Another side to it I think is that sometimes Japanese terms can be overused in the English speaking world of bonsai, and sometimes not for the best reasons. I remember attending a meeting of a bonsai club once (with a view to joining) and one of the senior members was giving a talk.
His use of Japanese terms meant that more or less every third word was Japanese. I got the distinct impression that it was intended more to show how much he knew and to reinforce his seniority, and less about imparting any knowledge (evidenced by the fact that very few people understood anything he had said, as I found out afterwards when talking to them).
It can also be a little embarrassing at times, particularly when talking to people fluent in Japanese. I still cringe over the number of years I talked about satsuki azaleas (pronouncing 'sat-sooki'). I had read a lot about them so was not completely ignorant on the topic. But reading is one thing...
I was lucky enough to be corrected gently by a wiser man who, rather than just telling me I was wrong (which, I suppose, he would have considered rude), just asked me what I thought of his newly imported 'sat'ski' azaleas.
They were very nice. I bought one to hide my embarrassment and that was my first
