A trip to the National Diet

I went on a class field trip to the National Diet building yesterday (the Japanese equivalent of Congress) and toured the Upper House (the House of Councillors). The Diet isn't currently in session, so it was something of your typical historical/national building tour, but it was definitely interesting to see where all of the action (or inaction) of the Japanese government happens. I frequently see the chambers of the Upper and Lower Houses in newspapers and on the TV. I was tempted to buy a set of Japanese sweets imprinted with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's face. But I managed to restrain myself.

One interesting fact: Everything in the National Diet building is constructed of Japanese materials except:

1. The stained glass
2. The doorknobs (which were made in the U.S.)
3. The mail chute system (also made in the U.S.)

And here's me pretending to be a genki Diet member: