Campaigning

Local elections are this coming Sunday and the politicians have definitely stepped up their campaigning. Mostly it’s the usual flyers and ads and news coverage (although most of the people handing out flyers do realize that handing me one isn’t a particularly effective use of their paper). One of the candidates even had either a long press conference or paid advertising on tv for 30 minutes one night (he actually looked a lot like the scary pointy-haired guy on morning tv, but there wasn't any mist of any color). But the one uniquely Japanese form of campaigning is the election van. It’s a regular white van outfitted with as many loud speakers as they can fit on the roof (it almost looks like a tv van if you're not paying close attention). They drive up and down the streets very slowly, loudly blaring the campaign speeches. And I do mean loudly.

They’ve been doing this occasionally since I got here, but this last week has gotten worse. This morning, a van came down my street at about 8am. All I can say is that’s a great thing to do to your rival – blare his campaign speeches at odd hours. I certainly wouldn’t vote for someone rude enough to break the morning’s peace like that!

. . .

Mom sent tootsie roll pops in her latest care package (thank you!). Since it would take one person (even a sugar junkie like myself) a while to go through that many tootsie roll pops, I brought them to work to share. Picture, if you will, a roomful of Japanese business men with tootsie roll pops in their mouths. I SO wish I’d had a camera!