DPJ WON!

Yesterday was the Japanese elections and I, for one, am SO glad it’s over. There have been cars and vans driving around with megaphones on all sides of the car. They are like ice cream trucks on crack, blaring commercials for political parties that you can hear even in your apartment. It is truly that loud. If you get stuck behind one of these cars WATCH OUT! You won't be able to hear your music or even think and are in danger of becoming deaf. I saw them on the morning of the elections, lined up like sharks at the prefectural office, getting ready to circle their city prey with their huge white posters and fin-like loudspeakers. They drive around waving and playing these really annoying records of some lady telling you to vote for their party. I cannot ever see this happening in another country. If this happened in the US, I would be motivated to specifically vote against that loud annoying party. As a side note, it is interesting that most of the people I talked to, and I would say Japan as a whole, don't care that the Democratic Party of Japan won. They don’t think anything will change anyway. The other party, the Liberal Democratic Party has been in charge of Japan for the past 50 or so years, so it is actually a semi-historic moment. In Japan, the people vote for a party, and the winning party votes for a leader in their party to become the Prime Minister of Japan. It will be interesting to watch how and if Japan changes because of the party change. I have heard many people tell me they want Obama to be their president. Then they say, "Yes we can" ;) I don't know of a pre-schooler who DOESN'T know that line. Are you listening, Obama?