Election Day

Today is election day in Shinagawa. I believe it's a special election to replace the old Mayor (or whatever you call the head of the ward) who passed away back in August. This means that the politicians have been out in full force campaigning for the past few weeks.

Political campaigns look a bit different here in Japan than they do in the States. Instead of yard signs and bumper stickers you see a lot of vans with loudspeakers driving around the neighborhood, endlessly repeating the name of their candidate.

You also see candidates camped out in front of train stations, giving stump speeches and referring to themselves in the third person at a rate that would make Bob Dole embarrassed. This candidate is playing up her image as a good mother, hence the pink outfits and the guy in the dog costume. I guess she's counting on the Sanrio vote.

This guy's main selling point, repeated almost as much as his name in his speeches, is the fact that he's 27 years old. Good to see the young folks getting involved in politics, but I hope there's more to his platform than just that.