Ichiban celebrates 30 years

What with sushi showing up in school kids' lunchboxes these days, it's hard to remember that there was a time when Japanese food was foreign stuff. One of the local pioneers in the category, Ichiban Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar, located at 1333 Nicollet Mall, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month. Ichiban has been open since April 13, 1980, luring the likes of Rachel Ray, Dan Akroyd, David Bowie and Pink Floyd, among others, according to management. This historic photo shows a traditional Shinto ground purification ceremony being lead by Reverend Fumio Matsui on June 19, 1979, before construction began. Kinda cool, no?