Barack Obama dines with Shinzo Abe at elite sushi restaurant in Tokyo
US President Barack Obama kicked off his trip on an informal note, joining Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a famous Tokyo sushi restaurant with hard-to-come-by reservations and a hefty price tag.
US President Barack Obama kicked off his trip on an informal note, joining Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a famous Tokyo sushi restaurant with hard-to-come-by reservations and a hefty price tag. Obama and Abe greeted each other warmly outside Sukiyabashi Jiro, the underground sushi restaurant run by 88-year-old Jiro Ono.
The outing was unusually casual by Japanese standards and underscored the effort by both countries to strengthen the personal relationship between Obama and Abe.
Obama was accompanied by close advisers including US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and National Security Adviser Susan Rice.
The party was treated to Jiro's multiple-course, US$300-per-person set menu of various sushi dishes.
The spirit shown here has much in common with the world of the tea ceremony
After Obama left the restaurant, Abe told reporters he had heard that US leader liked Japanese food, especially sushi, and he wanted the president to experience traditional Japanese cuisine. He quoted Obama as praising the sushi as "the best sushi he had had in his life".
The tiny sushi restaurant, a place with three Michelin stars but only a handful of seats, is ruled by its redoubtable owner.