Obama Is Eating At The Legendary 'Jiro Dreams Of Sushi' Restaurant
The restaurant - Sukiyabashi Jiro - earned a rare three-star Michelin rating, which means it has "exceptional cuisine" and is "worth a special journey." It is one of only 13 three-star restaurants in Tokyo. There are only 10 seats in the entire restaurant. The combination makes it especially hard to secure reservations - as of the beginning of April, the restaurant was fully booked until the beginning of May.
The chef, 87-year-old Jiro Ono, is considered to be one of the top sushi chefs in the world. The chef's recommended special course at the restaurant starts around $300. That includes more than one dozen "courses" in about 20 minutes. Ono prepares the sushi himself.
Obama and Abe were joined at dinner by U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice. The dinner kicks off Obama's week in Asia, as he finally makes the trip he canceled last fall because of the federal government shutdown. Obama's trip is meant to reassure allies in Japan and South Korea, amid rising tensions with China and more unpredictability from North Korea.
Here's the trailer for "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," the 2011 documentary that helped launch Ono to widespread fame: