President Obama & Matcha Ice Cream

Embassy of the United States invited me to hear “President Obama’s Inaugural Speech in Asia” at Suntory Hall in Akasaka, Tokyo last Saturday.

Suntory Hall is managed and operated by Suntory Holdings Limited, a beverage company.

The US Embassy asked the audiences whether they would come to Suntory Hall by 8:00 a.m. So, I had left my house at around 7:00 a.m. Since public transportations in Tokyo went smoothly, I could arrive there at 7:50 a.m. But, people had already made a long line.

At a time to open main entrances of the hall, we could move and enter inside smoothly, I thought. But, it was not easy to do. On the way to the waiting, we had heavy rain. We opened an umbrella. We were standing each other at close range. An umbrella which a person next to me had held touched me and I got rain drops from the umbrella.

While we were waiting for 20 minutes, the line had come to get out of shape. If a group related to the Japanese government or corporation had hosted such event, they must have put persons who would guide along the line to maintain of order.

I could see many commentators and journalists who were much appeared on TV when I waited.

After I had been screened, I could finally enter inside at around 9:15 a.m. Then, I had waited for another house. President Obama came onstage 10 minutes after ten, and stared his speech.

President’s speech was consisted of US policies toward Asia. Aside from those, what I felt interested in the speech was an episode that his mother took young President to Kamakura, an ancient city in Kanagawa prefecture.

Mr. Obama told that he had been more focused on-- as a child-- the matcha (powered green tea) ice cream than the bronze Amida Buddha. Oh, young Obama was a real expert in Japanese ice cream because he chose match, the taste that an adult is fond of. With the episode, I imagined Mr. President’s good old memory with his mother.

“Obama-Matcha-Ice-Cream” may be on sale before long in Kamakura.


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