As we reported in our previous article, a huge crowd had gathered in front of JR Ashiya Station.
This time, we’ll show you what it was like when Motohiko Saito came to Shio-Ashiya about an hour after his speech in front of JR Ashiya Station.
Saturday, 11/9. Shio-Ashiya around 3 p.m.
Around 3 p.m.
A little after 3 p.m. There was an unbelievable number of people around the bus stop in front of Maruhachi.
He came in from the west!
Everyone who had been waiting was waving.
This was the moment Motohiko Saito got out of the car.
It looked like his speech was about to begin.
Many people were also watching from the sidewalk across the street.
The sidewalk isn’t all that wide, but it was packed.
Some people were filming with their smartphones from the opposite sidewalk.
There were people all the way to around the entrance of Maruhachi.
This is what it looked like from inside.
Since Shio-Ashiya is a residential area, it felt like quite a few parents and children were listening to the speech together.
The sidewalk was completely filled with people, so seeing him give a speech while standing on the curb was a pretty unusual sight.
Many people were also trying to see Motohiko Saito through gaps on the other side of the car.
Since the audience was gathered in all directions, he spoke while turning toward different sides.
It seems he had visited the Shio-Ashiya pizza restaurant “Baracca del Sole” a few years ago, and he talked about that.
The late-afternoon sun was really strong at this time of day.
People far down the sidewalk seemed to be trying hard to catch a glimpse, since it was difficult to see the speech from there.
My impression of Motohiko Saito is that he speaks seriously and calmly.
Mr. Kawamura, a Nishinomiya city council member, was directing traffic to help keep the area around the campaign vehicle safe.
As you can see, ropes were used to create a path so pedestrians wouldn’t be blocked.
The speech came to an end.
Then handshake time began.
There were so many people.
Someone from “Fukumaro Net News Channel,” which streams almost all of Saito’s street speeches, was there too. They also made a video of the scene that day.
He was talking to someone who had sent him an enthusiastic message.
It says “Kachi Gumi” on it. I wonder if there’s a product like this.
While having his photo taken, he was also shaking hands behind him.
Lots of people were taking selfies with their smartphones.
The passageway was really narrow and packed, but he shook hands with as many people as he could.
There are autographs too, huh?
