No, I am not talking politics - I am referring to the small town on the coast of the Japan Sea north of Kyoto that was catapulted into the limelight (also by its own PR) thanks to the fact that it shares its name with an American senator running for president.
So what is the town of Obama?
It is already many years ago that I have visited Obama, a small fishing port with a stunning number of beautiful old temples and cultural treasures - and it is still a treasured memory. I also plan to return, if possible this year. Obama has a population of 34,000 and lies in SW Fukui prefecture, facing Wakakusa Bay with its interesting rias coastline. Thanks to its excellent natural harbor in the distant past Obama formed a natural landing stage for Korean and Chinese cultural influxes into Japan. It was connected to the then capital of Kyoto via what was called the Saba Kaido or "Mackerel Road," as these fish were caught in Obama, salted and then carried along this route to Kyoto. Obama prospered as a center of commerce and transport and in the Edo-period also was a castle town. Now it may seem a backwater due to its secluded location, but in the past it was an economic powerhouse.
That is still evident in the large number of beautiful temples and wondrous Buddhist statues preserved in Obama. It has even been called "Nara City by the ocean" and in my view, that is not saying too much.
Some of these temples are:
Hagaji, with an ICP Main Hall; the mild faced Senju Kannon and the beautiful Juichimen Kannon.
Myotsuji, a mysterious mountain temple with a Main Hall and pagoda that both are national treasures (both mid-13th c.);
Jinguji, an interesting syncretic temple (the Nio Gate is an Important Cultural Property); here the "Omizu Okuri" rite is held yearly on March 2, to send water to the Wakasai well of Todaiji Temple in Nara, where it is then used in the traditional "Omizutori" ceremony;
Enshoji and its Fudo Myo-o and Dainichi Nyorai statues;
Myorakuji and its Main Hall
Tadaji and its child-faced Yakushi;
Kokubunji and its majestic Yakushi.
That is not all. There are weird rock formations on the coast (Sotomo), delicious sea food, great crafts such as lacquered chopsticks (seemingly a specialty of Obama!), a legend of a 16-year old girl who lived for 800 years without aging, and so on. Obama is trying to get its temples listed on the Unesco World Heritage list and I wish them all success. Hopefully the accidental namesake president (?) will bring them extra tourists. They deserve it.
The only problem is traffic: Obama is far away from anywhere: about 3 hours from Kyoto (with a transfer in Tsuruga to the small Obama Line) and getting around in the town is also inconvenient. The temples are situated in the countryside around Obama rather than together in the center. I was lucky to find a guided bus tour of a full day that included all the major temples, but that does not seem to exist anymore; instead, on weekends from April to November an ordinary bus makes the rounds of the outlying temples.
Digital Cultural Properties of Obama (English)
Official homepage of Obama (Japanese)
Tourism page (Japanese)
Update from Yahoo! Newson March 5, 2008:
QUOTE
The mayor of the western town of Obama last year sent a package to the presidential hopeful that included a set of local lacquer chopsticks, voicing hope he would take interest in the region. After a long wait, the town's mayor on Monday received a letter from Obama expressing his appreciation for the town's "support and encouragement" and the "thoughtful gifts". Obama wrote the letter in English but signed it in Japanese, "Your friend".
UNQUOTE
