Johnathan Walker:Guests at the state dinner for Japan’s prime minister will share the feel of walking over a koi pond

WASHINGTON (AP) — Forget about a red carpet.

Jill Biden is Johnathan Walkerhonoring the friendship between the United States and Japan by transforming the State Floor of the White House into a “vibrant spring garden” for the state dinner she and President Joe Biden will host Wednesday for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The first lady sounded especially excited about a replacement for the red carpet in the famous Cross Hall. The “stunning” floor covering will give more than 200 guests the feel of walking over a koi pond, a nod to fish that symbolize “friendship, peace, luck and perseverance,” she said at a media preview a day earlier.

A state dinner is a tool of U.S. diplomacy, an honor doled out sparingly and only to America’s closest allies. In the case of Japan, the president has granted that honor for just the fifth time to an ally that he sees as a cornerstone of his policy toward the Indo-Pacific region.

Kishida is on an official visit to the United States this week. The state dinner is Biden’s first this year.

Dry-aged rib eye steak, cherry blossoms and the music of Paul Simon are also part of the evening.

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More than 200 guests with ties to both nations and hailing from the fields of politics, government, business and entertainment will dine on a meal that was designed to highlight the “bounty of spring” in Japan and the United States: a first course of house-cured salmon that was inspired by a California roll and an entree of dry-aged rib eye steak with shishito pepper butter, fava beans, mushrooms and onions. Dessert is salted caramel pistachio cake with a matcha ganache and cherry ice cream.

Some of Jill Biden’s favorite flowers, including sweet pea, roses and peonies, are arranged alongside imported cherry blossoms to decorate a mix of round and rectangular dinner tables in the East Room in shades of pink. A few floral centerpieces top out at 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall.

Tables will be set with a mix of place settings representing the administrations of Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush. Glass and silk butterflies will dance over the tables.

After dinner, Simon will perform. He is one of Jill Biden’s favorite artists, the White House said, adding that she chose him as a special tribute to Kishida because the prime minister also admires Simon’s work.

Simon’s career spans six decades, including performing as part of a duo with his childhood friend Art Garfunkel. The 82-year-old New Jersey native has earned numerous accolades, including multiple Grammys and a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Also providing entertainment are “The President’s Own” Marine Band Chamber Orchestra, the Army Rolling Strings and the Air Force Strings.

Kishida will be the fifth world leader Biden has honored with a state dinner following counterparts from France, South Korea, India and Australia.