Obama 小浜市, Fukui Prefecture

Obama (Japanese: 小浜市) is a city on the southern part of Fukui Prefecture, Japan. It covers 233 sq km (90 sq mi) and has a population of 32,000 people (2012 estimate).

The name Obama means "little beach" in Japanese. It of course became popular as its name matches that of the US President Barack Obama. The history of Obama goes back a thousand years. It was the capital of Wakasa Province during the Ritsuryo period, around the 6th century AD. Being on the route for travelers going between Kyoto and China, Obama received an infusion of Chinese culture that has influenced its ancient architecture.

Obama was the town from which several Japanese citizens were abducted by North Korean agents on 7 July, 1978.

Building at Jingu-ji Temple in Obama, Fukui Prefecture

Planning your trip to Obama

Obama is served by the JR West Obama Line, whose trains stop at the Obama, Higashi-Obama, Kato, Seihama and Shin-Hirano stations. If going there by road, you can take Japan National Routes 27 or 162.

Mantokuji Temple in Obama, Fukui Prefecture

Places of Interest in Obama

Myotsu-ji Temple in Obama, Fukui Prefecture

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.