Traditional Sake Ceremony photo gallery held in the new Nobu Hotel Marbella on May 16th, 2018 with Robert De Niro, Chef Nobu, Meir Teper, Daniel Shamoon & Trevor Horwell.

May 16, 2018 Officially open! the new Nobu Marbella Hotel with Robert De Niro as part of the ceremony.

After the Nobu Marbella Hotel inauguration, Robert De Niro, Chef Nobu, Meir Teper & Trevor Horwell did the traditional Sake Ceremony.

Robert De Niro, Daniel Shamoon, Chef Nobu and Meir Teper at the opening Nobu Marbella Hotel 16 May 2018.

The Sake Ceremony is a special Japanese tradition that marks down the official opening of the Nobu Hotel. This tradition consists on after filling a barrel of sake with a branded Nobu special sake, the Co-founders break the top barrel with wooden mallets. Next, to that, the sake is served to toast with all people part of the ceremony as a sign of good luck.

In fact, the sake ceremony comes from a Japanese tradition called ‘kagami biraki’ where the word 'Kagami' means “mirror” while ''biraki'' means “to open” so Kagami biraki means “opening the mirror”. But what does that mean?  The Kagami-biraki ceremony is traditionally only performed at celebratory events in which the lid of the sake barrel is broken open by a wooden mallet and the sake is served to everyone present. Because of the lid's round shape, the Kagami is a symbol of harmony. The Kagami-biraki, therefore, represents an opening to harmony and good fortune. And what about the “opening the mirror” meaning? This is because the sake barrel has around lid and base, so when you open it, you can see the round surface of sake which is said to resemble the moon.

Robert De Niro and Chef Nobu a few moments before the Nobu Marbella Hotel opening May 16, 2018

Now getting back to Nobu Hotels, this business alliance between the actor Robert de Niro and the Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa made a very important step, this time in Marbella with the opening of a hotel designed for relaxation, tranquility, and luxury. As of today, they have managed to open 39 restaurants and seven hotels spread over five continents.

Currently, the Nobu Hotels have commercial establishments around the globe, to mention a few, in London and Ibiza, and planning to open one in Barcelona at the end of this year or early 2019. The Nobu Hotels seeks locations to settle in Madrid, Portugal, Riyadh, Chicago, Toronto, Sao Paulo, and Atlanta. "The Nobu aim is to continue expanding its development pipeline," said Nobu members.

Staff members of the new Nobu Marbella Hotel 16 May, 2018.

The inauguration, as well as the sake ceremony, was held at the new Hotel Nobu on the Marbella Golden Mile, located inside Puente Romano, one of the most exclusive areas of the Andalusian town. Where the owner Daniel Shamoon was also part of the ceremony.

De Niro arrived in a helicopter to Marbella from the Malaga Airport and then transported to the Nobu Marbella Hotel May 16, 2018.

Worth to mention that Robert De Niro expressed his appreciation for being again in Spain a place he enjoys visiting. Even though the American is currently very active in the hostelry business, his career as an actor still on the go if we recall his latest project, where he has worked under the direction of Martin Scorsese in the film 'The Irishman', which premiere is scheduled for next year.