(3 Nov 2008)
1. Tracking shot from flag with picture depicting Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama to Obama statue
2. Close-up of Obama flag with Obama statue in foreground
3. Exterior of souvenir shop
4. Customers applying to join the Obama membership group
5. Close-up of Obama T-shirts
6. Close-up of man taking out Obama T-shirts from his bag
7. Wide of customers shopping
8. Pan across packaged Obama sweet beans cakes
9. Close-up of woman's hand holding Obama sweet beans cakes
10. SOUNDBITE: (Japanese) Name not given, Vox pop:
"We love Obama."
11. Set-up of Tatsuya Sano, owner of the souvenir shop
12. SOUNDBITE: (Japanese) Tatsuya Sano, souvenir shop owner:
"In order to get this T-shirts (Obama T-shirts), you need to join our group. This is a membership card in a way. Because of the image rights, on sweet beans cakes and chopsticks, what you can see is the image of Barak's head but from the back side."
13. Pan of Obama chopsticks
14. Set-up of Obama City Mayor, Kouji Matsuzaki
15. SOUNDBITE: (Japanese) Kouji Matsuzaki, Obama City Mayor:
(If Obama elected as the president of the United States) "I would like him to put our gift in the Oval Office of the White House. Also, I would like to send a letter saying if he has a chance to visit Japan in the future, I really would like him to visit our town. I'm not quite sure whether he will write back though."
16. Close-up of Obama souvenirs
STORYLINE:
As the US presidential election approaches its climax, the Japanese port town of Obama has continued to show support for it's namesake, US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
The US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama may never have been to this port town, but Obama the town, is a big fan of Obama the man.
At one local souvenir store in town, Barak Obama's name and face graces flags and t-shirts, whilst a statue of Obama welcomes customers into the shop.
The owner of the shop, Tatsuya Sano is one of the members who set up a group calling themselves the "Group that supports Barak Obama voluntarily" earlier this year, which monitors Barack Obama's progress in the race for the White House.
Sano even set up a booth in his shop for people who want to join their "Obama booster group", which now has 1400 members.
Customers, who want to become members, can pay 15 US dollars and they will receive Obama T-shirts as well as a membership card, Sano said.
Sano explained that because of image rights, his shop can't sell Obama T-shirts directly, and that membership of the group is the only way of getting the T-shirts.
Other Obama souvenirs for sale include Obama chopsticks and Obama sweet bean cakes.
As fanciful as it may seem, leaders in Obama, a name that means "Little Beach" in Japanese, are serious about forging a relationship with the candidate.
Like many towns in Japan's financially challenged countryside, Obama is eager to distinguish itself.
Obama City Mayor, Kouji Matsuzaki said that if Obama is elected as the President of the United States he would like to invite him to visit his town.
A victory would mark a stunning rise for the 47-year-old Obama, who was little known nationally before being elected as a senator from Illinois four years ago.
He began his run for the presidency just two years later.
With just one more full day of campaigning before Election Day, most national polls put Obama ahead of Republican candidate John McCain.
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