In any case, there are very nearly as many dissonances between British and American English. I recall playing Taboo with some American friends during my first extended stay in the US, and attempting to use “zebra” as a clue for “crossing”. Imagine my surprise when I realized that there is no such thing as a “zebra crossing” (see Wikipedia) in America!

But by far the most characteristic (and, for foreigners, troublesome) thing about wasei-eigo is the use of abbreviations such as terebi, hara, etc.

Oh, as a “mania” I must note that another popular wasei-eigo word in mania circles is “buruma” (bloomers)… -_-;

Also, マニア is a bit more like excessive enthusiasm afaik which fits the english word a bit better though still quite different.

It’s useful for teachers of Japanese students to be aware of these words, so that we have some idea what they mean when they say or write “a trump game,” for example. It’s just important to not embarrass them, and to let them know that all languages do this kind of thing to other languages; it’s not a specifically Japanese concern.

And yeah, I agree that coin laundry is fine. It might be regionalized–perhaps it doesn’t occur in the UK or in some parts of the US or something–but it’s acceptable anyway.