drop handlebars and brake lever position

i rotated the bars clockwise (relative to the picture) to point just above the hubs, this also levelled the ramps to the stem:

...the bar position and levers look wrong as anything!
it's easier to apply force to the levers from the ramps (hand on the hoods) but practically impossible from the hooks.
it feels like moving the levers *down * the bar would balance out the two.

completely see how they are designed to be accessed from the hooks rather than the drops.
with the original set up i could easily access the levers but my hands weren't comfortable: japanese bars not designed for larger hands.
with the new set up the levers are too high up the bars to be accessed from the drops

i really want to avoid changing the levers as i have a matching groupset (bar post) - could i get a result by switching hoods alone? google tells me dia compe and cane creek do some compatible non-areo ones.

Yup, that looks horrible, but you see quite a lot of bikes with that type of lever set up that way, presumably to try to get round this problem. Mine wasn't far off that before I switched to aero levers.

You could try new hoods if you can find one that will give you a flatter transition from the ramps to the hoods like an aero lever. That may allow you to use the brakes from the hoods more effectively, but I can't guarantee it because I think there are other differences between non-aero and aero levers such as the angle of pull and the mechanical advantage.

If you find a bar with a deeper drop to make room for your hands then the natural position of the levers (according to the technique I suggested) would be further down the bar. Bear in mind that the technique I suggested is just a guideline and obviously people's personal preference varies substantially.