Some people might read this as "it's Japan so Street Fighter is common and totally a thing everyone knows about".
The other bit is that Japan bar culture contributes a lot to this kind of experience whereas the US has become very silo'd over the years where bar groups don't mix.
I'm at a bar in Japan and watching Capcom Cup and everyone in the bar became super interested when Street Fighter was mentioned and watched along.
Japan culture is different.
Racing with a team in a national level rally event this year is the culmination of years of work and the finalizing of a childhood dream of mine.
I'm weirdly more stoked about this than any professional achievement to date.