One of Ours

Another Japanese election is behind us, and all across the country you can hear the sighs of relief from foreigners happy that they won't have to endure politicians in loudspeaker cars shouting at them for a while. The big winner in Sunday's election was the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition party, which picked up the most seats as Japanese voters showed their anger at the deployment of the Japanese self-defence forces to Iraq and nervousness over the future of the National Pension Program. The ruling LDP still maintain their hold on the government thanks to their alliance with the Komeito (a political party that was started by the Sokka Gakkai religion, modern flavor of Buddhism not unlike Mormons), but it's a blow for Prime Minister Koizumi, who is working hard and beginning to turn the Japanese economic situation around. A big part of the problem for Mr. Koizumi, my wife says, is that he's too charismatic for his own good. There's a famous Japanese saying that "the standing nail is driven" (deru kui wa utareru), which means that individuals who stand out too much in Japan will be hammered back into place by their peers, and Koizumi, who is tall, unmarried and likes rock music, is the closest thing to JFK Japan may have ever had. Because he stands head and shoulders above his opposition, something you're not supposed to do in a country where 80% of people consider themselves middle class, he presents a big political target for everyone.

The Japanese do like English, and use it to add spice and cuteness to their speech. A lot of the English words the Japanese use are simplified so much that their meaning would be hard to puzzle out. A convertible is an "open car" and a mortgage for a person's home is a "my home loan." A child's crib is a "baby bed," and the universal word for full-time employees is "salaryman." Screwdrivers come in "plus" and "minus" varieties, and when a man no longer wants children he's likely to get a "pipe cut." Titles of Western movies can also be hard for Japanese to remember, so they're sometimes reduced into simpler English. "You've Got Mail" was released here as "You Got Mail," and "Apt Pupil" became "Golden Boy."

The Japanese are a meticulous people, and one famous area where their attention to detail really shines are the delicious wax food replicas you see in windows in Japanese restaurants, placed so that customers can see how good the food is before going in. These food replicas are hand-crafted by Japanese artists who train for many years, and Japanese wax food is famous all over the world.