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Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Place to Be

posted by on October 30 at 14:29 PM

Welcome to Obama, Japan:

obamajapan1030.jpgIn 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.

RSS icon Comments

1

Looks a lot like Bellingham. What does Obama mean in Japanese?

Posted by Jake | October 30, 2008 2:36 PM
2

Wait wait wait. So Obama for Obama = a good bump for capitalistic businesses? Shouldn't Charles be hoping that it somehow turns Obama the town into a socialist haven? Is Charles now an advocate for capitalism? Talk about a curveball.

Posted by P to the J | October 30, 2008 2:41 PM
3

Obama (小浜) translates literally to small beach. I'm sure there's a nicer way to put it, but that's all I've got. Here's the wiki.

Posted by snakes | October 30, 2008 2:45 PM
4

Sasuga!

Posted by Greg | October 30, 2008 4:11 PM
5

And Obama, Japan, is the town where Sarah Palin's eyeglasses frames are made.

Posted by LeslieC | October 31, 2008 12:15 PM

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