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Town shares name and joy with president
By Darrell Miho
Special to the Star-Bulletin
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 21, 2009
| This story has been corrected. See below. |
An estimated crowd of 200 people braved the 35-degree weather to attend the city-sponsored celebration at the 1,300-year-old Hagi Temple, 10 minutes northeast of Obama. There were small mounds of snow surrounding the temple. Organizers planned an evening of speeches, fireworks, singing and even hula dancing, in honor of President Barack Obama's ties to Hawaii.
The Obama Girls - dressed in pink and white Hawaiian-print skirts and black T-shirts with "I love Obama" on the back - and the Obama Boys, in white shorts and Hawaiian shirts, danced hula to "Diamond Head" to commemorate President Obama.
Despite the near-freezing temperature, they performed in bare feet. When asked if it was cold, Michiyo Tanaka replied, "Outside is cold, but inside our heart is very warm feeling. We hope we send our warm feeling to everyone."
Ashley Hayes, a Coordinator for International Relations for the City of Nagano, traveled to Obama because she wanted to be in a place where the people would be enthusiastic and excited about the inauguration.
"It's the message of change, and I think there are a lot of changes that need to be made, not just in America, but worldwide and I hope that he will be a catalyst for many types of positive change in the years to come," she said.
A small group of Obama supporters, American and Japanese, stayed up until past 2 a.m. to watch the swearing-in live on television at the Hotel Sekumiya.
Despite the early morning hour, the energy of the Americans was high. There were plenty of cheers, flag waving and spontaneous chants of "O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma!"
This small city of 33,000 people has embraced the new president, not just because they share the same name, but because they believe in his message.
"I think if he just does his best in America that the good influence will make its way to Japan," Fusae Shimizu, a resident of Obama, said, "so I am wishing him the best of luck."
Shimizu's 26-year-old daughter, Chikako Shimizu, the leader of the "Obama Girls," feels better every time she sees him. "Obama gives me strength to believe that I can do anything," she said after watching the inauguration on TV at the hotel.
Alcillena Wilson, an African-American living in Obama and teaching English at a local junior high school, summed up the day, "This was great. I will remember this forever."
CORRECTIONOriginally, this story had an incorrect title for Ashley Hayes. She is coordinator for international relations for the city of Nagano, Japan, not an English teacher.
|
| This story has been corrected. See below. |
An estimated crowd of 200 people braved the 35-degree weather to attend the city-sponsored celebration at the 1,300-year-old Hagi Temple, 10 minutes northeast of Obama. There were small mounds of snow surrounding the temple. Organizers planned an evening of speeches, fireworks, singing and even hula dancing, in honor of President Barack Obama's ties to Hawaii.
The Obama Girls - dressed in pink and white Hawaiian-print skirts and black T-shirts with "I love Obama" on the back - and the Obama Boys, in white shorts and Hawaiian shirts, danced hula to "Diamond Head" to commemorate President Obama.
Despite the near-freezing temperature, they performed in bare feet. When asked if it was cold, Michiyo Tanaka replied, "Outside is cold, but inside our heart is very warm feeling. We hope we send our warm feeling to everyone."
Ashley Hayes, a Coordinator for International Relations for the City of Nagano, traveled to Obama because she wanted to be in a place where the people would be enthusiastic and excited about the inauguration.
"It's the message of change, and I think there are a lot of changes that need to be made, not just in America, but worldwide and I hope that he will be a catalyst for many types of positive change in the years to come," she said.
A small group of Obama supporters, American and Japanese, stayed up until past 2 a.m. to watch the swearing-in live on television at the Hotel Sekumiya.
Despite the early morning hour, the energy of the Americans was high. There were plenty of cheers, flag waving and spontaneous chants of "O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma!"
This small city of 33,000 people has embraced the new president, not just because they share the same name, but because they believe in his message.
"I think if he just does his best in America that the good influence will make its way to Japan," Fusae Shimizu, a resident of Obama, said, "so I am wishing him the best of luck."
Shimizu's 26-year-old daughter, Chikako Shimizu, the leader of the "Obama Girls," feels better every time she sees him. "Obama gives me strength to believe that I can do anything," she said after watching the inauguration on TV at the hotel.
Alcillena Wilson, an African-American living in Obama and teaching English at a local junior high school, summed up the day, "This was great. I will remember this forever."
CORRECTIONOriginally, this story had an incorrect title for Ashley Hayes. She is coordinator for international relations for the city of Nagano, Japan, not an English teacher.
|
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