Topic: why Japanese games sell well in US and not in Japan?

Japanese games are better with very few exceptions. (Normally ones made in the same way).

The Japanese make generally what I want the Western devs make what they think I should want but I totally don't.

Advertise as much as you like and it is not likely to make much difference in Japan which I think is good. But Apple is having success there.

Because of two things:

1. Home console games sell better in the US/Europe and handheld ones better in Japan. Hence the games made for the other type of system won't do as well in the country less fond of it.

2. Because as people said, certain series like Metroid appeal more to US audiences and certain others appeal more to Japanese ones. And then there's Microsoft in general, whose Xbox just doesn't sell in Japan period.