Well, I'm almost 18, and I found Japan through internet browsing around two years ago. One of my other favourite bands is Duran Duran, and they were one of the first synth bands I really got into (they fueled my obsession, really
). I really wanted to hear more music like that, and in the "influences/similar artists" section on Duran's bn.com biography page was one band that I had never heard of before- Japan. I did some listening- Quiet Life was their bestseller on bn.com at the time, so I clicked it and randomly chose to listen to Fall In Love With Me. Call it kismet- that 30 second snippet of the song drew me in like nothing else had ever done before, and I instantly bought Quiet Life.
And like sylvian girl, basically everything I listen to now is music from before I was born, or bands that started before I was born and are still together. I stopped listening to the radio altogether years ago (there's really no point anymore).
And on top of their wonderful music, I'm also particularly influenced by the style of the band. Most noticeably, my hair is lightened in the front, like David's for the duration of the QL/GTP era. Not quite as drastic, but it works.