Obama revisits Great Buddha of Kamakura, enjoys green tea ice cream again

Obama revisits Great Buddha of Kamakura, enjoys green tea ice cream again

U.S. President Barack Obama, center, enjoys "matcha" ice cream at the Kotoku-in temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Nov. 14. (Pool photo)

KAMAKURA, Kanagawa -- U.S. President Barack Obama visited the Great Buddha of Kamakura for the first time since his childhood on Nov. 14, following the conclusion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit earlier the same day.

Obama revisited the gigantic Buddha statue at the Kotoku-in temple in Kamakura, where he had toured at age 6 with his mother. Just like that time, a relaxed Obama enjoyed ice cream with the taste of green powdered tea (matcha) -- which had captivated him as a child.

Seated on a bench flanked by chief priest Takao Sato, 47, and the priest's mother Michiko, 75, Obama placed a matcha lollypop served by the temple into his mouth, telling them it tasted good.

President Barack Obama visits the Great Buddha of Kamakura with Michiko Sato, temple director, and Takao Sato, the 15th chief monk of the temple, at Kotoku-in Temple in Kamakura, Japan, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Obama also toured inside the Buddha statue and wrote in a guest book that he was moved to have been able to revisit the great treasure of Japanese culture.

During his visit to Japan in November 2009, the president had revealed that as a child he had been more interested in matcha ice cream than the Buddha statue.

At a nearby confectionary store, about 50 people lined up as it started selling soft-serve ice cream dubbed "Obamatcha Soft" the same day.