Preparations take months. No detail is overlooked, for this is perhaps the most evolved form of diplomacy: the state dinner.

As first lady Jill Biden prepared Wednesday to host her fifth state dinner, for Japan's leader, she made sure that every aesthetic detail — the crystal on the tables, the food on the White House china, the decor in the State Dining Room, the music and the fashion — dripped with diplomatic significance. This dinner, she said in her preview of the event, would make frequent reference to Washington's famous cherry trees, a gift from Japan more than a century ago.

"As guests sit among the field of flowers, glass and silk butterflies from both our countries will dance over the tables, their graceful flight a reminder that as our nations navigate the winds of change, we do so together as partners in peace and prosperity," she said.

The White House Historical Association laid out the high stakes, saying a state dinner "showcases global power and influence and sets the tone for the continuation of dialogue between the president and the visiting head of state."