The Emperor and Empress of Japan spent their last full day in Canada Monday by going touring Vancouver. One of the stops they made was in Canada’s poorest neighborhood.
- Reuters
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko went to the Japanese Language School and the Japanese Hall in Downtown Eastside, right after touring the Institute of Ocean Sciences. The area is known for its poverty and high drug uses.
The couple were greeted outside the school by Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson. As they toured the school, the mayor told them about the history of the area that is known as “Japan Town.”
“These are the oldest neighborhoods that visitors settled in,” Robertson told them. “Now, it’s a very culturally diverse and dynamic neighborhood. It’s got a rich history.
“It was fun to meet them, and interesting to hear what they are curious about. I don’t think they realized how culturally diverse Vancouver is. They remarked on how diverse our city council was when they were introduced, and through all the photographs, how diverse the broader community is. That’s obviously a great source of pride for us.”
While at the school, Akihito and Michiko saw Japanese arts and crafts, and met with the students, who sang songs for them.
Outside, hundreds of locals crammed the streets to get a glimpse of the Emperor and Empress. One of them, Mitsuru Haga-Brownstyn, couldn’t wait to tell her sister back in Japan of who she had seen.
- Reuters
“She won’t believe it. Most people in Japan don’t even get to meet the Emperor,” she said.
After touring the school, Akihito and Michiko moved on to the University of British Columbia, where they toured the campus’ Asian Center, and watched a film of the Emperor first visit to Canada as Crown Prince back in 1953. Afterward, the imperial couple went to see the University’s Nitobe Garden, considered to be one of the most authentic traditional tea garden outside of Japan.
Later on, they visited Vancouver’s Museum of Anthropology, and Nikkei Place, a home for senior citizens, both of Japanese and non-Japanese descent. The Empress dressed in kimono for the latter event.
Tomorrow, the Emperor and Empress will end their Canadian visit, and will fly to Hawaii for a few engagements before heading back to their country.
