Wow. Most Japanese people I know are not really into politics.... I certainly don't know anyone who might at all qualify as an activist, even to a minimal level.
Yes, the hair salon lady tends to agree with me on the principle that most politicians here are untrustworthy simply by virtue of having become politicians in the first place, so yeah, your impression is correct. (I do know a couple of left-wing activist types from grad school and from spending time in Kamagasaki, but they are exceptions.)

while you seem to be able to appreciate almost anything! I'm envious!
Huh! I think of myself as quite fussy musically--I guess I would say that there is something I like in almost all genres (with some popular music exceptions, honestly), but also a lot I don't or can't be bothered with. Most of my musical taste comes wholesale from my father, for good or ill.
I was thinking as I listened to Götterdämmerung that, while the singing is fine, really the orchestra has all the best stuff and it would be just about as good if it were a four-hour symphony...you might enjoy it more that way ;)

かさ is really all you need in Japanese, I've never heard anybody say 雨傘 --maybe pronounced あまがさ to distinguish it from 日傘, but not often! Japanese and Chinese cross wires a lot in my brain...