Gotham Gal: Question of the week #15

So many great questions sitting in the Formspring inbox for me. I am looking forward to answering them all. Due to the timing of just returning from Japan this particular question makes sense to answer first.

What do you think of Japan's consumer culture? Do you think there are many Japanese products or services that could be successful in the US? I am an American who has lived in Asia for the past 4 years. I have traveled to Japan twice and love it!

The culture in Japan is fascinating period. That culture is tied to many things besides consumerism. The population is older and it is apparent just walking the streets of Tokyo and Kyoto but my guess (just from what I have heard and read) is that is more obvious in more rural areas of Japan. The constant of new products and the fashion fads that are pretty juvenile creates the consumerism but runs counter to the traditional society of Japan.

There are not any services that I saw or used in Japan that I can come up with. As for the products, most of the products they have there are already in the US except of course the plethora of hot seat toilets with electronic flushing. I am a fan of those toilets and could totally see them working in the states.

The fashion products where teens and even young adults dress up as characters from movies, bands of comics in serious public displays that make the streets almost theater is just not something I see taking hold here. It is their rebellion to their own culture and our rebellion is different.

Japan is a fascinating place. There is definitely a push/pull between the future and the past. The US is much more mired in the moment and the future not so much the past. We are such a young country and Japan is a very old country. Our world might be flatter by the day but Japan is a society that we can connect with through business but there is quite a disconnect on many levels. Of course, IMHO.

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books of the moment

Peggy Riley: Amity & Sorrow: A Novel
A mother drives for days with her daughters and ends up in a random Oklahoma town after crashing the car. They come from a polygamous community where there were 50 wives. The mother had grown up knowing life outside that community. Over time, after leaving, she almost becomes deprogrammed. The realization of what she did to her daughters who no nothing outside the world they came from including how to read. Then there is the family that brought them in. It is a fascinating story. Well written. Worthy read.
Charles Graeber: The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder
An amazing true story of a male nurse who was arrested in 2002. I actually remember the story as I followed it in the papers. This nurse was a serial killer who had probably murdered over 400 patients that were under his care. A seriously well researched book. Great read.
Meg Wolitzer: The Interestings: A Novel
Wolitzer writes about a group of camp friends who all come from different walks of life (some on scholarship) as their friendships continue through their mid-50s. At the beginning the story seems trite but as you continue to read there is a lot of be said. The story is sticking with me. She makes the case that everything that happens to you from your childhood makes an impact on who you become or don't become. Worthy read.
Elizabeth Strout: The Burgess Boys: A Novel
Strouts last book won a Pulitzer. She focuses on family issues. I enjoyed this book much more than Olive Ketteredge which I found utterly depressing. This book follows two brothers and a sister who live in the shadow of their fathers accidental death. Like most siblings, all have turned out very different yet they are connected. I did not love any of the characters, like her last book, yet as The Burgess Boys moves forward and memories are revealed, it is an interesting perspective on human character.
Tamara Shopsin: Mumbai New York Scranton: A Memoir
Great book. A witty spare inventive personal diary of Tamara journey from Indian to New York to Scranton. Really really enjoyed the book.
Michael Lavigne: The Wanting: A Novel
An incredible book that tells the human side of the many layered issues in the Middle East. From immigrating to Israel from Moscow, to being a victim of a suicide bomber yet surviving, to being pulled into an Israeli radical group. Each character is connected. Very layered well written book. Powerful
Alessandro Piol: Tech and the City: The Making of New York's Startup Community
A history of the Internet that I lived through. Great job of recording what happened.
Amity Gaige: Schroder: A Novel
Not sure how much I loved this book. A father loses his child in divorce and decides to kidnap his own daughter. He is not a stable person but he obviously loves his daughter. His own childhood has made him a disconnected human being. An interesting journey but not sure I'd recommend.
Ernest Hemingway: The Old Man and the Sea
Classic.
Janice Steinberg: The Tin Horse: A Novel
a good novel that not only tells the tale of another dysfunctional jewish family in the early 30's but interweaves pieces of los angeles history throughout the book.