I have officially had the craziest experience in Japan...ever. Yesterday I spent EIGHT straight hours by the side of Omura's own 27 year old political candidate Murasaki Hiroshi on the day before elections. How does something like this happen? Well, let me share ALL THE DETAILS!!

First, a public board with all of the candidates campaign posters

a close up of our very own murasaki. The thing is that in real life, he really keeps that huge smile plastered to his face in a very geniune way!


Saturday: 3:15PM the initial sighting
I gave up on my original plans of hanging out with other ALTs, and found myself driving through Omura on the way to an errand lo' and behold!! I saw Murasaki out on the street with a party of about 8 supporters. I became REALLY excited, but the M's and I had every intention of talking to him before election day (when he would stop campaigning in public). I immediately called both girls, but alas, no one picked up and so I left messages "SAW MURASAKI". I ran my errand at the travel agent (Yakushima is coming together, my friends!), and then went to their house to pick them up. About an hour had passed since the inital sighting.

4PM sought, found
With the three of us in the car, we set out to FIND Murasaki! Alas, we arrived to the corner where I had seen him less than an hour ago, and he is gone. We didn't loose hope, however; sine it was the last day before elections, we knew there was every chance that he was outside somewhere. I drove back down towards 34 and THERE, less than 5 minutes later, we saw the MURASAKI VAN!!!  background: In Japan, a main difference in political campaigning is that the candidates get to put megaphones on top of cars and plague local quiet neighborhoods with "thank you. Murasaki Hiroshi. Murasaki Hiroshi. Thank you. Thank you. at 27 years old, it's Murasaki Hiroshi. Murasaki Hiroshi". This main mega-phone car is always filled with supporters with white gloves waving out the window decked out in some type of uniform. For one Omura candidate, all of the supporters wear HOT PINK wind breakers, the most popular attire is the headband, and in Murasaki's case, since the word "murasaki" (different kanji) also means "purple", this supporters were in purple/lavender shirts.


When we first spotted the car, the M's literally SCREAMED and jumped in their seat. We immediately came up and started tailgating it. We had, in fact, had a sign from earlier this week (don't ask) that we had made ourselves. In the car wasn't Murasaki himself, but his friends. They offered to take us back to headquarters!

4:15 HQ
We figured that Murasaki had told his friends (driving the car) about the cool American and Canadian teachers in Omura whom he had met a few weeks ago. Headquarters, it turns out, was less than a block away from Omura Station!! All three of us couldn't believe that we had missed the HUGE "27 years old'  purple signs on the often pass road to Omura eki (next to Family Mart, across from library). We were invited to walk upstairs, and there he was, Murasaki himself! Upon seeing us, he INSTANTLY went into a fit of laughing, clapping and collapsing over himself with DELIGHT!! He was SO happy to see us; he definintely remembered the Ms (and their names!). Now, on a note about Murasaki's character: he often squishes up his face in the style of "Hiro Nakamura" from the NBC drama Heroes...if you know what I'm talking about, then i assume that you are immediately complelled to like our Murasaki guy a lot.

HQ was a room on the second floor with a large main room that was a mostly empty space. Their was a main table PILED with omiyage cakes, on a counter towards the back were beverages (tea, coffee, stamina drinks) and more snacks. There were about 15 people hanging around, they were clearly all of his best friends, and almost all of them were, like him, in their 20s!
So, we were invited to sit around the big table, drink tea and eat snacks. Murasaki sat right down next to us and started talking and talking. At some point, he mis-understood what I had said and said, "So, you want to ride in the car with us?" and we were like, "YES!!!!"

4:30 Riding in the campaign car
And so, we left with almost everyone to get into the car parade. We sat in the MAIN megaphoned car with Murasaki!! and OH MAN!! we had his high school friend diving, and Murasaki in the passenger side. Mary, Meghan and I were sitting three across the back. Murasaki was speaking into the mic the whole time saying things like, "I'm 27 years old, Mursaki, Murasaki Hiroshi. Thank you. Thank you. Until the last of the last, just a little more. At 27, I'm Murasaki, Murasaki. Murasaki. Thank you. Thank you." the most complicated thing he said in the car was, "If we don't have change now, then what will our future be like." We wound through Suwa, and other highly residential neighborhoods in central Omura. As his assistants in the back, we had our arms sticking out of the rolled down windows waving FULL-TIME. When any pedestrian appeared, we leaned out further and projected, "Arigatou Gozaimaaaaaaaaaaasu!" (Thank you). Kids, apparently, REALLY like election time, because they'll come straight to the window to have the chance to wave at you. One really adorable kid poked his head out BELOW the fence to wave at us. Also, the M's's high school kids were, of course, biking about yesterday. The best moment of all time was when Kori (My jr.high) graduated Omura high school (Megan's school) student saw us. First, since Megan was on their said, they got ALL excited and said, "oh!! Migan-sensei!" and started waving furiously, then, I leaned over and said hello and they were like, "AH!! ZARA-SENSEI, ZARA-SENSEI" and my one favorite girl literally started jumping up and down, she was soooo excited!!!!!!
We campaigned in his car for FOUR HOURS in total, with a 10 minute break back at HQ and three times we got out of the car and stood waving at traffic while Murasaki gave a more substancial greeting and small "speech". We did those on the main road in Suwa, Jusco and then in front of Omura eki.

8PM the platform speech
In the last hour, we were exhausted. Thankfully, the sun had set so waving was useless. We took a break in the back of the car. At 8 we were taken to the Suwa (name of neighborhood) Community Center where about 25 people (not including us or staff) showed up to listen to Murasaki's platform speech. It was actually really, really solid. I mean, I don't know what it's really like to be a councilman?? (Uuuuh, we don't actually know what position he is running for) in Omura is like, but he was progressive in that he wants to promote open, level conversations even there is a difference in position. He was also telling a story about how there is such a thing as Omura Beef, and it's at the same level Kobe beef...and we, including Murasaki, were like, "uuuuh...I wonder where they keep the cows?" Anyway, it was super and awesome and we think he said that he isn't married, but he will propose to Omura City.

9:30-11:30 hanging out back at HQ
This is where the "yabainess" of the whole day shows through. Well, by this point in the night, we had earned the affection Murasaki's friends, after putting on quite the show saying "thank you" genki-ly for such a long time, sitting attentively through this platform speech, and then being silly at cleaning up at the end. Back at headquarters we finally ate dinner. Since I had intended to go to a picnic, I had TWO huge tupperares full of PASTA SALAD. More in my own interests (didn't want to eat pasta salad for the next 4 days) I offered it to everyone, and they thought it was wonderful that it was home made. And, they really ate it (some foods don't suite the average Japanese palate).

Then we sat around with everyone until late. Murasaki had our full attention (when he wasn't on the phone). The topics of conversation just kept getting funnier and funnier. I told Murasaki "honestly" that Meghan and I have a problem: no boyfriends!! and he replied, "well, we have no girlfriends" and he pointed to his cute friend sitting next to him. Then, he said, "people who aren't married. YAY" and cheered (we cheered, too). He pointed out who was married, and then who was getting married and said, "booooo". HAHAHA. But, then he gestured to his friend and said, "take him", and I looked at Meghan and we had a round of "rock, paper, scissors"!!! I had the entire room HOWLING. Over dinner, everyone wanted to hear the EXACT story of how we came to meet Murasaki. I explained that I had recieved a pamphlet, but hadn't read past "27 years old" and I thought it was "cool". Then, meeting him in the street to take a picture, showing up in his blog, and then the M's finally talking with him. They were laughing SO hard over everything (what a great group! I think we've made real friends) Another precious moment towards the end of the night was when we taught him our "ben" (dialect). We taught him "kotatsu imo" and "yabunai" (and he LOVED it and kept saying over and over "today is YABINAI" hahahaha)