Yeah, it's pretty refreshing when you consider the coverage Miyazaki gets everywhere else nowadays.
Miyazaki movies sell in the bajillions. Miyazaki has 3 movies in the top 5 biggest movies in Japan ever (Spirited Away, Howl's, Mononoke) and 4 in the top 10 (Ponyo). The list actually gets more ridiculous if you filter it to Japanese movies only. Everytime a movie of his is shown on TV, it gets guaranteed ratings.
All the press, local or western, love him. Oshii is right, everyone thinks he can do no wrong.