Connection Across Time: "Made in Japan"

Surprised as I was about the Japanese impression of Americans as being materialistic, I recalled reading an article in Time (a while ago) about Japan's new consumer culture.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1832712-1,00.html

Basically, after the defeat in the war, nationalism was associated with suffering. In Japan, it became cool to be westernized, to eat European food and drive European cars, have European (or American) tech-gadgets---the article cites Bang&Olufsen phones and iPods. Now, however there is the desire to promote Japanese culture at home, and it follows, throughout the rest of the world.
The whole thing strikes me as ironic: in Japan and other countries in the East, they idolize Western culture, but we too are fascinated by Eastern culture. Americans feel so "cool" when they drink "chai", tofu appeals to our health-food fad, and sushi-bars are glamorous. I see wallpaper, furniture, dishes, clothing full of eastern influence. For me, cherry blossoms--> Japanese art!