House of Representatives Election. Blowing off my anger with a Princess River Cruise

I went to vote in the 2024 House of Representatives election.

This election is in an uproar because the ruling party is aiming to win and run away in the chaos, leading to an unprecedented and unusual dissolution to hide slush funds. Since I watch the Japanese Diet regularly, I won't be fooled by the empty speeches made only before the election.

I am a permanent resident living in the US, but since I am Japanese, I have the right to vote in Japanese elections even while living in the US. Even if you live overseas, if you have Japanese citizenship and are registered as an overseas voter, you can vote at the competent embassy or consulate.

Michigan and Ohio are under the jurisdiction of the Detroit Consulate.

However, for someone like me who lives in a regional city far from the consulate, voting is not easy.

If you had to travel 500km round-trip to cast a single vote, with no public transportation, and pay thousands of yen out of your own pocket for parking near the polling station, would you go to vote?

To put it simply, it's like driving from Tokyo to Hamamatsu to vote. No, in reality, there must be Japanese people living even further away. If you lived in the far north of Michigan, a one-way trip could be 700km.

Don't you think most people would give up under those conditions?

In my driving, it takes a little under 3 hours one way from my house to the consulate. In the first place, I'm not good at driving, and I've never driven alone in the city of Detroit, so I'm not even confident I can get there safely. When my husband was alive, he used to drive me.

I want to complain, 'Can't you finally introduce online voting! Grr!'

It is supposed to be possible to vote by mail, but you have to send your overseas voter registration card to the local government where you lived in Japan before the election to request a ballot, and once the ballot arrives, you have to send it back yourself so that it reaches the Japanese local election commission by the voting day.

There is a high possibility that international mail will not make it in time, so it is not realistic at all.

In the first place, even if you request a ballot, if the local government is slow to send it, that's the end of it.

I wanted to vote but was worried, when QP said,Voting is the foundation of democracy, so you shouldn't give it up. If Saturday is fine, I'll drive you.to me.

I love QPsan! 🐽❤️
I really respect that he doesn't take these things lightly.

He said he would drive me, but when I thought about the fact that I have to burn gas for a round trip to the Detroit Consulate on my precious day off just to vote, and pay for expensive parking, I got angry at this system that is still stuck in the Showa era.😤

I don't want to abstain from voting, and the high travel expenses are annoying, so I'll think of a fun way to do it!!

Then, I had an idea.

The Japanese Consulate in Detroit is on the 16th floor of the Renaissance Center, where GM headquarters is located. The Detroit River flows right in front of it, and there is a sightseeing boat called the Princess River Cruise right in front of the building where the consulate is located.

That's it! I should vote while I'm there to ride that boat!

I remembered seeing the boat during the Detroit Jazz Festival, which is how I thought of it.

It's $66 per person for a 2.5-hour cruise with lunch and entertainment. No matter which restaurant you eat at, it's quite expensive if you include the tip, so this isn't bad. So when I said let's make it a date on the Princess Cruise,

'My princess is going on a Princess Cruise with me!' said QP, overjoyed.

When we boarded, the buffet-style lunch was ready, and we were able to eat right away. Before the boat departed, we were both full.

After the boat started moving, we went up to the deck, and it was a beautiful autumn day with not a single cloud in the sky, so warm it made us sweat, which is unusual for October in Michigan. It was such a pleasant day, looking at the scenery of both Canada and the US from the boat slowly moving on the water.

After spending some time on the deck enjoying the outside breeze and scenery, we returned inside the boat, and there were people enjoying the entertainment. Since it was Detroit, all the songs played were Motown music.

Some people were dancing to the music, but we went back to the pleasant deck. The boat had turned around and was passing under the Ambassador Bridge that connects the two countries.

The beautiful bridge visible further beyond the Ambassador Bridge is the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is currently under construction with a target opening date in 2025.

Coming up with the idea for an autumn river cruise, in addition to just voting in the election, was a great decision. It was a truly pleasant two-and-a-half-hour boat ride.

Being able to vote while enjoying a romantic cruise made for a very meaningful day.

After all, you have to create your own happy times. 😆

I hope that every single Japanese citizen will say NO to the self-serving politicians involved in slush fund scandals and cult-affiliated politicians, and choose sincere politicians with integrity so that Japanese politics can become more trustworthy!