If I had a penny for every time I've been asked this one, I'd be a bazillionaire by now.
Maybe I should start charging to answer it ? OK, I will: For 10 Euros I will grant you a perpetual licence to enjoy my answer. For simplicity, we'll assume EUR10 = US$10 = 1000 Yen = GBP 5, you pay in whatever currency is most convenient.
This licence will give you the right to hear it once, you may not duplicate, copy or reproduce this answer in any form; you may not communicate, email, write or tell anyone. This licence is non-transferable and by your acceptance, constitutes a contract. The answer is supplied with no warranty not even for merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
You know the membership card that gives you 1% or less discount at the supermarket and puts your address on the store junk mail list for all eternity? They have it in Japan too!
This is a very popular question in Japan. Am I remarkably taller than average ?
Thai people assume you must have a Thai girlfriend or wife. I find this line of thinking a bit annoying: learning a language takes a lot of effort over a long time and I don't like the suggestion that someone did it for me.
I think people ask this one because they want to know if I found a better solution to theirs. Maybe they are not satisfied with their solution ?
Most Karate people who aren't Japanese don't ask this question. They think the only reason to come here is to train.