Jiro Ono. YouTube On the first day of President Barack Obama's trip to Asia, he and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dined at a legendary sushi restaurant made famous by a 2011 documentary.

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 13 three-star restaurants in Tokyo, and there are only 10 seats. That combination makes it especially hard to secure reservations. In early April the restaurant was already fully booked until the beginning of May.

Chef Jiro Ono, 87, is considered to be one of the top sushi chefs in the world. Ono prepares the sushi himself. His recommended special course — which features a rare, endangered species of bluefin tuna — starts at about $300. It includes more than a dozen courses served in about 20 minutes.

Obama and Abe's dinner lasted about an hour and a half.

"That's some good sushi right there," Obama told reporters as he left the restaurant.

Obama and Abe were joined at dinner by the U.S. ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy, and White House national security adviser Susan Rice.

The dinner kicked 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, North Korea.

Here's the trailer for "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," the 2011 documentary that helped launch Ono to fame: