The arcicle promises to answer this question:<p><i>What makes Japanese design so special? Basically, it’s a matter of simplicity; a particular notion of simplicity, different from what simplicity means in the West.</i><p>It doesn't.<p>It talks about a German-made knife vs. a Japanese-made knife, but the Japanese-made knife simply <i>is</i> more simple. They aren't "simple" in different ways.