Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, on a four day visit to Japan to promote trade with Israel, said he discovered that the "same rules of courtesy that govern a meeting with the Prime Minister or the Foreign Minister also apply to ice cream parlor employees, waiters and chambermaids. All share great courtesy, generosity, modest speech, attention to detail, patience and a willingness to listen"

He added that while "there is no Israeli who does not love what we have created in the land even if we love to complain," it is possible to learn from the Japanese culture.