Mayim-Mayim, Ricky Holden, and Japanese video games

Listening to PRI's The World on the radio, I heard familiar music and an interesting story -- it starts at about time 40:25:

It refers to this article "How an Israeli Folk Song Became A Hit on Japanese Video Game Soundtracks":
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/242738/jewcy-mayim-mayim

"...Seriously, everyone in Japan knows “Mayim Mayim.”
"How did this happen? It began in the post-WWII occupation of Japan, led by General Douglas MacArthur. As part of the (admittedly somewhat forced) cultural exchange, the United States decided to teach the youth in Asia folk dances. They enlisted the aid of Rickey Holden, a prominent square and folk dance-caller, scholar, and educator..."

If you search for "Mayim Mayim Anime" in youtube, you find an amazing number of clips:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mayim+mayim+anime 
Who knew?