Monday, 6 July 2009

Japanese election fever - Abiko style

How was your Independence Day weekend? Our Man's British, so he really doesn't give a shit, but let him tell you about his - he spent it making the following humble vid. This would be only his second attempt at making a vid - the first (right here, in case you missed it, which large numbers of people did, surprisingly) was just a test to see if he could work his iMac software to make something worthwhile (dang, failed again). Anyway, this here is his latest attempt to enter the 21st century. (Tell you what, getting the pictures to change on the beat ain't as easy as it looks):



To aid your, er, enjoyment of the video, here are some factoids:

All the video footage was shot on Saturday as Our Man rode his shopping bike to and from his Japanese lesson. Except for the lake shot near the end, which is a year old.
The pol with his hands out shortly before receiving a brown A4 size envelope stuffed with ¥10,000 notes is the bloke from New Komeito (in league with the LDP).
The graveyard fellas are the DPJ chaps.
Prime Minister Taro Aso makes no cameo appearance. But the baldy bloke and A.N. Other are LDP henchmen.
The chick is the face of hate, er, the Happiness Realization Party.
The pudgy bloke with glasses by the train tracks is Comrade No. 1.
No dumb creatures were harmed in the making of this movie. Much.

12 comments:

Kara said...

Tommy Lee Jones will save us all! Or at least keep us happily caffeinated.

Motsamai said...

My main gripe about our tussling Tokyo tribes is neither their single eyelids (two per person) nor their single brain cells (one per person), but their monotonous self-promotion via mounted-on-vans loudspeakers. Egad! The candidates in my specific neighbourhood apparently all asked the same syrupy-voiced damsel to charm their sublimely indifferent voters. AAAAARGH! Even the uyoku vans are better than this torture! Comrade Motski the Miffed

Kamoshika Bob said...

A comment to Motski: is this your first election experience in Japan? The speaker vans are as ubiquitous ans annoying as they are meaningless. One of those quirky rituals of Japanese culture that have little or no substance, but that no one would ever think of NOT doing.

My question for Our Man is what does he know about the platform of the Happiness Realization Party. I heard that it is the newly formed political wing of Koufuko-no-Kagaku, a successful religious cult founded by Ryuho Okawa. Sounds like Komeito all over again.

ThePenguin said...

Our Man has previously written about the HRP here.

I must say, Abiko looks somewhat hillier than I imagined it.

Our Man in Abiko said...

Kara, if Our Man could vote and Tommy Lee Jones could stand (for election), he'd be a shoe-in. Motski, don't worry, be happy. Bob, that's the sum of Our Man's knowledge. Will look into it. Probably. Mr P, top marks for paying attention. How'd you do that blue linking thing? Do they teach you that at penguin school?

dr kildare said...

good to see the abikan navy out in strength.

when the arms race gets going,they might even get a new paint job,that'd be nice.

ThePenguin said...

Like this: <a href="http://penguins.gov/">Penguins!</a>

Winchester whisperer said...

Great video but Abiko looks ghastly! Is it really that bad?

Our Man in Abiko said...

Sure, Abiko is no Winchester - but Our Man likes to think of it as a poor man's San Francisco. Minus the stunning views, head shops, China Town, gay bars, Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge.

But it is quite hilly.

What can Our Man say? It was a rainy day, the subject matter was dull and he was careering about with one hand on the handlebars and the other holding the digi cam.

There are some lovely campsites around here and the lake is actually pretty nice. Our Man likes it here, for the most part.

ThePenguin said...

@Winchester whisperer: from the video Abiko looks about par for the course in Japan, a nation not renowned for its urban architecture or indeed anything resembling a planning regime where the left hand knows what the right hand is doing (probably handling a brown envelope).

Anonymous said...

Lovely! Evocative, fun, thoughtful. I'm going to look at election posters differently.
...
Get on yur bike! (again - please).

Motsamai said...

Somewhat belated response to Kamoshika Bob: I've kvetched my way through several elections. I can't remember how many - my brain's been addled by all the noise - but Our Man is right. Let us not worry, but be happy that, ummm, the archangel Gabriel will arrive in Bangkok in 2050, according to the Happiness Realization Party. (Thus spoke Wikipedia.)Comrade Motski the Merry