What Japanese artists do you admire and Why? any painters?

Answer 1

Modern or 'all time' ?

I have to say all time would be:
Hiroshige
His sense of style, timing and color are so intense it never gets old even though it is over 100 years old.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Hiroshige_Fuji_23.jpg

Of the modern generation I like the famous:
Murakami
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/34/Murakami%28Army_of_Mushrooms%29.jpg
It still is the same but so fresh and new you can hardly say 'the same'.