Obama
Obama (小浜市 Obama-shi) is a city in Fukui Prefecture.
Understand
- See also: Presidents of the United States
Its Japanese name means literally "little beach," and the city promotes itself as "Nara by the Sea," for its numerous historic temples and shrines. For most of its history a fishing town, the city now supports itself primarily by tourism.
Obama, in a mixture of giddy silliness and self-promotion, latched on to the 2008 Obama presidential campaign in the United States, and local businesses started selling Barack Obama merchandise and hosting primary watch parties. The craze had its origins in a 2006 interview in Japan with then Senator Obama, when he remarked that his customs official at the airport had been from the city of Obama. Hearing this, the Obama city hall sent the senator gifts of Wasaka Agate lacquered chopsticks, as well as a DVD about the city. Upon his securing of the presidency in November 2008, the city celebrated with dancing by the "Obama Girls," a troupe of hula dancers celebrating Obama's Hawaiian upbringing, and by building a commemorative statue of the president-elect in front of City Hall.
Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a partly bilingual guide site.
Get in
By train
Obama is on the JR Obama Line which runs from Tsuruga Station (1 hr, ¥950). Services are infrequent but timed to meet limited express trains that stop at Tsuruga. With a change in Tsuruga, you can reach Obama from Kyoto in 2 hrs (¥4,180) and Osaka in 2 1/2 hrs (¥5,550).
From Tokyo, the easiest way to reach Obama is to take the Tokaido Shinkansen Hikari service to Maibara, the Shirasagi limited express train to Tsuruga, and then the JR Obama Line. If timed perfectly you can reach Obama in just over 4 hrs (¥14,050).
The Japan Rail Pass is valid for all of these journeys.
See
- 🌍 Obama Castle Ruins (Obama Shrine) (小浜城跡（小浜神社）), Jyonai 1chome. Only the walls remain of the ruined 17th century castle, but it does have some nice views over Obama Bay.
- 🌍 Okozu Salt Works. An ancient salt production site.
- 🌍 Obama Domain Battery Sites (小浜藩台場跡).
- 🌍 Myōtsū-ji (明通寺).
- 🌍 Wakasa Kokubun-ji (若狭国分寺).
- 🌍 Wakasahiko Shrine (若狭姫神社).
Do
Buy
When visiting, you should seek out the city's traditional Wasaka Agate crafts and lacquer ware. They have a bright red color, produced by burning basic agate stone and then polishing it with sand. The lacquer ware is the luxury souvenir of choice; it is created by highly skilled craftsmen in a lengthy process which developed 400 years ago in the city.
Sleep
- 🌍 Hotel Sekumiya (ホテルせくみ屋), 113 Obamashirahige, ☏ +81 770-52-0020, fax: +81 770-52-1230. ¥13,125-14,700.