Material perception is a hot topic in Japan.  A major multi-partner grant, similar in some respects to PRISM, was funded a few years ago on "Shitsukan"—the Japanese word for the subjective and affective qualities of surfaces and materials.  You can find out more about the project from their website.

They have regular meetings with international speakers and in 2014, Profs. Komatsu and Nishida kindly invited me to talk at their meeting in Tokyo, Japan.  It was a fantastic meeting with a great line up of speakers.  

You can watch my presentation here: