This is part Uncovering Japan A collection of stories that highlight the lesser-known gems of Japan, from its vibrant street food culture and local crafts to traditional wellbeing. Read more here.
The city is a relatively small one with only 30,000 inhabitants, and it’s located about three hours by train north from Tokyo. KyotoObama. It would have remained that way were it not for something strange and serendipitous that happened in 2008: On the other side of the planet, the United States elected a president who shares his name with the oft-forgotten destination—an event that would unbury this little burg from its hardened obscurity.
Obama, in Japanese, roughly translates to “little beach”—a fitting moniker for a city that yawns along a protected cove facing the northerly Sea of Japan. And when American political happenstance lent its name new relevance, its citizens came up with a plan to capitalize on their good fortune—not only to stoke the embers of tourism but to give their home a fighting chance of staving off the depopulation that has plagued many of the country’s minor metropolises.
Without any, glittering towers of TokyoObama could not leverage the attractions of Kyoto’s old or new. Locals decided to bet on a different cultural currency, its people. While soft smiles and polite words are the signature aspect of the Japanese hospitality experience, visitors can find it hard to pierce the veneer of “omote”—an outward facing polish that can prove to be a major hindrance to the deeply connective experience many of us travelers crave. Obama is a country where the citizens focus on building more authentic relationships with foreigners. They are open to welcoming them in.
The bet is beginning to pay off. With a soaring number of tourists—emboldened by the feeble yen—Japan’s conduits of connectivity are already becoming clogged with the steadily accruing crowds. As a guest, I found myself craving the Japan that I first discovered in my teens. On a cold and snowless December night, a friend suggested I go to a relatively unremarkable station.
I had made arrangements through MyTownObama I asked a local guide to pick up my luggage, and we arrived at the last geisha home in Obama’s neighborhood, which is still inhabited by three generations. The grandmother, who had retired from the house, briefly entered the salon wearing her house clothes in order to give me an orange. Her daughter and granddaughter, both dressed in brilliant autumnal-themed robes, had trained in Kyoto’s illustrious hanamachi districts, though there was no traditional dancing or shamisen playing tonight. Instead we talked for hours—no-holds-barred conversations that started with questions about life as a geisha before evolving into heated discussions about everything from favorite K-pop artists to post-Obama-era (the president this time, not the city) politics.
The next morning, despite the late hour, I awoke early to see a fleet fishing boats bring in their latest catch. They filled an entire depot of styrofoam containers with crab, squid and fish. Long ago, local traders transported seafood from the harbor where I was standing across mountain passes to feed nobles in the capital city Kyoto, explained the fishermen. The saba-kaido was the route through which Japan’s main influences, such as Buddhism, were thought to have reached its seat of power. Archaeological evidence proves that local merchants were trading with China as early as 300 CE; the elaborate pavilions Myotsu-ji temple complex were built contemporaneously with Kyoto’s most storied—and most visited—places of worship, though you would never know it, as I had the entire campus to myself. On his lunch break, the friendly abbot walked me around.
Even today, Obama continues to look beyond the borders of his country. You can find a French bakery that serves the best croissants on the west coast, a Thai restaurant with the best curry in the world (but only up until 9:30 pm when the owner crawls upstairs to bed), a vintage eyewear store where you can try every frame and wallet. You can also ask him to brew a strong cup of java using his exclusive batch of African shade-grown coffee beans.
