Japanese Melancholy

Ryu Murakami, my favorite Japanese writer, wrote an article on New York Times about recent Japanese election.

Japan Comes of Age (NY Times):

Deep down, we all know this. That’s why the gloomy expressions on the faces of Japanese on the street haven’t changed. But this does not mean we are on the verge of decline or decay. We’re merely experiencing the melancholythat any child goes through as adulthood approaches.

When Barack Obama won, I was very excited. I was enthusiastic that something very new will begin and things will get better. When the Japanese Democratic Party won last week, I was depressed, even though I voted for the party. This article explains clearly why I felt sad, which I couldn't explain well.