Living in a retro time warp.

Loving this blogging business. It’s making me think about all sorts of things, how I perceive different situations, my opinions right or wrong!, what interests me, shocks me and bamboozles me. It’s also fun to see the power of the internet and never ceases to amaze me that people from places like Latvia, Czech and Russia have taken the time to click on my link and possibly read some of my rants. I have also read other’s blogs and had some nice chats with interesting people. I have read some new books thanks to great recommendations and have new destinations and restaurants on my hit lists thanks to interesting fellow bloggers. I have tried out a couple of new recipes with success. I highly recommend the following blogs.

Some Good Eats for restaurant recommendations in Auckland NZ and a fun look at food. http://somegoodeatsblog.com/

Travel Oops for witty and informative travel stories and cultural insights. http://traveloops.com/

Silver in the Barn for well written personal insights and very good book recommendations! https://silverinthebarn.wordpress.com/

Spontaneous Tomato for some great recipes. I often make the granola bars! spontaneoustomato.com/

Thanks to everyone who has checked my blog out. I am enjoying checking out other people’s as I find my way around Word Press.

Last night I watched the pilot to the Madmen series. Set in the 1960’s it made me think back to 3 of my prior posts and life here in Japan.

Madmen is a man’s world. They are almighty and the little woman is an office lady whose one aim in life is to find a good husband. The men are out and about drinking and schmoozing the nights away in the name of business, not unlike Japan even in this modern day and age. The sexism in the series makes you cringe and it is unimaginable in this day and age but as I said in my recent blog Why?????, it was rife in Japan in the 1980’s and unfortunately is still fairly heavily ingrained in society even in this day and age. Last year a female lawmaker, Ayaka Shiomura was publicly heckled in a political forum for her unmarried status. This caused quite a stir in Japan and the perpetrator made a public apology after a much needed uproar. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/tag/ayaka-shiomura/

For more details on Sexism in Japan please check Why????????????

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/why/

The Madmen pilot is set around the advertising conundrum around cigarettes and health issues facing the advertising big wig. They decide just to ignore the health issues. Seems to me this is being reenacted here and now in Japan. Japan Tobacco has the weirdest set of posters out there none of which address health related issues but rather how to be a socially conscientious smoker and not litter or burn passing children’s eyes out. For the full story please check out https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2015/01/14/smoking-hot-topic/

Can you see where I am going here? I live in one of the most vibrant modern and exciting cities in the world, I love it but the are times when I wonder if I have slipped into some time warp crack of Doctor Who or Trekkie proportions and gone back in time. Or I am in an Asian version of The Rocky Horror Show with all the Manga like dressed cosplay stereotypes doing “Let’s do the Time Warp again” Maybe a government official heckling a woman for not being married and columnist author Ayako Sano calling for racial segregation in this day and age ( google Ayako Sano racial segregation Japan Times to find out more on that particular wee gem) are just part of some wacky piss take of a musical.

Sadly sexism and smoking are still the accepted norm and there are times when the strident right wing raise their ugly heads and racism comes out. This too was in Madmen’s pilot with reference to Jewish business owners. So what’s next on my retro list? TechNOlogy. No I haven’t lost mind. Technology or the lack of it at times never ceases to amaze me.

There was a great scene in Madmen when the secretary pulls off a sheet covering a big bulky typewriter and says to the new girl that the technology at the office is top notch. It might look daunting but don’t worry it was designed by men who knew that a woman would would be using it so it was simple! “Oh thank goodness” simpered the girl in reply.

Coming back into a Japanese classroom after such a long time away I was gobsmacked to find I was back to literal chalk and talk. Yes I have an old fashioned blackboard and chalk in what is a reasonably well to do private high school. The image of Japan being highly technological is not quite as realistic as the actuality. It is definitely gadget rich society but again seems to be playing catch up in areas some as the public service and education when it comes to the useful and practical applications of technology in the real world. See my full rant on

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/technology/

So there we have it. At times, certain attitudes here have me flummoxed and I feel I could be back in the 60’s. I know this is not true however, as with the push of button I am in contact with friends, family, bloggers and complete strangers all over the world. But wait …….. have I time warped forward?????? Maybe I am not warping back to Madmen but forward to Back to the Future 2!