LOL I'll bear witness to that! All of my Akita friends think that my sister and I are psychotic, and don't understand why and how we could deal with this breed - the funny thing is, that personality is EXACTLY why I like them. It's honestly the trait that attracts me the most, even beyond the conformation. I like their fire, their spirit, and their ability to make a humble person out of any dog owner - I like that they are wicked clever and challenging. I like that they are a smaller dog that will never let you think they are. I love the three traits - kan-i, soboku, ryosei. This is *definitely* not the breed for everyone at all - it is a shame that so many people have the wrong impression of them and end up not doing their research, as typically, those people end up with a nightmare on their hands that they can't handle. I think there tends to be a conception in this country that smaller means "easier" - Shibas are one of the breeds that prove this isn't so.
Again, as far as NIPPO and American Shibas go - it is not so much a difference in "type" as it is in *quality.* The majority of American breeders are working *toward* the quality that can be found in Japan - but it is simply a long, slow road. It is typically not as easy to import the best of the best from Japan, as it takes a lot of money and certain connections, as well as an understanding of the Japanese culture. Really, no one here is interested in making a type of Shiba that differs at all from what is in Japan - our thinking is that would just lead us down the road that the Akita went, which is exactly what we *don't* want. We are very serious about learning from the country of origin and respecting the Shiba for what it is and what it is supposed to be. This is why, once more, importation is to be found in almost every very successful kennel (or at least, the kennels that I personally would like to have a dog from) - however, there are those that simply don't have the money or the connections to do this.
I am fond of each and every Nihon Ken - if it weren't completely crazy, I'd love to have one of each, though right now I'd settle with a Hokkaido - good God, those are some amazing animals. I'm aware that the only real relation between the Akita, Shikoku, Kai, Hokkaido, and Kishu is that they are the native Japanese breeds, but quite frankly, that is good enough for me. There isn't a native Japanese breed that I don't like.
I'm familiar with and fond of Betsy Sako's dogs - but I think my sister will get more into that, so I'll try not to cross into her territory. I'll leave the discussion of San Jo to her too, and my guess is she'll have something to say about Kumi as well. I am *extraordinarily* hard to please when it comes to Shibas (I'm pretty sure my twin is covering the whys and wherefores of that as well, lol). However, I am also extraordinarily lucky to live in an area where the quality of the breed is getting pretty high, and where the breeders are importing.