- Title: JAPAN: U.S. President Barack Obama visits the Great Buddha of Kamakura
- Date: 15th November 2010
- Summary: KAMAKURA, JAPAN (NOVEMBER 14, 2010) (AGENCY POOL) GREAT BUDDHA OBAMA WALKING TOWARDS GREAT BUDDHA OBAMA OBAMA SHAKING HANDS WITH CHIEF MONK OBAMA AND MONK WALKING OBAMA AND MONK TALKING IN FRONT OF GREAT BUDDHA MEDIA OBAMA LOOKING AT GREAT BUDDHA OBAMA WALKING AROUND GREAT BUDDHA OBAMA EATING GREEN TEA ICE CREAM OBAMA SMILING AND EAT ICE CREAM OBAMA WALKING AROUND THE GREAT BUDDHA OBAMA LEAVING STREETS OF KAMAKURA SIGN READING IN ENGLISH "WELCOME TO KAMAKURA, MR PRESIDENT OBAMA" (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) REI SEKIGUCHI, 24 YEAR OLD TOURIST, SAYING: "I came here not knowing he was coming today, I wanted to get on the train but couldn't. It was a bit of a pain. " SOUVENIR SHOP SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) UNIDENTIFIED MAN SAYING: "I thought it would be hard to take pictures with him but I did not expect him to come over and shake my hands. His hands shake suggested he has a warm personality." POLICE PATROLLING STREETS
- Embargoed: 30th November 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: International Relations,Religion
- Reuters ID: LVAC3QPSVEGSDOP9IP9PH9YNAOY8
- Story Text: U.S. President Barack Obama enjoys a trip to the Great Buddha and down memory lane after the APEC leaders' summit.
United States President Barack Obama took a quick detour on Sunday (November 14) to see the Great Buddha, which he last visited as a child while travelling with his late mother.
Under a overcast autumn skies, Obama took a stroll through Kotoku-in, the temple that houses the 700 year old bronze Great Buddha statue. Accompanied by the head monk and his mother, Obama also partook of green-tea ice cream - something he remembers having as a child when he visited here last.
Obama is in Japan this weekend hoping that the last stop provides an upbeat finish to what has been a decidedly choppy tour of Asia.
He set off on his 10-day, four-nation trip just three days after his Democratic party suffered big defeats in mid-term elections at the hands of voters frustrated by the sputtering U.S. economy, in particular stubbornly high unemployment.
The White House pitched Obama's travels to India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan largely as a bid to foster trade and thus generate U.S. jobs.
The first destinations, India and Indonesia, proved big public relations successes, but yielded few concrete gains.
And the stop in Seoul was marred by negotiators' failure to finish a long-delayed U.S.-Korea free trade agreement and squabbling at a G20 summit over U.S. easy money policy and other leaders' reluctance to back Washington's desire for hard targets to support its push for global balanced growth. - Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
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