I didn't downvote, but suspect some of them are because you offered an unlikely or minor reason behind the superlatives. Also, I'm unsure of your exposure to J

I didn't downvote, but suspect some of them are because you offered an unlikely or minor reason behind the superlatives. Also, I'm unsure of your exposure to Japanese, but superlatives are used frequently in daily conversation. "Sugoi"/"Suge" ("great/amazing!") or " kawaii" ("cute!") are a couple examples. There's some nuance and loss in translation, but the general usage and frequency is similar to American English from my experience with my Japanese in-laws, friends, and employees. I do agree that Californians and our sun-fried brains seem more likely to take it to an extreme.