Welcome to Obama City Japan yeah, I know what you're thinking

Why didn't in the city after the former president right actually they didn't this city's been around for generations,

centuries and there's a lot of history before

2008 when the former president became the president like the fact that Obama was the original gateway to Japan a place of trade and commerce

And the first place an elephant stepped ashore in the country

The mackerel or Saba is famous here and Obama was where the road from the sea to the Imperial City Kyoto started

Mackerel Road is 70 kilometers long and had loads of activity back and forth then they did take advantage of the name recognition

situation there's Obama which written here in Japanese means small Beach, and then there's President Obama, which means

President Obama

But in 2008 this city was thrown into the international spotlight because of its relationship with the president phonetically

Before we look around let's see exactly where this little city on the sea sets

It's the innermost point from the Sea of Japan to Kyoto

Mackerel road goes around the mountains

The city itself is well protected by Wakasa Bay and follows the Kita-gawa

and Minami rivers to the sea. Most of the shore area is urban and quickly turns to farms and countryside inland

Obama's nicknamed "Nara by the sea" and that sea is beautiful

I stayed at the hotel "Sekumiya" because I heard that I'd be greeted by VIPs in the lobby

I didn't have to go far to find them

Yeah, I know, but they're there as life-sized cardboard cutouts

The lobby is filled with stuff from the former president's political career. The story goes that when he visited Japan in

2006 as a senator the immigrations officer looked at his passport and said that he was from Obama, Japan

This left an impression on the senator and the mayor of Obama followed up by sending gifts, thus starting a special friendship with the town

Obama City cheered him on as his political career blossomed into the White House. Obama citizens especially loved the president's Hawaiian ancestry

Although he hasn't visited Obama city as of

2017 the ambassador at the time John Roos made a trip to the city and even invited the mayor to the Embassy in Tokyo

Putting aside politics, it's nice to see this unique international friendship based on a surprising coincidence

Some souvenirs made its way here

Local artists also added to the hotel's collection. The gift shop sells Obama confections

The sweet cookie with the president pressed on it

The top seller of the Manju sweet red bean cakes wrapped with the former president of course

You can grab a coffee at the vending machine outside with the leader himself

The mayor promised a statue of the senator one he did and well here it is

It exemplifies Obama's skill as an orator talented at public speaking. In a way, he kind of looks Japanese

What do you think?

It's always nice to see other Americans in a far away place on the other side of the world

Bipartisan appreciation for the moment at hand but I got the funny feeling that it was time for me to go

Obama has a happy and aging population

Nearly everyone I met was in their silver years including this dog in dog years of course

The town is clean and much of the town feels retro

Reminders of a couple generations before are everywhere

Shops closed early in the city center stores lower their grades and the city gets quiet by 5:00 p.m.

At night well you'd better know where to go

This is 8 p.m.. On a Friday night in Obama. Did I mention it was Friday night? I?

Don't know what people do on Friday night in Obama obviously cuz it's not here in the center of the city

Let's just say Obama is a fishing village where people wake up early really early the city may be small

But it has a lot of charm and history as I said before it's the NARA by the sea

And it's the sea that shines bright here if you have a clear day. You'll be treated to a beautiful sunset over Wakasa Bay

It's just as good from the Sekumiya hotel

The next day I went to the sea. Obama has a nice boat tour of the surrounding coasts

It gives you an idea of how clean the sea is here, and it also reminds you that Obama has some amazing seafood

So I've come to the Obama Ichiba, fish market see if I can find some food

let's have a look around this fish market is open early, and yes it closes early too and

This mural sums up the city well

Life on the sea, flowers, temples and mackerel and countryside and

Well it's Obama City what can I say Aloha?

The market is much smaller than "Tsukiji" but much more inviting

The best place for breakfast is here inside the market

The "Sashimi Teishoku" for 1400 yen is a fantastic deal

It came with a fisherman sized portion of rice and miso soup. The Sashimi cuts are fresh and fantastic but

I had to try the area's most delicious fish, Sabah. That's mackerel grilled to perfection

Super soft and tender meat that just falls off the bone

One of the city's most recommended restaurants was "Kanematsu" near the City Hall. Their "Kaisen-don" was real sea treasure

Squid, maguro, shrimp

Ikuta

Uni or sea urchin

Topped with soy sauce mixed with Wasabi

A good "Kaisen-don" will make you happy for the rest of the day

And this one was enough to keep me smiling throughout the entire stay

So it's just a little city by the sea a place where you can sort of chill

With a former world leader its citizens. Do hope that he visits them someday, but to me. It's just one of those things

That's just only in Japan

Next time we highlight some amazing stories from the far side of Japan far for anyone living in Tokyo

Mt. Daisen and the area of Tottori prefecture is really special to me, and I'm going to show you why?

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Madonna