Graduate Study in East Asia

More and more I'm being asked by current and former students about the feasibility of doing a graduate degree in Japan. When I was a graduate student in the late 80s and early 90s, it was not advisable--U.S. schools didn't want to give foreign institutions' degrees much respect, and I knew that eventually I wanted to do a PhD in the States. But now I think things are much different; Japanese graduate schools are courting foreign applicants, and even offering them fellowships. And, I know of at least a couple people who did a master's in Japan and later got into very reputable PhD programs in the States.

This is all probably for the better--more opportunities, more depth in one's education, etc. But I'm left without having much in the way of "advice" for my students who ask about it. I'd like to know about other experiences--comments, anyone?