museums and historical buildings. And of course, we’ve got some amazing nature, especially here out west.
2. I’m inspired by the British Isles, where my ancestors come from. My family on both sided has been American for a couple hundred years at least, but before that they were Welsh and Scottish. This has inspired my older sister more than me–she even took Welsh language classes in college–but this ancestry has influenced my paganism, my reading tastes, and some of my style.
3. I’m inspired by Mr. Robot’s Scandinavian heritage. His family immigrated a little over 100 years ago, maybe a bit longer, but they still talk about being Norwegian a lot. They don’t actually do anything Norwegian, but they’ve inspired me and the Robot to learn more about Scandinavian culture and history. I’ve been especially inspired by their knitting history.
4. I’m inspired by India. My parents were stationed there right after I graduated high school and I was able to spend some time there. India has such natural beauty and so many grand historical buildings. Everything in India has so much texture and color and intricate pattern, I really love the artistic sense there. I’ve only been to a few places, and someday I’d love to go back and see more.
5. Of course, the question says “besides Japan” but I am definitely inspired by Japan as well. My dad lived in Japan for a while as a young man, trying to convert them to his religion. He didn’t manage to convert many people. Instead, he learned the language and fell in love with the people and culture. Because of this, we always had Japanese books and art in the house and I grew up eating fried rice and Japanese curry. Even before we spent four years living there, Japan was part of my life.