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Indeed. Comparable sites (video games, video game companies, and TV shows) in English follow very similar design patterns.

That said, there are some major Japanese sites with absolutely mind-boggling design ("Rakuten" springs to mind...)

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Interesting samples & discussion on (sometimes "busy" & hectic) Japanese web design: http://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/07/25/1712256/the-puzzle-o...