I was walking in Takadanobaba this afternoon and noticed a keijiban for the Tokyo election. As I looked over the candidates, I was having trouble finding the poster for the LDP candidate, which struck me as odd. After looking carefully at the posters, I finally found him.
Why was it so hard to locate the LDP candidate?
Because the name “LDP” was written in the smallest possible font while still being visible. The tiny light blue writing in the lower right hand corner, beneath the “ichi” in the candidate’s name, is the sole indicator of the candidate’s party affiliation.
The logo on the DPJ candidate’s poster was small, but was still recognizable as the DPJ’s logo. Here are the two posters — conveniently next to one another — for comparison.
With that story for an introduction, I am making this an open thread for things seen and heard during the campaign for the Tokyo assembly. Post your stories in the comments. And if you have good pictures, send them along and I’ll post them on the blog.
Tobias S. Harris 
Where I live in Kinshicho has something simillar. Ratio of DJP posters to LDP would be close to 20:1, and the of DPJ to LDP spruking (getting on top of van and talking on megaphone) at the station is something like 100:1. I seems like the LDP has just given up here. Best,
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Your readers might be interested to see how the fair city of Abiko is gearing up with posters for the coming election -http://ourmaninabiko.blogspot.com/2009/07/japanese-election-fever-abiko-style.html
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Our Man,You have no shame.Either that or too much ale.ACA
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Hey, who's gonna shamelessly promote Our Man's wares if he doesn't do it himself? He's gotta pay for the cast of thousands in his movies somehow, you know. You think Our Woman's shopping bike and digi cam come cheap?You wanna play, you gotta pay, as Adam Smith might have said.
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Abiko-man is clearly taking advantage of the uncertainty over who now owns Michael Jackson's portfolio of Beatles tunes. (Or did he sell that long ago?)The camera doesn't dwell long enough on Kyoko Ookawa's posters (she of the Happiness Satisfaction Party, or however you translate koufukujitsugentou). I think she's hot. In a sexy librarian kind of way, mind you.
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The Happiness-Satisfaction party is hell-for-leather outside Tsukuba Station regularly. Last Saturday their truck was blaring about the world's twin evils: consumption tax and DPRK missiles. Again. And again. And again. And again. In the same sentence. Over and over.Not much of a platform really, but the populist right-wing ring is a little disquieting. It represents one kind of \”we're the common Japanese (and you're not)\” voice that may grow stronger in future if social discontent continues. There were several flyer distributors of both sexes across the age demographic.
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