There is a national election in Japan next Sunday. People from Hokkaido to Okinawa are going to vote and choose people for seats in the House of Councillors. My granddaughter can vote for the first time because she has turned 18. My wife has already voted. She doesn’t like to wait in line on election day, so she goes to the ward office on a weekday to vote. I can’t vote because I am not a Japanese citizen. The election campaign in Japan only lasts two weeks, and the rules about campaign posters are very strict. Posters must be put up on special boards. There are several boards near my house, and I can see the faces of many men and women, young and old, smiling at me.    (128 words)

You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com