Japan

October 16, 2008

Chris Steele-Perkins finds the city named Obama.

The small city of Obama, on the West coast of Japan, is a normal enough place. Obama (which means “small beach”) has a natural harbour and is one of the closest places in Japan to mainland China; historically it has benefited from the trade that followed that geography. It was the main trade route from China and the Korean peninsular to the old capitals of Japan, Nara and Kyoto.

Those glory days have gone and now Obama is known for its agate crafts and lacquerware, still producing 80% of all lacquered Japanese chopsticks. It attracts tourists to its over 130 temples and many Buddhist statues, along with its historic wooden Old Town, which, unlike original structures in so many other Japanese cities, was not destroyed by bombing during the Pacific. Such are the numbers of temples and statues that Obama aspires to the status of a World Heritage Site.

However, all is not well and the economy is in decline, shops are closing and visitors becoming fewer. Obama got a significant boost from a popular morning TV drama, “Chiritotechin,” whose main character was born in Obama. Once the drama finished in spring 2008, the question was, how to continue to ride the wave of interest in Obama? A new opportunity came from a simple coincidence of names; a certain U.S. Senator had a Kenyan name common in the Luo tribe – Obama – and when he came to Japan, as a minor political figure in 2006, he gave a TV interview in which he noted that a customs officer at the airport had remarked on the connection between his name and Obama City.

In Obama City this stirred interest. A local Buddhist monk, Mr. Tamaga wa, suggested to the mayor then, Toshio Murakami, that he contact the senator, which he did, sending him a letter and a set of local lacquered chop sticks. An Obama support committee was formed, T-shirts were printed, ties manufactured, support rallies held, the Obama Girls, a 70-strong Hawaiian Hula dancing group, gave performances (Senator Obama was born in Hawaii), and an Obama for Obama campaign became fully fledged.

Senator Obama has since thanked the town for their gifts and support, saying “I look forward to a future marked by the continued friendship of our two great nations and a shared commitment to a better, freer world.” As his profile has risen so has the attention generated by the Obama for Obama campaign, but has all this effort translated into more business? The committee is pragmatic. Mr Fujiwara, the chairman, explained that all over Japan the economy had been dropping, but they had managed, because of the Obama for Obama effort, to keep their economy level.

While the initial motivation for the connection was to boost local business – two of the key members of the support committee are Mr. Sano, who runs two souvenir shops selling a good selection of Obama goods, and Mr. Fujiwara, who runs one of Obama’s largest hotels – there is a genuine sense of real support for the senator. Like most of the world, they are disgusted by the Bush presidency and see Obama as a beacon of hope. On Election Day they will be holding a big celebration party for Obama, hoping he – and they – win. If he looses, they have to come up with new ideas for keeping their city in front of the public, but they will still enjoy the party.