Shiga gubernatorial election posters.

Voters went to the polls in droves on July 11, 2010 to reelect 60-year-old Kada Yukiko for her second term as governor of Shiga Prefecture. She pulled in a record 419,921 votes, the highest number ever for a Shiga governor. She broke the previous record of 319,563 votes in the 1994 gubernatorial election won by Inaba Minoru.

She managed to garner over 200,000 votes more than the 217,842 votes she got for her first election as governor four years ago. She also got twice as many votes as her closest rival, 44-year-old Ueno Ken’ichiro who attracted 208,707 votes. Ueno got more votes than Kada only in Takashima and Ritto cities.

In most other municipalities, Kada got more than twice the number of votes than Ueno, including the cities of Otsu, Hikone, Omi-Hachiman, and Moriyama whose mayors (including Ritto’s mayor) publicly opposed Kada’s reelection. Goes to show how out of touch mayors can be with their own citizens. Basically, these mayors are complaining about Kada not consulting or informing them beforehand about prefectural plans in their cities. Probably the reason is that these mayors wouldn’t agree anyway even if they were consulted.

Knowing how popular she is with the people, the other mayors in Shiga meanwhile ignored these five minority mayors opposing Kada. Perhaps these mayors’ public opposition to Kada spurred voters to vote for her to make sure she gets reelected.

Kada ran on a similar platform as the last election, using “Mottainai Plus” as her campaign keyword. During the past four years, she came through with her campaign promise of stopping wasteful governmental spending on huge, unneeded projects such as the Ritto shinkansen station and the Daidogawa Dam in Otsu. Especially when Shiga’s coffers are in dire straits. Kada worked to stop pork barrel projects and kept her campaign promise, winning her the people’s trust. By stopping or freezing these construction projects, she has saved Shiga 100 billion yen which she now plans to redirect for more essential programs such as hiring more nursery school teachers and elderly care workers.

According to a friend of mine who was there, it was a hot and steamy room (no air conditioning and windows were closed to reduce noise) at Kada’s campaign headquarters in Otsu when she won the election and appeared before supporters with her grandkids.

Voter turnout was high at 61.56% for the gubernatorial election. This was much higher than the last election’s 44.94%. The higher voter turnout is attributed to the coinciding elections of the Shiga governor and Shiga’s representative (won by Hayashi Kumiko) to the Upper House (House of Councillors) in the National Diet. Shiga’s total number of eligible voters on July 11, 2010 was 1,090,743. Over 60% of them voted.

For her second term, Kada wants to maintain dialog with Shiga residents and work together with them. She strives to work on a grassroots level. Indeed, her campaign activities included coffee time meetings in 21 locations in Shiga from April 2010. She met with 1,600 residents, listening to their concerns and problems about elderly care, support for small- and medium-size businesses, and other issues.

She plans to focus on making child-rearing and elderly care in Shiga easier and improve employment opportunities for young people. When asked whether she would run for a third term, she implied a yes. “Right after you give birth, you don’t feel like having another child. But as you raise the child and the child grows, you come to desire another one.”

Meanwhile, Ritto mayor Kunimatsu Shoichi announced on July 16, 2010 that he would not run for a third term as Ritto mayor in Oct. when mayoral elections will be held. He was the one who butt heads with Kada the most, over the Ritto shinkansen station. The Ritto mayor actually went against the majority of Shiga residents who opposed the shinkansen station. The governor represented the majority. Hopefully, the new Ritto mayor will be able to work better with the governor and we will see less pork barrel politics in Shiga.

Congratulations to Kada-chan!

Otsu Mayor Mekata Makoto (目片信), Omi-Hachiman Mayor Fujitani Eisho (冨士谷英正), Hikone Mayor Shishiyama Koyo (獅山 向洋), Moriyama Mayor Yamada Nobuhiro (山田亘宏), and Ritto Mayor Kunimatsu Shoichi (國松 正一) belong to the association. They prodded Shiga’s other mayors to join up, but they apparently declined. Most are well-aware of Kada’s popularity among Shiga voters and some think that mayors should not get involved in gubernatorial campaigns.

At least two of these opposing mayors do have an ax to grind as Kada opposed or canceled major public works projects in Ritto (shinkansen station) and Hikone (dam construction) during her first term.

Frankly, I thought it was foolish to oppose such a popular governor. It only makes these mayors look childish, putting on a temper tantrum. Fortunately, they are a minority. We now know which mayors cannot work well with the governor. I wouldn’t want to vote for a mayor who cannot work with the governor. Shiga really needs everyone to work together.

Google Map street view of Shirahige Shrine

Google Maps now show street views of Shiga Prefecture.

On March 11, 2010, Google has started to post photos of the streets of Shiga, mainly in Otsu, Kusatsu, and the road going around Lake Biwa. No doubt, they will keep posting street views of more roads in Shiga as they become available.

Street views are panoramic photos stitched together, showing the streets and scenery along the road. It is very convenient for people looking for a place or directions to somewhere. It’s a great reference for bicyclists wanting to cycle around Lake Biwa too. You can see the terrain and road conditions before you leave.

Just go to Google Maps and drag the standing man icon to a street highlighted in blue. You can then navigate around by clicking on directional arrows in the street view or by moving the standing man icon around on the map.

Note that the current street view images of Shiga were shot two years ago. Some scenery (buildings, etc.) might be out of date.

On the Tokaido Line, the last train from Kyoto Station to Yasu Station now leaves at 12:34 am instead of 12:58 am. In the mornings and evenings of Sundays and national holidays, there is one less train run going from Yasu to Maibara and from Maibara to Yasu. (So four fewer train runs on Sundays and holidays.)

As for the Kosei Line between Kyoto and Katata Stations, the four train runs per hour between 10 am and 2 pm on weekdays will be reduced to only three train runs per hour in both directions. Between Kyoto and Omi-Maiko Stations, there will be one less train run in both directions in the evenings during both weekdays, Sundays, and holidays.

The Kusatsu Line and Hokuriku Line are not affected by cuts in train runs (although the train schedule may be different from before).

Kada Yukiko campaign poster in 2006

Shiga Prefecture’s Governor KADA Yukiko announced on Feb. 16, 2010 that she will run for a second term as governor of Shiga. She made the announcement at Shiga Prefecture’s legislative assembly in Otsu.

Her first four-year term as Shiga governor will end this summer when gubernatorial elections will be held. She seeks wide support among the people of Shiga without relying on any single political party. She plans to draw up a manifesto for her second term while incorporating the opinions of the people of Shiga. She plans to meet with various organizations in Shiga for feedback.

While the Japanese Communist Party plans to field a candidate for Shiga governor, the other major parties have not yet announced plans to field a candidate. Any candidate will have an uphill battle against Kada who is quite popular in Shiga. People affectionately call her “Kada-chan.”

The 59-year-old Kada is Shiga’s first female governor. Four years ago in 2006, her campaign slogan was, “Mottai nai” which means “Wasteful,” in reference to wasteful spending for unnecessary public works projects such as the shinkansen bullet train station in Ritto. This clicked with voters and helped her defeat incumbent governor Kunimatsu Yoshitsugu who was in favor of the shinkansen station. Kunimatsu happened to be a native of Ritto and the Ritto mayor was also his cousin, Kunimatsu Shoichi (still the Ritto mayor).

Kada kept her campaign promise and had the shinkansen train station in Ritto scrapped. This greatly disappointed the Ritto mayor, but most people in Shiga were opposed to the shinkansen station which would’ve been too close to Kyoto Station. Ritto is also not a major population center. (Shiga already has a shinkansen station in Maibara.)

Before becoming governor, Kada was a professor at Kyoto Seika University and a curator at Lake Biwa Museum in Kusatsu. I once met her briefly and found her to be very down-to-earth and easy to talk to. She could easily be your best friend’s mom. Although we foreigners cannot vote, Governor Kada has my support.

For the first time, I have created and published a 2010 calendar for Shiga Prefecture in English. The calendar features my photos of Shiga, showing its beautiful seasons, traditional festivals, architecture, Lake Biwa, and a few “fun” things. Each monthly photo has an English caption, and both Japanese and American holidays are included.

You can see a preview of the calendar’s 12 months above. Click on the right arrow button. To see a larger view, click on the Full Screen Mode button. (Then you can read the captions too.)  The last page is displayed as black, but it’s actually white. The calendar size is 8.5 inches x 11 inches when closed. When open and hung on the wall, the calendar is 17 in. high and 11 in. wide.

The calendar is available for sale online at lulu.com based in the U.S. Just click on the Buy Now button (and get your credit card ready). The price is $15.22 plus shipping. Shipping within the U.S. will cost only a few dollars via ordinary mail. If you’re in Japan, the postage will cost $10.48 for one copy only. If you order five or more copies at one time, the calendar cost and shipping cost will get much cheaper. ($38.92 to ship 10 copies, for example.) It takes about 3 weeks for your order to arrive in Japan via ordinary mail. Express mail and trackable shipping options are also available, but expensive. You can also order from Japan and have the calendar shipped to an address in the U.S. or other countries which may be cheaper. It is cheapest to ship within the U.S. Makes a great gift.

Below is a list of photos in the calendar. I tried to include as many cities and towns as possible, but it was impossible to include all 26 municipalities of Shiga in a 12-month calendar. I plan to publish a Shiga calendar every year from now on, so those missing cities/towns will be included in the 2011 calendar and later.

Cover: Shigaraki-ware tanuki (raccoon dog)
Jan.: Nagisa Park rape blossoms, Moriyama
Feb.: Hokoen Park plum blossoms and Nagahama Castle, Nagahama
Mar.: Tsuchiyama Saio Princess Procession, Koka
Apr.: Hikone Castle cherry blossoms
May: Niu Chawan Matsuri, Yogo
June: Taga Taisha rice planting festival, Taga
July: Omi-Maiko beach, Otsu
Aug.: Imazu Regatta, Takashima
Sep.: Azuchi Castle replica (Nobunaga no Yakata museum), Azuchi
Oct.: Ibukiyama Taiko Drum Dance, Maibara
Nov.: Kongorinji temple, Aisho
Dec.: Mascot characters (Dotaku-kun, Tabimaru, Hiko-nyan)

The calendars are also selling for 2,000 yen at the Biwako Shuko no Uta Shiryokan museum (Phone: 0740-22-2108) in Imazu, Takashima. For those who cannot order in English, they can call this museum and order in Japanese.

You can also access the calendar page directly with this link:
http://www.lulu.com/content/lulustudio-calendar/2010-shiga-prefecture/7556294

ただいま滋賀県の2010年の英文カレンダーを初めて出版いたしました。国内外の外国人が滋賀県の魅力をもっと知ってもらうために作りました。

色とりどりの花や紅葉 、伝統的なお祭り、歴史的な建築、大自然とのふれあい、そしてちょっと面白い写真も選んでカレンダーにしました。写真は私がすべて撮りました。（ひこにゃんの写真だけハワイの友人が撮ってくれました。）

なるべく多くの市町を紹介しておりますが、やはり12ヶ月しかないので掲載されていない市町もあります。取り上げていない市町は、2011年以降のカレンダーに入れる予定です。アメリカと日本の祝日も掲載しています。

このカレンダーは海外のインターネットショップで委託販売中。中身の拝見(Preview)とご注文は上記の画像でできます。矢印のボタンをクリックしてすべての月の写真が見れます。（Full Screen Modeのボタンをクリックすると拡大できます。）購入したい場合、Buy Nowのボタンをクリック。ただし、注文ページは英語です。

日本からも注文できますが、 輸入品のため、ちょっと割高になります。でも5冊以上の注文では送料などの単価が安くなります。普通の郵便だと届くまで大体３週間かかります。または、日本で注文してアメリカなどの友人へ送ることもできます。アメリカ内の送料が一番安いです。

滋賀県内では、びわ湖高島観光協会の今津支所（琵琶湖周航の歌資料館内）で店頭販売中（電話での注文もOK、Tel: 0740-22-2108）。 販売価格は2000円（送料別）です。

注文ページの直接リンクはここ：
http://www.lulu.com/content/lulustudio-calendar/2010-shiga-prefecture/7556294

As of September 30, 2009, 2,525 kids (including preschoolers) have contracted the swin flu in Shiga Prefecture. This number includes 384 high schoolers in Shiga.

The swine flu is especially widespread in Otsu with 1,084 kids up to junior high school who contracted it.

Nationwide vaccinations will begin in Japan from the week of Oct. 19, 2009. In Shiga, vaccinations will start with 13,000 medical personnal. Then from Nov., high-risk people such as pregnant women and asthmatic patients will be vaccinated first, followed by young elementary school children in Dec. 2009.

In July, I was invited to a movie screening in Tokyo. The movie is a narrated documentary showing how people in Shiga interact and coexist with nature. The term “Satoyama” literally means “Human habitat and Mountain.”

A farming couple growing mushrooms on numerous tree branches, a honeybee keeper making sweet honey, etc. Besides people, the film also shows fantastic scenes of insects, birds, boars, and other wildlife. A pair beetles wrestling and one loses by being flung off the tree. A bird plunging into the river water to catch a small fish in its beak (shown in slow motion). Amazing how the photographer was able to plant the camera at the right places.

It is a very beautiful and engrossing film. The cinematography is first-class and the movie has won several international awards. Much of the movie was filmed in Takashima (probably Kutsuki) and Maibara. Shiga photographer Imamori Mitsuhiko also appears in the movie showing kids around the wilderness. The movie was produced by NHK and it was originally shown on TV as an “NHK Special.” Parts 1 and 2 of the Satoyama TV series were re-edited and combined with additional footage to make this fantastic movie.

See the movie trailer at the official Web site: http://satoyama.gyao.jp/

The Japan Times also published an excellent article about the meaning of the word “satoyama.”

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20090823x1.html

Omi-Maiko

It’s summer again and before people flock to the beaches, Shiga Prefecture in May conducted water-quality tests at nine of Shiga’s most popular swimming beaches. Based on the water-quality test results, the beaches were ranked “AA,” “A,” or “B.”

Receiving the highest “AA” rating were Omi-Maiko (Otsu), Miyagahama (Omi-Hachiman), and Nihonmatsu (Nishi-Azai).

The second-highest “A” rating was given to Matsunoura (Otsu), Matsubara (Hikone), Minamihama (Nagahama), and Makino Sunny Beach (Takashima).

Earning a “B” rating were Nagisato (Moriyama) and Shingaihama (Hikone). A “B” rating is still safe enough for swimming.

The water-quality tests measured water transparency, oil film, and E. coli bacteria count. Last year, eight of the nine beaches received an “AA” rating, but only three beaches this year were rated that high. Note that the results of the tests can differ depending on the weather of the day when the tests are conducted.

At any rate, Shiga’s beaches are safe to swim in. Enjoy!

Eight students attending Higashi Otsu High School were found to be infected, along with a Ryukoku Univ. student, who was a graduate of Higashi Otsu High, and his junior high school brother. The college student had attended a school festival at his old high school on July 8.

According to the police, there were eighteen bicycling accidents in Shiga caused by the rider using a mobile phone while cycling. Four of the accidents resulted in serious injuries. The police has concluded that when you use a mobile phone (keitai or K-tai) with one hand while riding a bicycle, you cannot focus your attention on the road and you are more prone to lose your balance and crash.

You cannot talk on the phone, write/read email, nor watch videos on your mobile phone while riding a bicycle. So, just do not hold your mobile phone in one hand while riding a bicycle. If you get caught, you may be fined no more than 50,000 yen.

If you need to use your phone, just stop riding your bicycle. Problem solved.

自転車も携帯電話使用禁止

On the other hand, Otsu Mayor Mekata Makoto earned 18.73 million yen which included his 15.59 million yen salary as mayor. Other mayors of major cities in Shiga earned around 10 to 11 million yen. Shiga prefectural assembly members earned an average of 13.81 million yen which includes income from outside sources besides their salaries.

Since 2007, Governor Kada volunteered to give herself a 20% cut in her monthly salary which may explain why her salary is lower than Mekata’s.

National Diet members representing Shiga also made as much as 28.84 million yen (Okumura Tenzo from Koka).

Note that incomes 10 million yen or more in Japan are subject to a large chunk going to the tax man. (I speak from experience.)

I wish I could add the link to the original Japanese news article for my news entries, but those links usually disappear after a month or so. (In the case of NHK, it disappears the next day.)

Here are a few links to Shiga news online in Japanese:

NHK TV Shiga
http://www.nhk.or.jp/otsu/lnews/
(The news changes daily.)

Asahi Shimbun Shiga news
http://mytown.asahi.com/shiga/newslist.php?d_id=2600000 

Chunichi Shimbun Shiga news
http://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/shiga/

Kyoto Shimbun
http://www.kyoto-np.co.jp/index_shg.php

The student lives in Otsu and was visiting his parents’ home in Kobe during May 15-18. In Kobe, he worked part-time at a fast-food place where a high school student also working there was later diagnosed with swine flu.

He attended university classes in Kusatsu on the 18th. They are now contacting his classmates who had classes with him at the university.

Ritsumeikan University and most of Shiga’s public schools (especially in Shiga’s six southern cities) will be closed for seven days starting today. Many public and sports events have also been cancelled. Shiga is Japan’s third prefecture hit with swine flu.

School trips to Shiga are being canceled one after another. One school switched its trip from Shiga to Kyoto which I cannot understand. Matter of time before Kyoto gets it too.

Watch all the surgical masks sell out in Shiga from today.

Kaizu-Osaki

Japan is having a really good string of sunny days during the best time of the sakura season. Great for picnicking and for taking pictures.

Caffee (キャッフィー) has been called back to duty. The mascot character used for Sports Recreation Shiga 2008 has been sworn in by Shiga Governor Kada Yukiko on March 4, 2009 as one of Shiga’s official mascots, especially for sports events.

I saw an awful lot of Caffee mascot costumes last year at Spo-rec Shiga and wondered what they would do with Caffee afterward. His (or her) last appearance was at the Hikone Yuru-Character festival in Oct. 2008. I asked what would become of Caffee, and I was told that it would be discontinued.

Well, it will be good to see Caffee back again. He (or she) is a Lake Biwa catfish (ビワコオオナマズ), one of the native species of fish in Biwako found nowhere else in the world.

Did you know that Shiga Prefecture has Japan’s lowest rate of people buckling up in the back seat? According to a nationwide survey conducted jointly by Japan’s prefectural police and the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) in Oct. 2007, only 7 people out of 600 wore a seat belt while sitting in the back seat of a car in Shiga.  That’s only 1.2%.

This low figure shocked the Shiga Prefectural Police Department, especially when the new law would soon take effect requiring even back-seat passengers to buckle up. People in the front seat have always had to buckle up by law, but from June 1, 2008, the new law requires back-seat passengers to also fasten their seat belts. This applies to passengers in taxis as well.

Tour bus guides can no longer stand up and face their passengers while riding in a bus. They also have to sit and buckle up while the bus is moving.

So don’t forget to buckle up when in the back seat. Also, no smoking in taxis (another new law which has taken effect).