My favorite version is made by an ochazuke specialty chain, Dashi-chazuke En. Its dashi is made from several types of fish — soda-gatsuo (frigate tuna), saba (Pacific mackerel), katsuo (bonito, or skipjack tuna) and iriko (dried sardines) — with konbu, salt and chicken stock rounding out the broth. The morning set, served from 8-10 a.m., is around ¥500. There are a few options for toppings, including salmon, chicken or nine lightly pickled vegetables. Dashi-chazuke En’s branch in Shinjuku Station is easy to find: Exit the station’s west exit, pass the kōban (police box) and you’ll see the chain on your right.

Inside, jazz music plays in the background and you can sip your hot breakfast watching harried passersby on their way to work. There are branches of Dashi-chazuke En throughout Tokyo, but not all are open for breakfast.

On the other side of the city is Sushi Sei, which has a branch inside Tokyo Station’s basement. Its popular tai gomadare (sesame sauce sea bream) breakfast is available from 7-10 a.m. It includes a bowl of rice and a pot of dashi served with thin slices of sea bream sashimi folded like a flower and surrounded with a thick, rich sesame dressing. You can make your own ochazuke by mixing the ingredients together and dressing them with the hot savory broth. Garnish with nori slivers and arare (rice crackers) to complete the dish. The sesame sauce brings a welcome nuttiness to the fishy broth.

Farther away, but good to remember for when you’re flying out of Tokyo, is Ogura in Haneda Airport. The original shop in Ginza is an upscale location renowned for its Satsuma-age (fried fishcakes) served in a hot broth. The ochazuke at Ogura is substantial and served with cha meshi (rice cooked with dashi). There are many toppings to choose from, including aji no namero (horse mackerel tartare), seared mentaiko (spicy pollack roe) or salmon with ikura (salmon roe).

There’s nothing more soothing than a big, nutritious bowl of steaming tea-soaked rice before a flight — especially if you’re leaving at an ungodly hour.

Dashi-chazuke En Odakyu Ace, Nishiguchi underground mall No. 1, Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; 03-6279-4196; open Mon.-Sat. 8 a.m.-10:30 p.m. (L.O.), Sun. and hols. until 9:30 p.m. (L.O.); www.dashichazuke-en.com. Tsukiji Sushi Sei Tokyo Station GranSta Dining 1F, 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku,

Tokyo; 03-5220-6865; open 7-10 a.m. daily for breakfast; www.tsukijisushisay.co.jp/store/tokyo.html. Ogura Edo Koji, International Terminal 4F, Haneda Kuko 2-6-5, Ota-ku, Tokyo; 03-5755-9920; open daily 6 a.m.-midnight (L.O.); bit.ly/2fLkID5.

Experts have lauded the timing of the visit, which will coincide with the final summit between Abe and outgoing President Barack Obama on Dec. 26 and 27. Although it had been in the planning stages since the two nations marked the 70th anniversary of World War II’s end — far ahead of Trump’s electoral victory — they say the meeting is expected to send a message to Trump that the alliance in its current form works. The alliance has seen significant progress under the stewardship of Abe and Obama; the two sides in 2015 upgraded their defense guidelines for the first time in 18 years, and Tokyo enacting contentious security laws this year allowing the Self-Defense Forces to aid the U.S. military in limited scenarios.

Yet despite this progress, Trump has unnerved U.S. allies, including Japan, by saying during the election campaign that they must cough up more cash if they wish to shelter under the U.S. security umbrella. Trump also ripped Obama’s much-trumpeted visit to Hiroshima — the first by a sitting U.S. president. He openly questioned whether Obama discussed Pearl Harbor with Japanese officials during the visit, and proclaimed that “thousands of American lives were lost.” More than 2,400 U.S. servicemen and civilians were killed in the devastating sneak attack on Dec. 7, 1941, that thrust the U.S. into the war. Kent Calder, director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at John Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, said Abe’s visit could soften the incoming administration’s view of Japan. “It also probably makes the U.S.-Japan alliance more constructive to some of Trump’s supporters, or at least more palatable … because it looks like Abe is being contrite, and that he is reflecting on what Japan did and he is not insisting on both taking economic advantage and historical or geopolitical advantage,” Calder said. For Abe, visiting Pearl Harbor is among the foremost postwar issues he has been keen to settle. Last year, he became the first sitting prime minister to address a joint session of Congress, during which he mentioned Pearl Harbor and the Japanese attack. Yet settlement does not necessarily mean an apology.　During a Monday news conference, the prime minister emphasized the nature of the visit as intended to “console victims” of the Japanese attack 75 years ago. This phrasing was similar to Abe’s speech in Congress, where he also avoided using more direct language that might constitute an apology.　Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday echoed Abe, making it clear that the purpose of the visit is to remember the victims, not to apologize for Japan’s actions. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, who will be traveling with Abe, repeated that position.　While the White House has welcomed Abe’s announcement, bitter feelings on the U.S. side may remain.　When asked if the U.S. government expects an apology, White House press secretary Josh Earnest noted that veterans and survivors “may feel personally embittered.”　Still, Earnest added that he is “confident that many will set aside their own personal bitterness … because they recognize how important this moment is for the United States.”　Sheila Smith, senior fellow for Japan studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that rather than focusing on apologies, the two countries should instead devote their energies to preventing a repeat of war.“I think it is an important place for Japanese and Americans to think how far we’ve come,” Smith said. “I think that what we all need to remember today is that wars are devastatingly costly to everybody. Abe’s visit demonstrates the acceptance of the consequences for Japan of that decision.”

For Obama, the trip by Abe is a chance to burnish his legacy — especially considering the beating it has taken by Trump, who has bashed his other signature achievements, including the Iran nuclear deal and diplomatic normalization with Cuba. Experts, however, agree that the big winner of the visit will be Abe. Fumiaki Kubo, a professor of U.S. government and history at the University of Tokyo, said that with a single trip, Abe would have the chance to cast aside a perception that has long dogged him — the label that he is a staunch historical revisionist. “Even though Abe is still viewed as a revisionist, he has made more progress in wartime reconciliation than any other prime minister,” Kubo said. “This could be a model case for a reconciliation and set an example that both sides have to make efforts.” While Abe and Obama have tried to avoid politicizing the Hiroshima and Pearl Harbor visits, political analyst Harumi Arima said Tokyo is likely to view this month’s visit as providing a boost for Abe if he were to call a snap general election early next year. “Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is dead and it is unlikely that we will see progress on the return of any of the four islands off Hokkaido at the upcoming Japan-Russia summit talks,” Arima said, referring to the decades-long territorial row that has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from inking a formal peace treaty. “Abe needed something to help present a rosy picture to the public.”

Choi was among a handful of key witnesses who rejected a summons to appear Wednesday before the parliamentary committee investigating the scandal.The reasons she offered — health issues and the need to prepare for her upcoming trial — were rejected by the committee chairman, Kim Sung-tae. “This hearing is being criticized as a Choi Soon-sil trial without Choi Soon-sil,” Kim said. “We will undertake all measures to make them appear,” Kim said, referring to Choi, some of her family members and close associates, as well as some former officials from the presidential Blue House. Half of the witness seats at the hearing were empty. On Kim’s direction, a group of around 20 men in dark suits and matching ties came forward and were handed envelopes with the names of the absent witnesses. He instructed them to bring the witnesses to the National Assembly by the beginning of the afternoon session, and added that any who refused would be held in contempt and punished. Noncompliance can carry a maximum five-year prison term. But by the time the afternoon session began, Choi’s seat remained empty with only her niece turning up to face questioning. Wednesday’s morning session largely focused on former Blue House chief of staff Kim Ki-choon, with lawmakers seeking clarification on the influence Choi wielded over Park. Some of Choi’s close associates, including a prominent fashion designer, were also questioned. The designer, Koh Young-tae, whose relationship with Choi has been the subject of lurid media gossip, testified to the power Choi appeared to wield over senior administration officials. He particularly noted her treatment of Kim Chong, a former vice sports minister who is now under arrest on charges of awarding lucrative contracts to Choi and trying to help her meddle in preparations for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. “Choi constantly gave orders to Kim … as if he was her personal assistant,” Koh told the televised hearing. He also suggested Choi had controlled the president’s wardrobe choices, saying he provided Choi with about 100 items of clothing and up to 40 bags that he saw Park wearing in public for years. On Tuesday, the committee had grilled the heads of the country’s eight largest conglomerates over donations they made to two dubious foundations controlled by Choi. The session was televised live and millions watched in astonishment as some of the country’s wealthiest and most powerful men were publicly hauled over the coals and accused of shoddy business practices. The scandal has sparked mass rallies across South Korea, with protesters calling Park a “puppet” of the Choi family and demanding she resign immediately. South Korea’s opposition pressed forward with plans for impeachment proceedings against Park Geun-hye on Friday, as an ally of the president said she was “ready” to face the vote. Park was prepared to accept the results, Chung Jin-suk, floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party, said in televised comments Tuesday after meeting with the president. If parliament votes in favor of impeaching her, Chung said she would wait for the constitutional court to rule on the measure. The opposition planned to introduce a motion to impeach Thursday. A majority of the parliament has endorsed the motion, which requires a 24 hour waiting period before the impeachment vote can take place. Passage could pacify the anti-Park protests that have been swelling by the week in Seoul. Should the president survive the vote, the demonstrators may return, growing increasingly frustrated as the country limps along through political uncertainty. Opposition lawmakers said Monday they might have enough votes in the 300-seat parliament to pass the measure. If 200 or more lawmakers vote in favor, Park would be suspended from power while a constitutional court takes as many as 180 days to review the move. If the court agrees, a presidential election would be held in 60 days, with the prime minister staying on as interim leader.