What a difference 2 years make

As part of his Asia trip last week, President Obama visited Emperor Akihito. Upon meeting 天皇 tennō, literally "Heavenly Emperor", he bowed as a sign of respect and understanding of Japanese customs.

The picture below was taken in 2007, when a US vice-president by the name of Dick visited the same palace.

For more details on the matter, check out this article from the LA Times.