A regular reader of my column wrote to ask about school life in Japan. When she wrote to me, children all over the U.S. were getting prepared to go back to school in late August, and seeing all the “back to school” displays and commercials on TV, she was wondering about the school system in Japan.

Thanks to her question, this is the topic of this week’s column.  Thank you, Linda, for the question!

The school year in Japan begins in April and the first semester ends in late July or early August. The second term begins in September and continues through February with graduation always happening in March.

Elementary schools often have a trimester system, where they study from April until July, then September through December, and finally January through March. Most elementary schools have about a 40-day summer vacation each year.

Normally, students are expected to be at school by about 8:30 a.m. and the school day ends around 3 p.m. However, most students belong to after-school clubs so these activities begin when classes finish and can continue up through the early evening.

Then, many students go on to a private cram school where they will often study until 9 p.m. These cram schools focus on offering supplemental lessons that are related to the courses the students take at their regular schools. These can include English, science, math, etc. In elementary schools, extracurricular activities are usually allowed from grade four during school hours and these are called tokubetsu katsudo (special activities).

Since students sometimes have to take an entrance exam to get into a higher-level school, parents view “cram schools” as good value for the money if the student is able to get into a preferred school upon graduating from elementary, junior high, or senior high school.

Typically, students attend school for twelve years of formal education, which include elementary, lower, and upper secondary schools. Even though students are six years old when they begin schooling, most children attend preschools or kindergartens from the ages of 3 to 5 years old. Compulsory education lasts for nine years (through middle school), but most students continue onto high school.

One interesting difference in how Japanese secondary schools operate is that students have a classroom where they stay the entire day, and teachers come to the classroom to teach their lessons. These are called “homerooms” and students do not change classrooms except for laboratory-related classes or physical education. They have assigned desks and they remain in the classroom for the entire day where the lecture-type of classes are taught. Classes on average have 40 students assigned to each homeroom.

Because the university where I teach has only an education faculty, all of my students enroll to become future teachers.  In Japan, being a teacher is revered and held in high regard, and it is still considered to be an esteemed honor to be a teacher, so salaries remain quite good and competitive, making education a popular profession to choose for students entering university. In addition, because my university is a national university, we have a number of attached elementary and junior high schools that we oversee, so I have many opportunities each year to visit the attached schools to observe my students practice teaching, or to visit lessons to observe how teachers conduct their lessons.

Japanese students normally have daily homework they are expected to do before the next day. The photo of three elementary school students (photo above) is one I took on a train on a Friday evening about 6:30 p.m. I suspect they are all siblings, because the older girl kept poking the boy to her left to wake him up — each time admonishing him for not working on his homework.

The poor kid was so tired he couldn’t keep his eyes open, and reacted like any little brother would to a sister trying to boss him! He would swat at her and tell her to stop. Monday was scheduled as a holiday and I have a feeling they were going somewhere for the weekend with their parents so that is why they were trying to get their homework completed before arriving home, in order not to have to do it during the long weekend.

The idea behind daily homework assignments for elementary-aged students is to foster in them early on good study habits at home which will serve them well once they get to junior high and then senior high school. The homework is largely comprised of preparation and review tasks (busy work), with the content depending upon the subject. Also, students are given an extensive summer homework task to do during their vacation. This could include reading books and writing book reports, or growing a plant like tomatoes, and keeping a daily journal about the progress, or maybe doing some sort of art project, like a painting, over the summer.

A few years ago, my neighbor boy and his mother visited me unexpectedly because as his summer homework, he was supposed to interview a native-English speaker. Lucky for him, he had one in the condo next door!

So, I invited them in and he asked me several questions about my life in Japan. His classmates likely had to stop a stranger on the street to get their interview completed, which has happened to me before, when out and about or taking a train.

Todd Jay Leonard grew up in Shelbyville, but has lived and worked in Japan for over 30 years. He is a university professor, teaching courses in history, cross-cultural understanding, and English in the Faculty of Education, for both the undergraduate and graduate programs at the University of Teacher Education Fukuoka (UTEF). Professor Leonard is the author of 26 books, and calls Munakata-shi, Fukuoka-ken, home, where he lives, writes and teaches. He can be contacted at toddjayleonard@yahoo.com.

Dear readers,

Look closely at today’s photograph. It was snapped as Grover Museum Director Alex Krach reached into his pocket retrieving the keys to the museum and handing them over to Sarah Richardt, the museum’s new director.

Since the museum, known by me as “The Grover,” is a history museum, I was using my Kodak Brownie camera. I tried to get an action shot of Alex handing the keys to Sarah. Unfortunately, when I got the film developed the photo was blurred.

I’m not sure if the photo was blurred by the speed at which Alex handed over the keys or the speed of the shutter on my antique camera. I guess I should have used my cell phone. It’s just one more moment in history lost to future generations like the moment my pinewood derby car crossed the finish line in 1962.

Alex and his fiancé, Natalie Gearhart, are getting married and moving to Saranac Lake, New York. And no, I’m not officiating the nuptials at “The Helbing.”

Alex and Natalie passed on the chance to make some Shelby County history and become the first couple to tie the knot at The Helbing. I’m certain that Alex wanted to, but Natalie probably wanted the day to be about her and not me. 

Alex is leaving The Grover in good shape. If you haven’t visited recently, you really should do so. If you have young children, the museum hosts special days around most holidays. The kids can trick or treat at The Grover or meet Santa.

If you are an old-timer and grew up in Shelbyville, you really should avoid the holidays. Stop by The Grover some weekday when it isn’t busy. Revisit your youth. 

I recently spent an afternoon at The Grover and several displays triggered fond childhood memories. One of my favorite exhibits featured the Kennedy Car Liner. In later years the company was known as KCL.  When I was a boy, many people who worked there just called it “The Car Liner.” 

The exhibit features a memoir written by John Coffin titled “Memories of Frank Coffin, My Dad, and The Kennedy Car Liner.” 

John’s retrospective remembering both his father and a visit to where his dad worked is wonderful. Reading John’s reflections on his father and significant events in his life was a highlight of my trip.

Maybe for you it will be seeing the actual cash register from “Toyland” at the J.G. DePrez store on the public square. Yes, the cash register really is as big as you remember it.

So what does all of this have to do with the title of today’s column, “But, Can She Dance?” 

The title refers to the new museum director Sarah Richardt. Mark your calendar for October 20. The Grover is having an old fashioned “Sock Hop” as a fundraiser.

The event is being held at the Carl “Mac” McNeely Civic Center, also known as Paul Cross Gym for you old-timers. The band Common Ground will be playing all your favorite songs from the 1950s and 1960s. There will be great food, drinks, and a silent auction where a copy of my book may or may not be included. 

Call the museum at 317-392-4634 for reservations and details. It is a great opportunity to raise some money for The Grover, meet the new director, and find out if she can dance. 

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.

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Dear readers,

Have you noticed the Halloween decorations on the lawn of the house on the northeast corner of Broadway and Miller Streets? More and more monsters, skeletons, giant spiders, and creepy things seem to appear daily.

I stopped by recently to thank the owners for putting up their wonderful scary Halloween decorations in mid-September. I knocked on the door, but no one answered. 

Maybe no one was at home. Maybe they thought I was an early trick-or-treater. Dressed in my customary suit and bow tie, they might have thought I was in a Pee-wee Herman costume. 

Since Pee-wee Herman just died recently, they might have thought it too soon. With Halloween still a month and a half away, I have plenty of time to catch them at home to thank them.

The family living at the corner of Miller and Broadway aren’t the only people getting in the Halloween spirit. My niece, Vanessa, has a pumpkin patch at Meltzer Farm. Vanessa told me that people are already picking pumpkins.

Some of you readers probably think September is too early to begin celebrating Halloween. It’s not too early for me. My birthday is on Halloween. As a boy, I always knew that my birthday was fast approaching when the paraffin lips, fangs, moustaches, and harmonicas appeared in the candy case at Kirk’s Five Points. 

The reason that Halloween starts earlier and earlier every year is because of Christmas Creep. I think it is probably already Christmas at Hobby Lobby.

Christmas Creep began years ago. Retailers have always enjoyed financial success at Christmas time, so every year they put Christmas items on the shelf a few days earlier. Over the years those extra Christmas shopping days have turned into months.

Halloween has now been pushed back to September, not by choice, but by necessity. It had to be done to make room on the calendar for Thanksgiving.

As Paul Harvey would say, “Now you know the rest of the story.”

Last week’s road trip to Buc-ee’s generated comments from many of you. I have tabulated the votes. Most of you believe Buc-ee’s has already become a part of Americana. Families on vacation now look for Buc-ee’s billboards just as past generations looked for the “Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco” barns or Burma Shave road signs.

Several women including Shelby County Post travel columnist Carol McDaniel wrote to tell me that I failed to mention the clean restrooms.  In fact, the restrooms at Buc-ee’s are far more than clean. The individual stalls have full doors to ensure privacy and are so numerous there isn’t a wait. I guess that’s a good thing since the billboard requests that travelers “hold it” for a hundred miles.

The common complaint about Buc-ee’s is that there are no seats for customers. I guess if a traveler really needs to sit down to enjoy a Buc-ee’s brisket sandwich, they can do it sitting on the Buc-ee’s throne.

Last but not least this week, a special shout out to Coulston first grade teacher Dawn Matheny. My granddaughter Pearl introduced me to Mrs. Matheny on grandparent’s night last week. I learned that she is a long-time reader of my column. Thanks to Mrs. Matheny not only for reading my column but for teaching the next generation to read. I need all the readers I can get. 

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.

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Recently, when friends from overseas were visiting me here in Japan, we went out to dinner near my home and they were fascinated with the robots that deliver the food to the table.

Honestly, I barely notice them anymore because they have become rather common in many different types of eating establishments around Japan. However, nearly everyone from home who visits here are intrigued and excited about the proliferation of robotic waiters in restaurants which are rapidly becoming standard in Japan.

I think the U.S. has been slower in adopting these robotic servers, but they will eventually spread in the U.S. just as they are currently doing here.

My first experience with “robotic staff” was several years ago at the Pepper Café in Shibuya, in Tokyo. Upon entering the shop, customers place their orders with a humanoid-like robot at a counter, and then, after being seated, a robot delivers the food items to the table. The Pepper Café robots have a humanoid appearance, but glide effortlessly on wheels. They aren’t very interactive apart from the initial ordering. They do have screens that can be interactive with the diners allowing diners to watch a programmed video.

The most common robots in restaurants are boxier in shape, and some have a screen that features a cartoon-like cat face that would be where the head on a human would normally be. The design of these is basically a shelving unit with trays that allow food items to be placed on several different shelves on the robot, and once it stops at the table, the diner just reaches over to take the food items off one of the shelves.

Earlier this year, I read a newspaper article that featured “cooking robots,” which are designed to do perfunctory tasks in the kitchen in order to free up the human staff to attend to the needs of customers more readily by supposedly adding a higher level of customer service. I personally have my doubts.

I suspect the ultimate goal is to get rid of human workers all together in order for robots to do all of the work from greeting, seating, taking orders, cooking, delivery of the food, and clearing the tables.  The company that developed the “cooking robots” program them to follow specific recipes, and the robots are able to change recipes according to individual requests like custom seasoning (less salt or to omit an ingredient that the diner may be allergic to or not want to eat).

I don’t think the cooking robots are standard yet, by any means, but the serving robots certainly are and more and more restaurants are adopting them, even in my small town here in Japan. The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated the push to adopt robots more widely when restaurants were trying to lure customers back into their eating establishments after such a long hiatus due to the restrictions imposed to combat the spread of the Coronavirus.

“Contactless service” became the preferred way of doing all sorts of interactions. 

The 7-11 near my condo instituted a system where the cashier still rings up the items but does not touch the money at all. A machine is used for the payment, as to avoid any direct, hand-to-hand contact with money. While it is partly due to the desire to limit human-to-human contact between the staff and customers, it’s also because there was a huge labor shortage, and once the pandemic started to wane, restaurants needed to be able to serve customers so the robots filled this staffing void quite nicely.

The robots really are fascinating to watch in action, as they speed down the aisles between tables, and if they sense something in their way, they stop immediately. I did notice a near collision when a staff person was rounding a corner and a robot was coming in the opposite direction. The robot realized a person was there before the human staff person reacted to the robot.

When the robot arrives to the table, it will apologize if the food took too long to be delivered, or it will say something like “Thank you for waiting.”

Is it as nice as having an interaction with an actual human? Not really, but it is a novelty and for people who aren’t familiar with having food served by a robot regularly, it can be fun and amusing.

Will robots replace humans completely in restaurants? Eventually, probably, but that is a ways off, I think. These robots still are not able to do the bulk of what human staff do to keep a restaurant going, but bit by bit, I suspect more advanced units will be introduced and much of the work will eventually replace human staff.

Just look at checkouts in places like Walmart today. Getting a live cashier to check out is becoming more and more rare … the same is true in Japan. The trend in Japan, though, is to have the cashiers ring up the purchases and the customer is directed to a machine to pay the bill.

It has always been the custom in Japan that the customer bags the groceries himself/herself.Just lately I have experienced the complete self-checkout system here in Japan. A 100-yen shop near where I live has done away with all cashiers and each customer now rings up the purchase without any cashier present. A staff person stands to the side in case someone needs assistance.

I can’t say I dislike the robot system of serving food, but I can’t say I love it, either. It is what it is, I guess. I like having human interaction with the serving staff. That is the American in me … we like idle chit-chat with strangers anytime and anywhere! 

I am sure Japanese people are quite happy not to have to engage in mindless banter with people. We Americans thrive on “shooting the breeze” with strangers we meet while waiting in a line, or while ordering food at a restaurant.

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Professor Todd Leonard appeared on The Morning Show during his visit to Shelbyville from his longtime home in Japan.

See Todd's latest feature contribution to The Shelby County Post at the link below:

https://shelbycountypost.com/feature-contributors/706273

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Dear readers,

Wow was I ever surprised when I arrived at Giant FM last Tuesday after the three-day Labor Day weekend. Johnny McCrory puts the Shelby County Post’s columnists weekly writing assignments under magnets on the refrigerator in the break room. I removed the envelope from under the “Kris” magnet. 

I was momentarily distracted by a box of donuts someone had brought.  Halfway through my donut, I opened the envelope and read my writing assignment. I was expecting something like “write a column about the autumn events you and Jack Yeend are planning at “The Helbing,” or maybe, “check out the most recent Elvis sighting in Walkerville.”  

Instead, it was a travel assignment. Johnny was sending me to Buc-ee’s.  I wondered if maybe the envelope somehow got under the wrong magnet. After all, Carol McDaniel is the Post’s travel columnist. It occurred to me that maybe Jeff Brown switched Carol’s writing assignment with mine as a prank.

Legitimate assignment, mistake, or prank, it didn’t matter. I wasn’t taking a chance of losing this plum assignment. I left my half-eaten donut behind and quickly headed out the door for Buc-ee’s.

I called my wife Sandy and told her to pack an overnight bag. I left our destination as a surprise. If I told her our road trip was to Buc-ee’s, she might not have gotten in the car. 

Buc-ee’s, for you readers who aren’t tuned into the latest fads, is a gas station. It is a very big gas station. Buc-ee’s is to gas stations what Jungle Jim’s is to the corner grocery. Buc-ee’s is Stuckey’s 2.0 or more accurately Stuckey’s overdosed on steroids. Everything is bigger at Buc-ee’s, even the pecan logs.

Like Stuckey’s, kudzu, and roadside boiled peanuts, Buc-ee’s began in the south. I have talked to people who have visited Buc-ee’s. All came away with a very strong opinion of the experience. They fall into one of two distinct camps.

1. Buc-ee’s is an oasis for the road weary traveler. A veritable one-stop Shangri-La where every need of the motoring public is met.  The traveler leaves with smile as big as Buc-ee’s, the mischievous beaver mascot’s grin.

                                     Or

2. Buc-ee’s is a Rebel scam designed to relieve vacationing Yankees of their hard-earned dollars when on their way to real southern tourist destinations like “Rock City” or “Ruby Falls.” Road weary, the northern tourists are hypnotized by the mere size of the place and leave with a trunk full of overpriced souvenirs. If you have ever wondered what Mr. Haney did with the money from selling that worthless farm near Hooterville to Oliver Wendell Douglas, wonder no more. He created Buc-ee’s. 

Soon after crossing the Mason-Dixon line, the first Buc-ee’s billboard came into view, “Only 350 miles to Buc-ee’s, You Can Hold It!” I checked my gas gauge and figured that by coasting the last 100 yards, or so, we could just make it. 

The gas gauge was close to empty when Buc-ee’s came into view. It was even bigger than I had imagined. It looked like at least a million gas pumps and still there was a line. I guess that’s what happens when everyone “holds it” for 350 miles.

Walking into Buc-ee’s, I immediately suffered from sensory overload.  Everything I had read about Buc-ee’s was true. The usual Slim Jim Meat Sticks were available, but so were thousands of others. Buc-ee’s has jerky made from every meat imaginable. I didn’t see it, but someone in line said they even had “Spotted Owl.” 

I wish that I could give you more details from my shopping experience at Buc-ees.  The last thing I remember was snacking on a bag of “Buc-ee’s Beaver Nuggets.” The shock of it all must have caused me to develop some sort of retrograde amnesia. Sandy told me later that I shopped at Buc-ee’s like a drunk Imelda Marcos at the Shoe Carnival. 

I woke up the next morning, like the characters played by Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis in the movie “The Hangover” trying to piece together the night before. I noticed that I was wearing Buc-ee’s pajamas and was sleeping on Buc-ee’s sheets. The mischievous beaver mascot was everywhere I looked. 

In the bathroom was my new Buc-ee’s electric toothbrush along with Buc-ee’s towels, deodorant, and aftershave. I have Buc-ee’s socks, underwear and a coffee mug. I could go on, but you get the picture. 

So, is Buc-ee’s just a fad, or will the Buc-ee’s Beaver become a part of Americana like Mickey Mouse? You be the judge. I’m just praying that this Buc-ee’s tattoo is temporary.

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.

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Dear readers,

I heard from many of you after last week’s column about the Shelby County Cancer Association being voted No. 1 Non-Profit Agency. It is sad that cancer has touched so many families in our community, but it is wonderful that we have such a great local non-profit agency to help those in need.

Donna Harrell, Executive Director of the agency, reminded me that there is no “I” in “Team.” The Shelby County Cancer Association was voted No. 1 because of the hard work of all employees and volunteers.  Barbara Craig manages the store and Lucinda Franklin oversees marketing and fundraising. Speaking of fundraising, the Cancer Bash is coming up Sept. 30.

My mention of Donna’s sister, Mary Lou Ryhal, being a dancer on the Mitch Miller TV show, “Sing Along With Mitch,” brought back fond memories for several readers. I guess the Meltzers weren’t the only family tuning in to watch the bouncing ball.

Take a look at the photo with today’s column. It is Mary Lou Ryhal and the writing says, “Thank You and Best Regards.”

One old-timer told me that her love of karaoke began as a child singing along with Mitch. I’m not sure it is really karaoke when singing with a professional singer. I always think of karaoke as people singing when only the music and words are electronically provided. However, singing along with Mitch as the words scroll on the TV screen does seem like a precursor to karaoke. 

I will ask Shelby County Post foreign correspondent Professor Todd Jay Leonard to dig a little deeper into this karaoke question. While Todd is now a distinguished professor in Japan, he was once a newspaper boy in Shelbyville just like me. 

I read somewhere that karaoke is not only popular in Japan but is a Japanese invention. Maybe karaoke was invented by a foreign exchange student from Japan who honed his English skills in America by singing along with Mitch. Professor Leonard, the bouncing ball is in your court.

Changing the subject. A reader called me last week to see if anyone had taken me up on my offer to officiate a wedding for free so long as the bride and groom agreed to hold the ceremony at “The Helbing.”

The answer is no, and the offer is still good. A couple just needs to provide a valid marriage license and I will provide the ceremony at The Helbing. Maybe I can get the “Martha Stewart of Shelbyville,” Susie Veerkamp, to make some cupcakes. 

I thought maybe the caller was asking because they were planning a wedding. No such luck. The caller was just wondering if anyone had taken me up on the offer yet. 

I’ll admit promoting The Helbing as a destination has proven more difficult than I predicted. I’ll have to ask Johnny McCrory if he would consider sweetening the deal by throwing in a live radio broadcast of the wedding and a bottle of champagne.

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.

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Politics in Japan, just like in the United States currently, can be a tricky subject to discuss with people one does not know well, but it is a topic that often comes up in conversations because people are interested in how governments and elections function. On visits home, I am often asked about Japanese politics and the election cycles in Japan. 

In short, the Japanese political system follows the tradition of a dominant-party parliamentary constitutional monarchy, similar to the system in Great Britain. While the Emperor is the head of state, the Prime Minister is the head of government and his/her affiliated party is the “ruling party.”  The head of government also is in charge of the cabinet which basically runs the government as the executive branch.

The legislative branch in Japan is called the National Diet and this body of legislators is made up of the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors. The members of each house then make up standing committees in each body that does the bulk of the governmental duties and work.  Since both houses consist of elected members by the people, they represent the citizens in their daily legislative activities. 

The lower house, or House of Representatives, is the most powerful of the two houses because it can force the resignation of a Prime Minister and it controls the government’s budget, it can make treaties with other countries, and it chooses the Prime Minister. The function of the upper house, or House of Councilors, is largely to approve bills and legislation sent to them by the lower house. So, the upper house does not make bills or legislation and if they vote down legislation, it can still be passed by overriding the legislation by the lower house.

The judicial branch of government has, at the top, the Supreme Court and its power is to oversee the lower courts.  The 1947 Constitution, which was enacted during the Occupation of Japan by the United States, replaced the previous Meiji Constitution, which afforded Japan the ability to have a Constitutional Monarchy coupled with a system of civil law that is based on democratic principles.

In the post-World War II era, by far, the major political party in power has been the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).  While Japan enjoys a multi-party system of politics, the LDP has dominated power during much of the period after World War II, until in 1993, when the conservative LDP lost its Diet majority and power. This was largely due to a faction of LDP members defecting to start a new party leaving the LDP without a majority. 

The Japan New Party was an eight-party coalition, but was short lived and could only maintain power for around a year.  This was a huge deal because the LDP had held on to control for some 40 years up to then. The slightly center-left party, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), played an important role as the “opposition party” from 1996, and gained power through a coalition from 2009 through 2012. Other than these two brief periods, the LDP has maintained a very strong hold on Japanese politics.

As a child of the 60s and 70s in the U.S., we were taught to fear communism and communists, so when I moved to Japan and met “out and proud” communists, it was a bit of a culture-shock at first because I had been conditioned to fear and despise communists due to the Cold War and anti-communist sentiment in the Unites States. The Japanese Communist Party has a platform that emphasizes the establishment of a democratic society based on scientific socialism and pacificism. Unlike other communist systems in the world, it does not advocate violent revolutions to achieve its political goals. While it recognizes the Emperor as the Head of State and his constitutional position, they are very much against any change in policies that would allow the Imperial family to become involved in politics. The JCP is ardently anti-militaristic and would like to dissolve completely Japan’s Self-Defense Forces. So, with that said, it isn’t keen about the United States having such a strong military presence in Japan with the bases.

The campaign cycle in Japan is much shorter and much less costly than that of the United States. There are very strict rules in Japan regarding campaigning and advertising by candidates. Candidates are only allowed a campaign vehicle and a small number of posters and campaign materials that they are allowed to distribute.

One feature that surprises people from other countries is how noisy the campaign cycle is. The custom and trend is for candidates to be driven around their constituencies with a loud bull horn where they repeat their names over and over, pleading for anyone listening to vote for them. One custom I found strange when I lived in Aomori in northern Japan was how the candidate usually rode around in a mini-van with a gaggle of beautiful women all dressed alike who waved incessantly at passersby on the streets from the windows of the van. I guess the idea was that people would be impressed with an old man who was surrounded by such young and beautiful women?  I found it creepy, to be honest.

Just a couple of weeks before an election, signboards are put up in strategic places (often near train stations) where the candidate can post one of his/her campaign posters. They are always the same size and generally contain the same information, usually highlighting their main policy issues briefly. Since advertising by candidates is so tightly controlled by strict governmental rules, it does keep the playing field fairer and more level because while running for office in Japan can be an expensive undertaking, it never is anywhere near the amount of money spent on local or national elections in the United States.

Granted, during the roughly 12 days candidates are allowed to campaign, the noise pollution is deafening, especially when two vans happen upon the same street at the same time.  The competing candidates turn up the volume, so to speak, to drown out his/her opponent.

Due to the strict rules, there is not a lot of radio or television appearances and definitely no attack ads being played every few minutes like in the US. In fact, I’m not aware of any “negative campaigning” by candidates other than a soundbite of how they would try to do better on certain issues than their opponent. Mudslinging would be considered uncouth and unseemly, I think, so candidates focus more on their attributes and how they will try to accomplish the issues they find important rather than trying to tear down their opponent with dirty tricks.

That, however, is not to say that dirty tricks don’t happen in Japan, because they definitely do. Politics are politics and dirty underhanded politics seem to be a global, universal fact, sadly.

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