... just not as we know it ... (141/365, 21 May 2022)
I wasn't supposed to be here for this, my third Australian election in Japan this time around. I was supposed to be home, voting there. Nonetheless, when it was called, as most Australian residents and eligible voters in Japan, I looked forward to heading down to the Embassy in Mita, cast my vote, spend some time in the forecourt with others celebrating our democratic right to vote, even while out of the country and, given the BBQ was instituted at the 2019 election, it was fair to say I was looking forward to a genuine 'democracy sausage', just like home.
But no sooner had I planned my day, news came through that in-person voting was not happening this year--it is a postal vote for you! Really? It came as a bit of a shock to many of us here and I have a few words to say here...
After much concern, my ballots papers finally arrived during the week and it seems I was one of the lucky ones. This post is really about the trip to the Embassy, in the rain (just like Brisbane on the day I gather) and then the return journey to watch the results unfold in the evening.
I also took it upon myself to declare that #democracyYakitori and #democracyTaiyaki shall be suitable substitutes for those who missed out on their #democracysausage and #democracycake
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| Decision time |
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| Well, I crossed that bridge when it came to it |
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| Ready to hand over |
Increased police presence around the Embassy too--I'm sure it wasn't because they were expecting to be gate-crashed by a lot of unhappy voters--but mainly because the Prime Minister, who ever he* is (*yes, this is our only option at present, sigh), will be arriving in Tokyo on Monday for the Quad meeting on Tuesday. Now it is time to watch, and wait.
Pics taken with the iPhone 12 mini, and the Embassy neighbourhood, in the rain, and surreptitiously (didn't want the police thinking I was planning something other than this blogpost) hence the blurriness.
