If you've realized that Japanese people do not listen strictly to their own music and are not that absorbed in 'typical Japanese' aspects of their culture anyway, then why do you have to keep doing it? To continue to do so even after you've realized that listening to only Japanese artists is just going to make you stick out more than fit in, it seems extremely ridiculous and narrow-sighted. I strongly dislike that kind of behavior by foreigners learning Japanese/in Japan. I'm also not quite sure why you think erasing your sense of American culture and replacing it entirely with Japanese is such a great idea. It never is. In fact, American culture is the one thing most Japanese people are going to ask you about. Whether you like it or not, you're going to be almost like a representative of American culture over there, and you don't want to have to tell them "Uhh, actually I don't know, I've been avoiding it and only paying attention to yours..."
But you'll see that soon enough for yourself whenever you move to Japan. Leaving the culture you've been raised in and lived in your whole life to go somewhere that, after the honeymoon period wears off (and if you only visited before, you only experienced honeymoon), turns out to be extremely different from what you're used to--it's very tough. Culture shock is rough. And listening only to Japanese music isn't going to help at all with that.
As for Melody Gardot, I already enjoy Norah Jones so I gave her a try, and I really do like her music and plan to look into her more. Thanks for the rec justriiingo <3
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