In today New York Times "Obama Becomes Japan’s English Teacher" is a great story of how people in Japan are crazy about Obama and use his speeches to learn English.
The speech CD and its accompanying book have been a resounding success, selling 200,000 copies since its release in January. A compilation of President Barack Obama’s speeches has done even better, selling half a million copies since November, solidifying his role as Japan’s English teacher.
The article points out that people use Obama's speeches both for learning English and for lifting their spirit. Obama is both a teacher and therapist.
She says the speech lifts her spirits and helps her to learn English all at once.
"All our customers love it," said Ms. Sakai, who is based in Ayase City, in Kanagawa Prefecture, outside Tokyo.
Obama is also easier to understand than the movie actors who speak fast.
Most Japanese people, including those studying English, would have difficulty comprehending a speech given by a native English speaker. But "Mr. Obama’s English is easy to understand because he pronounces words clearly and speaks at a relatively slow clip," said Professor Tadaharu Nikaido, a communication specialist here. "Movies tend to be the most difficult for Japanese, especially when actors mumble their words."
Mr. Obama sets his range of vocabulary wide enough to accommodate the highly educated and the less educated, Professor Nikaido added, and at the lower end, it sometimes comes within the range of non-native speakers’ comprehension.
Obama always continues to show appeal to voters across all ommunities.
The fervor over Obama-speak, some say, reflects other aspects of Japan’s changing society. Among the public, there is now a longing for leaders with a communication style that is more effective, dynamic and inspiring, something not prevalent in the political culture here, they say.
read http://www.nytimes.com/...