奧巴馬東京演講迷倒日本人

Japan's Obama town ecstatic over presidential mention

US President Barack Obama charmed his Tokyo audience on Saturday with references to green tea ice cream, Japanese traditional hospitality and, of course, the small town that bears his name.

"I could not come here without sending my greetings and my gratitude to the citizens of Obama, Japan," said the president to the delight of the western Japan town that has turned its accidental fame into a cottage industry.

The ancient fishing town of 30,000, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) from Tokyo, has long supported its White House namesake, and some of its residents were in Tokyo to steal a glimpse of the president.

Wearing "I Love Obama" T-shirts, a small delegation braved rainy weather on a Tokyo sidewalk and waved as the presidential motorcade passed by.

"The president clearly looked at us and recognised us," said an excited Seiji Fujihara, who leads a dance troupe that on Friday performed a hula dance in honour of the president, who was born in Hawaii.

"I was so touched when President Obama mentioned our town," Fujihara gushed. "I felt goose bumps."

Obama in his speech Saturday recalled a childhood visit to Kamakura, a temple-studded town near Tokyo, where he "looked up at that centuries-old symbol of peace and tranquility, the great bronze Amida Buddha."

Then he quipped: "As a child, I was more focused on the matcha (green tea) ice cream. But I have never forgotten the warmth and hospitality that the Japanese people showed a young American far from home."

Obamania was alive and well among the audience -- where many hailed his personal charm and wide knowledge about the region.

"His voice was good. He spoke naturally. He has something that attracts people," said Yasuko Maki, a 60-year-old housewife.

Her husband, Akihiro, 66, agreed: "He covered every subject and explained how America will handle it. He intends to work as our partner. He is different from former US presidents."

上周六，美國(guó)總統(tǒng)巴拉克·奧巴馬在東京發(fā)表的演講讓他的日本聽眾們?yōu)橹畠A倒，奧巴馬在演講中提到綠茶冰激凌、日本人傳統(tǒng)的熱情與好客，當(dāng)然，還有那個(gè)與他同名的小鎮(zhèn)。

奧巴馬說(shuō)：“既然來(lái)到日本，就不能不向小濱（Obama）鎮(zhèn)的人們表達(dá)我的問候和感激之情。”這番話讓小濱鎮(zhèn)的人們欣喜若狂。這座位于日本西部的小鎮(zhèn)利用與奧巴馬同名的契機(jī)，已發(fā)展成為奧巴馬主題產(chǎn)業(yè)之鄉(xiāng)。

這個(gè)古老的漁鎮(zhèn)擁有3萬(wàn)人口，距離東京大約400公里（250英里）。這個(gè)同名小鎮(zhèn)（自?shī)W巴馬競(jìng)選總統(tǒng)以來(lái)）就一直支持他，鎮(zhèn)上的有些居民還專程前往東京，只為一睹奧巴馬的風(fēng)采。

當(dāng)天，一個(gè)小型代表團(tuán)身穿統(tǒng)一的帶有“我愛奧巴馬”字樣的T恤，冒雨站在東京的人行道上，向經(jīng)過(guò)的總統(tǒng)車隊(duì)揮手致意。

一個(gè)名叫藤原小澤的代表團(tuán)成員激動(dòng)地說(shuō)：“總統(tǒng)明顯是在看我們并且認(rèn)出了我們。”上周五，藤原小澤帶領(lǐng)的舞蹈團(tuán)為出生于夏威夷的奧巴馬獻(xiàn)上了草裙舞表演。

藤原激動(dòng)地說(shuō)：“當(dāng)總統(tǒng)提到我們小鎮(zhèn)的時(shí)候，我太感動(dòng)了，感覺雞皮疙瘩都起來(lái)了。”

在上周六的演講中，奧巴馬回憶了他童年時(shí)期造訪位于東京附近的、擁有眾多寺廟的鐮倉(cāng)鎮(zhèn)的經(jīng)歷，他在那兒“瞻仰象征和平和寧?kù)o的百年青銅大佛”。

接著他打趣說(shuō)：“當(dāng)我還是孩子的時(shí)候，我更感興趣的是抹茶（綠茶）冰激凌。但我從未忘記日本人對(duì)一個(gè)遠(yuǎn)離家鄉(xiāng)的美國(guó)孩子所表現(xiàn)出的熱情和好客。”

奧巴馬的演講讓他的日本聽眾們?yōu)橹畠A倒，很多人大贊他的個(gè)人魅力和對(duì)他對(duì)于日本的了解。

60歲的家庭主婦真木靖子的說(shuō)：“他的聲音很好聽。說(shuō)話很自然。他具有某種吸引人的魅力。”

她的丈夫，66歲的佐藤同意她的看法：“他的演講涉及了各個(gè)主題，并解釋了美國(guó)將如何應(yīng)對(duì)。他想成為我們的合作伙伴，他和以前的美國(guó)總統(tǒng)不一樣。”