a growing influence

a year ago, kevin cameron realized that not have voting rights in the small japanese village he and his wife tomoe had moved to actually meant somthing to him:

"Until I moved here, having or not having voting rights where I lived meant little to me. For the first time, I feel a connection to, and pride in, my place, and for the first time I feel that my voice just might make a difference."

the campaign for this year's election is in full swing, and even though folks usually end up voting for their neighbor, and candidates don't run on much of a "platform," kevin and tomoe may have much more influence in the local election than they'd suspected:

"The village is abuzz with election fever. Having the car with the loud speaker assault our house is nothing new to anyone who has lived in Japan longer than a year, but this time it's personal.

Not only has Tomoe been sucked into being one of the loud-speaker ladies (she was practicing making her voice annoying last night and will be out all day today) but we actually know, on a personal and business level, 6 of the 14 candidates."

next year, tomoe for mayor! more of the zen-like japanese adventures (and truly stunning photography) of kevin and tomoe here.