Older Than Dirt Joins the Forum

About 5 years ago I watched "Spirited Away" and was caught up in a vision of a culture that at one moment I as a 50-year old could readily identify with but then suddenly turned to a strange and very different emotional landscape. The more I looked at Anime and at Japan the more fascinated I became. Here was a culture as (or more) technologically advanced then the US yet clearly they were dealing with technology and world issues in a very different way.

Why are Japanese so xenophobic? Why is Japan's birth rate dropping? How did the WWII experience affect Japan's society? Why are they early adoptors of phone technology but relatively slow adaptors of PC's? Why do Japanese choose the housing they have? How do they deal with retirement and aging? How does religion fit in to modern Japanese beliefs? Where is Japan going in the future?

As a good outstanding American I of course speak no other language ; however, the availability of anime gave me a window on the beliefs, dreams, fears, of Japan. Since them I have been reading books like "Shutting out the Sun" "Dogs and Demons" ﾂ"Japan Unbound" and "Perfectly Japanese".

I am interested in how Japan is dealing with Science and Technology and dealing with issues such as land use, pollution, transportation, diet, medical care and how and when Japan makes different choices than the US.

I look forward to talking, arguing, and most importantly learning from you all.

As 1 ol timer to another................

welcome to JREF ! Don't be afraid to search through some of the old threads and posts. Some of the topics you mention have been covered in the past. I look forward to your future posts.

Old Uncle Frank

And, from one not too far behind as well !! WELCOME !! Please do spend some time with us, and share and learn with all of us here !! Hope to talk with you later ! MM