Based on more than a decade of experience in the region, Fred Weir expects a brief, spring-induced political lull. And he notes that there's a practical reason for all this time away from the job.
Most ordinary people rely on their gardens for food.
The focus is on their style as much as anything else. But it appears that men are getting equal treatment. For example, there has been considerable coverage about the hairstyles of each of the top two Liberal Democratic Party candidates for prime minister. Ryutaro Hashimoto uses hair pomade - a grease that has been popular with politicians here for decades. New Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi gets his wavy rock-star look by getting a perm.