[rathel]

Not every form of cultural misunderstanding is racism. Why dilute the word? What does it even mean in this context?

I think, that this "art of" while exaggerated as you point out, is thrown around not entirely without reason. It's the first association that comes to writers' mind when you see how Japanese can elevate the most mundane (in Western understanding) stuff to the next level - think polishing mud balls, senko hanabi, kintsugi and so on.