The iconic figure of Obama Town, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan? None other than U.S. President Barack Obama!

▲Obama Town has specially installed a life-sized statue of U.S. President Barack Obama for visitors to take photos with. (Photo provided by reader Dance)

By Nine-Five Nagging Wife

When traveling in Japan, you’ll notice that many Japanese cities have a most representative figure. Examples include Sakamoto Ryoma from Kochi, Date Masamune from Sendai, and even Hello Kitty’s Chibi Maruko-chan, a popular icon from Shizuoka.

However, a friend of Nine-Five Nagging Wife discovered during a trip to Japan that inNagasaki Prefecture,the popular figure ofObama Town is none other than

the current U.S. President Barack Obama!

▲Nagasaki boasts the world’s longest foot onsen, and promotional billboards also feature Obama soaking his feet. (Photo provided by Nagasaki Prefecture Tourism Federation)It turns out that in Japanese,the pronunciation of “Obama,” which is “Obama” (おばま), is exactly the same

as that of Barack Obama (オバマ), which is why you can often see Obama-themed imagery around Obama Town. Not only are there hyper-realistic wax figures, but there are also cartoon-style cutout boards for people to take photos with.