Judging by the society pages of certain publications in Japan, politicians at both the local and national levels seem to spend a lot of their time being photographed with ambassadors, captains of industry, assorted aristocrats, passing film stars and all manner of other folk.
So, you might be forgiven for thinking that the life of a politician's wife in Japan would be a never-ending round of swank parties, gourmet meals, five-star hotels and trips hither and thither.
That is an image that provokes laughter from Jane Singer Mizuguchi, the American wife of independent Kyoto Prefectural Assembly Member Hiroshi Mizuguchi.