Most Japanese people are staunchly apolitical, and the Japanese people who live in
Japan's Obama City are
no exception. That's right - there is a city named Obama in Japan's
Fukui Prefecture - and the city's residents partied like rock stars last November when
President-elect
Barack Obama won the election.
The residents of Obama City may not be able to tell you Mr. Obama's stance on North Korea, Taiwan or U.S. military bases in Okinawa, but they recognize the power of celebrity when they see it. And in today's rough and tumble economy, rural Japanese villages need every advantage they can - so why not manufacture some Obama masks and watch the tourists flood in like a tsunami?
Change? Why Japanese culture knows how to change!