A poster with "I Love Obama"
 
If you're traveling through Fukui Prefecture over the coming weeks, don't be surprised if you see signs, posters or even souvenir goods that say "Obama for Obama"

US presidential candidate Barack Obama is enjoying a groundswell of enthusiasm in a small city in western Japan, which is delighted to share his name. Obama, Japan, is rooting for candidate

Obama, hoping that if he becomes the US president he will put this ancient fishing town of 32,000 people firmly on the tourist map and, just maybe, choose it for an international summit.

Supporters in Obama -- which means "small shore" in Japanese -- have held parties to watch election results, put up posters wishing the senator luck and plan a special batch¹ of the town's "manju" sweets bearing his likeness².

"At first we were more low-key as Hillary Clinton looked to be ahead, but now we see he is getting more popular," Obama Mayor Toshio Murakami said.

"I give him an 80 percent chance of becoming president," the 75-year-old said with a proud grin.

Murakami sent a letter last year to Obama, enclosing a set of lacquer chopsticks, a famous product of this town on the Sea of Japan (East Sea) in Fukui prefecture's Wakasa region.

"I will present you the chopsticks of Wakasa paint and I am glad if you use it habitually," Murakami said in the English-language letter. "I wish you the best of health and success."

Murakami noted³ that Barack Obama's birthday, August 4, happens to be "Chopsticks Day" in the city.

Murakami is now preparing another package for the candidate that will include a good-luck charm from the local Obama Shrine⁴.

"For the first letter I found his address on the Internet, so I don't know if he got it," Murakami said. "But this time I asked the (US) embassy for his exact address, so I'm sure he'll get it."

Lest cynics find the city's efforts naive⁵, it was Obama himself who first drew attention to the connection.

Obama, speaking to Japan's TBS network in December 2006, said that when he flew once to Tokyo, an officer stamping his passport told him of the town.

"He looked up at me and said, 'I'm from Obama,'" the senator said.

如果你在未来几周去日本福井县旅游，看见带有“Obama for Obama”的标识、海报或纪念品，千万不要惊讶。

美国总统竞选人巴拉克•奥巴马目前在日本西部的一个小城受到热捧，这个小城恰好与奥巴马（Obama）同名。

日本的Obama小城力挺奥巴马，并希望如果奥巴马当选美国总统，能将这个与其同名的拥有3.2万人的古老渔镇列入旅游地图，并选择其为国际会议的召开地。

Obama小城（在日语中意为“小浜”）的“外援”们举行聚会观看选举结果，张贴祝奥巴马好运的海报，还打算特制一批带有奥巴马头像的“麻吉”甜点。

小浜市长村上寿男说：“一开始我们比较低调，因为希拉里似乎劲头更猛，但现在我们看到奥巴马的人气越来越高。”

这位75岁的市长带着自豪的笑容说：“我觉得他有80%的胜算。”

去年，村上市长致信奥巴马，并随信寄了一套小浜的名品“漆筷”给他。小浜濒临日本海，位于日本福井县的若狭町地区。

村上在用英文撰写的信中说：“我送一套若狭町漆筷给您，如果您能经常使用它，我将深感荣幸。祝您身体健康、马到成功。”

据村上市长介绍，奥巴马的生日8月4日恰好是小浜的“筷子节”。

村上市长目前正在为奥巴马准备另一份大礼——从小浜神庙求来的好运护身符。

村上说：“写第一封信时，我是在网上查到了他的地址，所以不知道他有没有收到。不过这次我向美国大使馆问了他的准确地址，所以我相信这次他一定能收到。”

你可别以为小浜城做的这些事情很幼稚，这个小“秘密”可是奥巴马自曝出来的。

2006年12月，奥巴马在接受日本TBS有线电视网的采访时说，有一次他前往东京，一名在护照上加盖公章的官员向他提起了这个小镇。

奥巴马说：“他抬头看了看我说，‘我的家乡就是Obama。’”

Vocabulary:

root for:支持