just a quick note

I'm writing this on 16 October 2005, and post this as a 2 September post.

I've been updating this blog, adding the pictures that have not been archived here (from my Flickr site), so the date that appears on this blog is not accurate. Actually I've been away from this blog since June this year and have not added any.

Well, there was an out-of-the-blue general election for our National Diet on 11 September this year, but I didn't take any picture of it. From August to September, I had too much work and didn't take a single pic. On the election day, the weather was too nasty to have a camera (rainy and windy). I wished I could do something like people in the uk had done in their general election 2005 and people in Iran had done with their Presidential election this year, but I was too busy, simply.

A lot of bloggers and fotologgers in Japan took nice pictures, but there's no "group" on Flickr...

all the political party posters I found on the way

all the political party posters I found on the way
Originally uploaded by nofrills.

Five images are combined. View full size for details.

TOP LEFT: Liberal Democrat Party (自民党，Jimin-to)
TOP RIGHT: Liberal Party of Japan (民主党，Minshu-to)
BOTTOM LEFT and MIDDLE: Japan Communist Party (共産党，Kyosan-to)
BOTTOM RIGHT: Tokyo Seikatsusha Network (東京・生活者ネットワーク)
# Tokyo Seikatsusha Net are a Tokyo local political party. Seikatsusha is "people who live here" but rather difficult to translate the full meaning... They mean consumers, mothers, and workers by using this word.

These are all the political party posters I found on the way to the polling station. The LibDems and the Liberals are not "posters" actually but their poster/bulletin boards.

The Japan Communist Party are really enthusiastic about their posters. Eight different posters are in two pictures, but I think I've seen several others, so there must be fourteen or fifteen kinds of posters in all.

There's one more mainstream political party, Komei-to, but I didn't see their posters on the way. Still, if I walk the other way (to the station, not to the school that is the polling station), I see tens of thousands of Komei-to posters!!!

polling station in sepia

polling station in sepia
Originally uploaded by nofrills.

It was cloudy and quite dark. That's why this pic is blurred. (?)

Taken on 3 July 2005

polling station

polling station
Originally uploaded by nofrills.

Your polling station is usually a nearby school.

Taken on 3 July 2005

election poster board - a wider view

election poster board - a wider view
Originally uploaded by nofrills.

Each candidate puts one legal size poster in the box.

A typical poster consists of:
- candidate's name (big font, and it's gothic/sans-serif, though in Japanese typography sans-serif or serif is somewhat different compared with in the west )
- candidate's face (smile, smile and smile)
- slogan(s)
- the name of the political party that the candidate belongs

As I observe, one of the colours that are most frequently used is blue. Something "fresh" and "clearcut" about the colour is particularly liked, I suppose.

Anyway, these posters are boring as hell.

For the cute little creature at the right bottom, I posted an enlarged picture here.

Taken on 3 July

election poster board - the mascot

election poster board - the mascot
Originally uploaded by nofrills.

Mascots are everywhere. Even at the election. Even on the official election poster board. This is Japan. This is our culture, And I'm not impressed because everything has its own mascot.

Honestly, I wonder if mascots are needed on this occasion??? Can anyone tell that this cute creature is telling you that the polling stations are open from 7.00am to 8.00pm? :-P

Taken on 3 July 2005

And this "mascot" is not a Pokemon. But they do look similar. Twin brothers? ;-)

the Invitation Card (election certificate, actually)

the Invitation Card (election certificate, actually)
Originally uploaded by nofrills.

Arriving at the polling station, you give this piece of paper to the election man (or woman), who checks the paper befor telling you "Go to the teller No.X" very politely.

Then at the teller No.X, another election man (or woman) checks on a computer and askes "You are Mr/Ms John/Jane Doe, right?" A moment after you reply "Yes," you get your ballot paper.

There are three people sitting and watching, and I dared not take a picture of the ballot paper.

It was a really high-tech stuff I heard, a plastic paper that can easily open if it is folded. You know Japanese people like Origami, and we usually make the full use of our origami skills on the ballot paper. That's why the peper must open easily.

(I'm just joking about the Origami bit, but the "easy-open plastic paper" is true.)

At the booth, there's a list of names on the wall, and three or four pencils.

You write one name out of the list on the wall using one of these pencils. Be careful not to write a wrong kanji, as there's no rubber/eraser.

Taken on 3 July 2005

I gradly accepted the invitation for the election...

I gradly accepted the invitation for the election...
Originally uploaded by nofrills.

In Japan, we don't have to register beforehand for elections. This envelope contains one piece of paper which you must bring to the polling station.

Taken on 3 July 2005

Sunday 3 July 2005, election day

Sunday 3 July 2005, election day
Originally uploaded by nofrills.

Sunday 3 July 2005; Tokyo.

There's the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election going. (Assembly only: not Governor election this time.) Though it's just a local assembly election, this is the only "big" election in Japan that takes place this year.

*********
The final turnout was 49.33 per cent, the second lowest in the Assembly's history. Here is the list.

Taken on 3 July, 2005