Your friendly neighborhood gaijin or How are YOU?!?

Thought I'd stick up another picture today. Here's the gondola from the kitanomine side of the ski hill. The gondola seats about 6 people and gives you a great view of Furano and the ski hill. This is also where we wait when we are participating as ski hosts.
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Unrelated to the picture: If you ever see a Japanese person --- and there appear to be many in the world --- go up to them and say "How are you?" (exactly those words); you will almost inevitably get a quick response of, "I'm fine thank you, and you?" It can even happen if they initiated the conversation.
Japanese person A (fluent in English): Oh, hi Mr. B, how've you been?
Mr. B (non-Japanese): Oh, fine. How are you?
Japanese person A: (reflexively) I'm fine thank you, and you?
Mr. B: Um... I just told you I was fine...
Because the majority of the English they learn is through "chanting" (same in Japanese: chant-o) the answer is reflexive. It doesn't matter if their father just died or they were just hit by a car. Ask them, "How are you?" and you'll quickly be answered "Fine thank you, and you?"
At some point classes tend to go something like this:
Teacher: (in a loud chanting voice) HOW ARE YOU!
Class: (in unison) I'M FINE THANK YOU, AND YOU!
Teacher: (in Japanese) louder! (Eng.) HOW ARE YOU!
Class: I'M FINE THANK YOU, AND YOU!!
Notice that it's not even a question anymore, it's a set phrase in the chant. You run into problems when you get two of the students practicing English together.
Student A: How are you?
Student B: I'm fine thank you, and you?
A: I'm fine thank you, and you?
B: I'm fine thank you and you?
A: I'm fine thank you, and you.....

I have actually observed this happening. It can go on for a minute or two before they even realize that they've become caught in a loop. Certainly this sort of problem is to be expected WITH ROBOTS!!! But not with real living breathing students!!! And they can be the best English speaker or the worst, the results are almost guaranteed. There are English teachers who I know to whom I can speak for hours in full unabbreviated English at full speed; yet when I see them and say those magic words, "I'm fine thank you, and you?" complete with the slight head tilt and the pause expectantly for my immediate and automatic reply of the same phrase.

BUT... but... the worst part of it all is when you, the friendly neighborhood gaijin (foreigner) with all of your expert knowledge of your own native language which you've spoken since birth (or a little thereafter)... when you catch yourself doing it too!!!
Me: How are you, Student A?
Student A: I'm fine thank you, and you?
Me: I'm fine thank you, and you? ...ah! waitaminu...
Student A (before I can correct myself): I'm fine thank you, and you?
Me: *crying because of my lost ability to speak in my native tongue*

So my question to you is: How are you?!?