Last Updated: Nov 18, 2023

Fukui’s Town of Obama

Visiting So-called “Nara by the Sea”

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium

To understand the allure of Obama, we’re first going to have to take a look at the town’s legacy across the ages. Since the early mists of time, this seaside hamlet has played an important role as a port of trade with mainland Asia. In ancient tombs all throughout the surrounding regions, archeologists have uncovered artifacts and other relics from China and Japan’s other Asian neighbors. As the years progressed, Obama continued to be an important center for nautical trade and eventually was established as the capital of Wakasa Province under the Heian court’s Ritsuryo system.

Due to its commercial connections with China and the rest of Asia, Obama was an important conduit through which Buddhism flowed into Japan. As a result, Obama grew to be something of a temple town in its early years and even today, there’s a staggering number of influential establishments for a rural city of its size. In fact, Obama is home to so many Buddhist enclaves that it is often referred to by the nickname “Nara by the Sea” due to their peculiarly high number. What’s more, one of the more eminent of the temples actually shares a deep connection with Nara’s Todai-ji (but more on that later on).