In the mind’s eye of many people, Japan is a land of tranquil Zen gardens, serene temples, and exquisite tea ceremonies. Both traditional and contemporary Japanese architecture, books and magazines are the envy of designers worldwide. Yet for some reason practically none of this mastery has been translated into digital products, in particular websites, most of which look like they hail from around 1998.
The company I work for is owned by Alibaba Group, so therefore I'm exposed to some Chinese-first websites and tools, and I've always pondered the reasons behind the difference to what the western-world is used to.
While this article is focussed on Japanese web design, I think there are a lot of similarities. It makes me wonder if any other cultural differences have an effect on design.