they do stand out. People wouldn't be talking about them if they didn't stand out. People wouldn't independently come to similar conclusions that they weren't up to par for Japan if they didn't stand out.

I think it's because a website isn't a "downtown." It's more like a single building rather than an environment built by thousands of different people. But where is the Toyo Ito of Japanese website designers?

It's true those may be reasons why they look like they do, or part of the reason, but I think it's a question that is interesting. Even if Japanese websites get their "language" from those things, it at least seems like they should get their language from other places also, such as modern architecture or industrial design.

I'd say it stands out because people have a warped image of what Japan is like. Having lived in 3 major cities in Japan, I find their webdesign completely in line with their print design, architecture, popular music and store design (both front and interior) and most apartments I've visited have been a far cry from the minimalistic lifestyle people often associate with Japan.

> such as modern architecture or industrial design.

Except for some landmarks, temples and gardens, contemporary architecture in Japan is surprisingly ugly and noisy.

I think most of the big sinners of Japanese webdesign are stores (at least the examples I can think of) and something like Bic Camera is more noisy and flashy in real life than their web presence.