Obama, Fukui
Encyclopedia
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
located in Fukui Prefecture
Fukui Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Fukui.- Prehistory :The Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry, on the Sugiyama River within the city limits of Katsuyama, has yielded the Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis and Fukuisaurus tetoriensis as well as an unnamed...
, Japan.
It faces Wakasa Bay due north of Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, and is about four to five hours by train from Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. As of October 1, 2005, the city had an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 32,185 and a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 138.22 persons per square kilometer. The total area is 232.85 km².
Obama gained publicity in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and elsewhere in 2008 because it shares its name with the then-presidential candidate Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. The city is a popular tourist attraction with major attractions such as Obama Castle
Obama Castle (Fukui)
is a castle located in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. The castle is also known as . In 1601 , after receiving Wakasa Province due to successes in the Battle of Sekigahara, Kyōgoku Takatsugu built Obama Castle by using local fisherman as workers. In 1634 , Sakai Tadakatsu took control of the...
.
History
Obama means "little beach" in Japanese. In the RitsuryōRitsuryo
is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei"...
period, Obama was the capital of Wakasa Province
Wakasa Province
was an old province of Japan in the area that is today southern Fukui Prefecture. It is also known as or .The province's ancient capital was at Obama, which continued to be the main castle town through the Edo period.-Neighboring Provinces:...
, one of entrance of continental culture. Many temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s related to the Yamato Dynasty are located in Obama, and the city is called "Nara
Nara, Nara
is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
by the sea".
In the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, Obama was the capital of the Obama Domain
Obama Domain
The Obama Domain was a Japanese feudal domain of the Edo period, based at Obama Castle in Wakasa Province ....
and was the starting point of the Mackerel
Mackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
Road to Kyoto.
As a result of its location in the Wakasa Province area, which travelers passed through when traveling between China and Kyoto, the area was influenced by Chinese culture for a long period. There are many buildings and houses in the Sancho-machi area of the city whose design was influenced by trade with the Chinese mainland.
The area was municipalized as a city on March 30, 1951 although the area has been inhabited for centuries. Otojirō Uratani is currently the mayor of Obama.
North Korean abductions
Obama is one of the locations where Japanese citizens were abductedKidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
by agents of the North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n government on July 7, 1978.
Economy
Fishing used to be the main industry, but now it is mostly supported by tourism. Wakasa lacquered chopsticks, agate accessories, and other crafts are made in the area.Education
Fukui Prefectural UniversityFukui Prefectural University
The is a public prefectural university founded in 1992 and located in Eiheiji, Yoshida, Fukui Prefecture, Japan.-External links:*...
is located in Obama and has been operating only since 1992. However, in this short period, the university's Research Center for Marine Bioresources has been noted for its research of preservation and in the fields of fish embryogenesis, aquaculture stock enhancement, fish disease, and microalgeal bloom. The university also has schools (faculties) of Economics, Nursing, Arts and Sciences, Biotechnology, and others. Medical research is done at the Obama Community Hospital. Obama is also home to the Wakasa branch of the Fukui Prefectural Library.
Traditions
Transportation
- JR West Obama LineObama LineThe is a railway line on the Sea of Japan coast of central Japan. It is operated by West Japan Railway Company .The long single track railway connects Tsuruga Station on the Hokuriku Main Line in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture and Higashi-Maizuru Station on the Maizuru Line in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture...
(Including Obama StationObama Stationis a railway station located in Obama, Fukui, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company .-Lines:Obama Station is served by the Obama Line linking in Tsuruga, Fukui with in Maizuru, Kyoto.-History:* 10 November 1918: Station opens....
, Higashi-Obama StationHigashi-Obama Stationis a train station located in the city of Obama, Fukui Prefecture, Japan.-History:* 14 August 1953: Higashi-Obama Station opened* 1 April 1972: Higashi-Obama Station becomes unmanned and operated as an independent contract station...
, Kato StationKato Stationis a train station in the city of Obama, Fukui Prefecture, Japan.- Adjacent stations :...
, Seihama StationSeihama Stationis a train station in the city of Obama, Fukui Prefecture, Japan.- Adjacent stations :...
, and Shin Hirano Station) - Obama Nishi InterchangeObama Nishi InterchangeThe , or , is an interchange located in Okazu, Obama, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. It is the #10 interchange on and the terminus of the Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway, operated by the West Nippon Expressway Company...
, terminus of the Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway - Japan National Route 27
- Japan National Route 162Route 162 (Japan)National Route 162 is a national highway of Japan connecting Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto and Tsuruga, Fukui in Japan, with a total length of 148 km ....
- Fukui Prefectural Route 35 (Kusaka-Nakanohata Obama Route)
- Wakasa Heliport
Sister and friendship cities
Obama has sister and friendship relationships with the following cities.Relationship with Barack Obama
The city of Obama has received much publicity because it shares the name of U.S. President Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. It began when Obama as a Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
gave a 2006 interview to Japanese television network TBS
TBS Radio & Communications
is the flagship radio station of Japan Radio Network in Tokyo, Japan. The company was founded by Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc. on March 21, 2000...
where he noted that, when passing through customs in Narita Airport, an official looking at his visa said that he was from Obama. The Obama City Hall heard about the interview and the mayor, Toshio Murakami, sent Senator Obama a set of the city’s famous lacquer chopsticks, a DVD about the city and a letter wishing him the best. As Senator Obama's presidential campaign
Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008
Barack Obama, then junior United States Senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2007. On August 27, 2008, he was declared nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2008 presidential election...
progressed, more local businesses began to organize primary parties and put up "Go Obama!" posters, sell "I love Obama" T-shirts, and produce manjū
Manju
Manju is a Sanskrit word with following associated meanings - pleasant, sweet, snow, beautiful, Lord Shiva's name, clouds, morning dew and is predominantly an Indian male/female/given name.Manju, means a language of clouds.That is Rain...
(a type of Japanese confectionery
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
) with Senator Obama's face on them. A hula
Hula
Hula is a dance form accompanied by chant or song . It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form....
group began in the town in honour of Senator Obama's home state of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. The troupe visited Honolulu in June to perform at the Pan Pacific Festival.
President 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".
There are a number of Japanese with the surname Obama. Though the American President is of Kenyan Luo
Luo (Kenya and Tanzania)
The Luo are an ethnic group in Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania. They are part of a larger group of ethnolinguistically related Luo peoples who inhabit an area including southern Sudan, northern and eastern Uganda, western Kenya, and northern Tanzania.The Luo are the third largest...
heritage, it is not uncommon for Japanese and East African names to sound alike. As a result of the victory by Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, the Mayor of Obama City announced to the Japanese press that he intends to commission a statue of Barack Obama to be put in front of the city hall "as a token of the great historical moment for the name Obama".
On January 20, 2009, the day that Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
was sworn into office, the city of Obama celebrated with women dancing the hula at the Hagaji Temple to celebrate the inauguration.
On November 14, 2009, President Obama specifically acknowledged his connection with Obama by mentioning it and its citizens in a speech at Suntory Hall
Suntory Hall
The Suntory Hall is a concert hall complex consisting of the "Main Hall" and the "Small Hall" located in the Ark Hills complex, near the U.S. Embassy and TV Asahi in the Akasaka district of northern Minato, a ward in Tokyo, Japan...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
Film and TV
- Cable TV Wakasa ObamaCable TV Wakasa Obama, also known as , is a third sector cable television channel headquartered in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. It owns broadcast facilities located in Obama as well as Ōi, both in Fukui Prefecture....
, a cable television and internet services provider in Fukui Prefecture, headquartered in Obama
External links
- Official website in English
- Obama city (Japan) in English from Sister city: Nara City Home Page
- Obama city (Japan) in English from Sister city: Kawagoe City Home Page