Ntera's first product is NanoChromics, an ultra-thin display that looks like regular paper but can change what it displays, just like a computer screen or LCD.

FORBES: Nanotechnology: A New World Is Born

As if to prove his point, Ballmer also welcomed onstage program manager Janet Galore, who gave brief demos of some Microsoft product prototypes, including a tabletop-like touch screen and a flexible, wafer-thin digital screen you can roll up like a piece of paper.

CNN: Microsoft's Ballmer touts 'best version of Windows ever'

The meal is often finished with a traditional sweet - such as a sticky rice cake in the shape of a purple blossom, with paper-thin slices of pear shaped like leaves.

BBC: Kaiseki-ryori: Japanese haute cuisine