選挙 - the campaign

in this year of elections... who to choose... the female minority... the african american minority... the old man majority... rebekah and i made a rare appearance in public to see a documentary that showcases how those whacky japanese take that road to public office.

while living in japan, elections were often met with groans of pain. campaign vehicles straight out of the 1950s with HUGE speakers canvased the neighborhoods blaring the candidate's names followed by vague empty promises. at the time, it didn't make much sense to me as a migrant worker/english teacher on a temporary guest visa. but the movie DID put some light on who these guys are and how the candidate isn't really running on his or her own ideals. they're actually more of an other spokesperson for the party. if you can take two hours of subtitles and hearing this guys name being shouted at you, it's worth check it out.