Comment Untechnologically.. (Score 2) 143
I should point out that the West has had a love affair with Japanese art and culture predating our identification of the Japanese with all things futuristic and technological. The beat poets were highly interested in Zen bhuddism as were a lot of minimal artists at the 60's.
Minimal Japanese art was a big influence of the style of French art, like art nouveau and expressionism. Perhaps this is because the avante garde of Western culture (be it culturally obsessed nerds like Gibson, or bohemian artists) constantly look for a way to overthrow the Victorian-era Christian systems of values and behaviour that are prevalent in the west.
Hence, we see them as futuristic because everything that has been modern about our culture for the past century has often been influenced by Japan. And everything modern about their culture has been influenced by us.
