OBAMA, Japan – Mayor Toshio Murakami went to the wrong chair to sit down and address the media. You can’t blame him, for this was his first real press conference. The mayor of Obama, Japan exclaimed to the dozen news cameras focused on him that he’d never seen so many before.

Murakami is the mayor of this 32,000-population fishing village, with the happy accident of sharing its name with the man who hopes to become President of the United States. Murakami is happy to see all the media in his community; maybe it’ll help bring tourists to this sleepy town and boost the sagging economy.

Murakami held up a letter and an envelope, postmarked from Washington, DC. His voice quivered with nerves as he read it to reporters from across Japan as well as a few international news crews. “I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the city of Obama for your support and encouragement, and thank you for your thoughtful gifts,” he said. “We share more than a common name; we share a common planet and common responsibilities.”

Murakami paused as he read the last words of the letter: “Your friend, Barack Obama.”

He looked up at the cameras and smiled, saying: “I’m impressed by his elegance.”

It took a year for the candidate to write that thank you letter, but the town of Obama, Japan, is ecstatic he wrote back at all. The town is cheering on its namesake in the U.S. election, hoping his victory will boost the city’s economy but also bring new life to a place usually focused on daily fishing and its chopstick-making industry.

“It’s exciting,” said chopstick maker Tatsuyuki Funai. He held up a lacquered chopstick emblazoned with a caricature of Barack Obama and the words: I heart Obama. Funai is planning on the chopsticks being used at the viewing party for the US primary returns on mini-Super Tuesday.

And a party, it will be, they promise,  hosted by the self-proclaimed “Unofficial Supporters of Obama” group and featuring the chopsticks, T-shirts sporting Obama’s face and sweet ‘manju’ treats with the same caricature. For the main course, hamburger, pork fillets and special sushi have been named in honor of their adopted, favorite son.

They’ve made clothes for the occasion, including traditional party kimonos and “victory” headbands. And then there’s the entertainment: the town’s 15 hula dancers, who’ve created a dance to express their adoration of Barack Obama.

Mayor Murakami bristled at questions about what he hopes to gain from the media coverage and whether he’s latching on too hard to the coincidence of shared names. But what if Barack Obama wins the White House? Murakami chuckled: “We hope he can find time to visit!”