Obama Japan supports Obama America to boost tourism

by Abha Malpani on

A town of 32,000 people in Japan called Obama is raging with support for Barack Obama as a means to increase tourism to their town.

An Obama presidency could boost the city’s recognition and possibly increase foreign tourism. The symbol you see here is an unofficial illustration of the group that supports Obama, clearly not for his policy, but for his name. How’s that for strategy to enhance tourism!

Obama means “little beach” in Japanese and the town is known for its lacquer ware. To milk Barack Obama’s run for American presidency as a means to heighten recognition of their town, they are in process of making headbands, T-shirts and Japanese style bean cakes with Barack’s face on them.

The town is also working on nurturing a personal relationship with Barack as they send him “care-packages” with good-luck dolls, lacquer chopsticks, a DVD and guidebook to the city. They hope that one day Barack will stop by on a trip to Japan.

To think that an American president merely sharing the name of a Japanese town could boost the town’s economy AND forge relationships between two countries is as great as it is bizarre.

Kellie Pickler and some insight into America’s geographic ignorance

by Abha Malpani on

I had a good laugh this morning when I saw that World Hum had created a category on their weblog entitled “Hot Americans on Television Botching Geography Questions”, thanks to Miss South Carolina and more recently American Idol Kellie Pickler. She appeared on US television game show “Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader” and was asked what country Budapest was the capital of. She had never even heard of Hungary, and she thought Europe was a country.

Out of amazement and sheer shock, I decided to dig around a bit to get some sort of explanation for the general level of geographic ignorance in America — the world’s most powerful, ethnically diverse and wealthy country.

I came across a report on the American Geographical Society’s website addressing this issue in the US and it all seems to boil down to the American education system that doesn’t pay much attention to geography as a subject of study.

According to the paper, the ranks of Americans who have ever taken geography class in high school or university is low; most of the people who teach geography and set the content standards haven’t studied geography at a university level and don’t understand why they are even teaching it (!) Although the paper doesn’t give more details, it is an interesting read and talks about how the American government needs to embark on a “No American Left Geographically Ignorant” campaign.

I don’t have the answer, but something definitely has to be done. Do watch the video when you get a chance.

Which Country Has the Most Couch Potatoes?

by Justin Glow on

The Economist answers what may be the easiest question ever: which country has the most couch potatoes? It’s obvious: the United States.

What’s not obvious, however, is just how much TV Americans watch. It’s unbelievable really. According to the study, people in the United States watch an average of 8 hours and 11 minutes per day. Crazy! But maybe not so crazy considering Americans have what, 18 televisions per household? They’re so cheap, why not? I’ve got two in my bathroom, three in the living room, seven in the kitchen, and a few in the garage for good measure. Just kidding! I don’t have a garage. But seriously … the only country within reach is Turkey, which came in second with 5 hours of television per day.

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Travel Warnings for Americans

by Iva Skoch on

Not that I regularly browse these kinds of Web sites but the U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory Web site actually has some handy information, for example the countries for which Americans have visa requirements.

Among other things, they publish a list of countries with “travel warnings” for Americans. Those countries currently are:

  • Afghanistan
  • Algeria
  • Chad
  • Colombia
  • Congo
  • East Timor
  • Eritrea
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Israel
  • Kenya
  • Lebanon
  • Nepal
  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Somalia
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Uzbekistan
  • Yemen
  • France (just kidding)

One for the Road: 1,000 Places to See in the U.S. and Canada

by Kelly Amabile on

Yesterday we suggested a tool to use for logistical aspects of your travel planning. Today we overwhelm you with a list of destination choices for North America, a semi-tribute to America during the recent holiday.

Earlier this spring, Patricia Schultz, author of the mega 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, released a second version:1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die. So now you’ve essentially got about 2,000 places (minus the overlap) to choose from. Yikes!

This 1,200-page monster has loads of suggestions for travelers — things you can do this summer and throughout the year. The book is organized by region, and includes subject-specific indices sorted by interest — wilderness, great dining, best beaches, world-class museums, sports and adventures, road trips, and more. And hey, mom and dad — there’s also a handy index that breaks out the best destinations for travel with kiddies. Plenty to pick from in this one!

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