LOL Best story ever!
I never even noticed the excessiveness of "very nice". I just thought it was kind of cute, like he must have picked up this use of "nice" from the Japanese and was using it instead of "good" because "very good" sounds too condescending or teacherly for the Jpod lesson style. Peter's always playing the student so it's like we're all learning together. "Nice" even has the "ssss" ending which the Japanese speakers pronounce so crisply in the same way as "desu".
But now I'll notice it all the time, darn you! =P