Story highlightsOn Wednesday night, U.S. President Obama dined at what many consider the world's best sushi restaurantChef Jiro Ono is the first sushi chef in the world to receive three Michelin starsThe 19-piece "Chef's Recommended Special Course" costs 30,000 yen (about $292)Anyone who imagines U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed territorial disputes with China or the U.S.'s "pivot to Asia" foreign policy during their private dinner in Tokyo on Wednesday likely isn't familiar with the restaurant where the two leaders dined. Ahead of a protocol-bound formal state visit that officially begins on Thursday, Abe took Obama to Sukiyabashi Jiro, the fabled restaurant in Tokyo's fashionable Ginza district widely regarded as the best sushi restaurant in the world.The Japanese food provided by head chef and proprietor Jiro Ono leaves little time for small talk, much less big talk. MORE: The rival empires of Japanese WhiskeyRather than simply watch the spectacular food porn that is Gelb's doc, I went a step further, traveling directly to the source to offer the following account of chef Jiro's legendary soft-handed, two-fingered technique that pairs fresh nigiri cuts from the Tsukiji fish market with warm and delicate rice.

MORE: Celebrating Tokyo as 'world's greatest city'With a bit of hesitation, I forgo chopsticks, soy sauce and wasabi altogether for the traditional fingers-only approach and prepare to enjoy that first taste of perfection.MORE: Tasting Tokyo's treasures MORE: Tokyo and the world's 11 other greatest shopping citiesMORE: How to eat sushiMORE: Tokyo travel: 11 things to know before you goMORE: 5 Tokyo bars for train nerds (yes, they exist)MORE: Why Japanese bartenders are the world's bestShinzō Abe is the Prime Minister of Japan. Being Japanese, his sushi standards are high... Prime-Minister-high, you might say.So where does Shinzō Abe take Barack Obama for dinner during the President's trip to Japan last April? He takes him to Sukiyabashi Jiro, a small sushi restaurant that's hidden away, underground, in a Tokyo subway station.Sukiyabashi only seats ten people. There are no tables, just the one bar. It's reservation-only -- and unless you're the country's Prime Minister, you'll need to reserve your seat three, even four months in advance.

Jiro, the head chef, doesn't serve appetizers. He only prepares sushi. And for his work, the Michelin Guide has awarded the restaurant "3 stars" (NOTE: only nine "3-star" restaurants exist in the US).where to buy sushi ingredients in berlinThat's why Shinzō Abe chose to take Obama to Sukiyabashi Jiro. gry online gotowanie sushiAnd that's whyObama said it was the best sushi he'd ever eaten.sushi online groningenJiro Dreams of Sushi, a 2011 documentary, profiled Sukiyabashi Jiro and its namesake owner, Jiro Ono. where can you buy sushi grade fish in calgary

You can find it on Netflix.I watch it a couple times a year, but not because it's beautifully shot (it is) or because every scene makes my mouth water (it does). I watch it because of its title. yo sushi order dubaiThat's right, its title.sushi grade tuna grilledIt's called "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" because he doesn't merely make it or prepare it or serve it.sushi grade fish online reviewsThere's a scene in the movie where the master chef -- who's in his eighties -- explains that as a younger man, sushi recipes would come to him in his sleep. And he would jump out of bed to write them down, lest he forget them by morning.It was that level of passion that led to his unprecedented success, to being the best in the world, to being honored by Presidents. 

Sure, the movie is entertaining... it will keep you peeled (and it will teach you a lot about raw fish and Japanese culture in the process). But as far as I'm concerned, Jiro Dreams of Sushi isn't about sushi...The title says it all: It's about love.Love so profound that you dedicate your life to it. Love so pure that it wakes you up in the middle of the night.Jiro is in love with his profession, which, by the way, is not making sushi.I would say that "making sushi" is his job. It's what his hands do all day. His profession, then, is making sushi better.Year after year, Jiro strives for perfection (an unattainable yet commendable goal). And how he finds the drive to do so... well, that's what the movie is really about.According to the chef, he made his decision a long time ago:"Once you decide on your occupation... you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That's the secret of success... and is the key to being regarded honorably."

Every time I watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi, I'm reminded that my profession is not merely writing copy... it's figuring out how to write copy better.Waking up with that mindset every day excites me, because I'm not getting up to do a job but, rather, to master a craft.Whatever it is you do (or might aspire to do, for that matter) I hope that after reading this article and watching the movie that inspired it, you'll immerse yourself in your work, as Jiro suggests.And it's helped me improve every day. On my way back from vacation, I watched the movie “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” for a second time. I first watched it in 2012 before my first study trip to Japan. You can watch the movie for free if you’re an Amazon Prime member, by the way. The film focuses mainly on Jiro Ono, a now 90-year old sushi chef in Tokyo who has received the rare and coveted Michelin 3-star rating for his restaurant. As you can read in the transcript of the film [Jiro] is always looking ahead. He’s never satisfied with his work.

He’s always trying to find ways to make the sushi better, or to improve his skills.Even now, that’s what he thinks about all day, every day. That reminds me of Lean thinking, especially the drive for Kaizen, or continuous improvement. As Jiro says, there’s always room for improvement: I admire how somebody like Jiro can do the same thing, follow the same routine, every day for decades, trying to perfect his craft. Later in the film, we also see Fujita, a tuna dealer, who talks about the need for continuous improvement and the self-reflection that’s necessary. Even at my age, I’m discovering new techniques. But just when you think you know it all, you realize that you’re just fooling yourself… and then you get depressed. Do you ever feel that way? It reminds me of the “Dunning-Kruger effect” where beginners in a field overestimate their knowledge and ability. I see this a lot with Lean or “Lean Sigma.” As they say, a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing.