CONTACT Any questions or suggestions? Feel free to email me at: Sonjapearl@royaltyinthenews.com - and my real name is Megan :)
|
Japan’s Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko are in Holland to commemorate 400 years of trade between the two countries. The couple arrived on Friday, and got started with their official, yet private visits, on Saturday.
 Haarlems Dagblad First, Akishino and Kiko went to an organ recital at St. Bavo’s Church in Haarlem, which is not too far from Amsterdam. They listened to Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 ‘‘Fate,” played by Jos van der Kooy, the Church’s organist. Princess Kiko gave her try with the organ, though it is not known how well she did.
Next, the couple visited two museums, the first being Teyler’s Museum, which houses a large library of everything from biology to zoology. The second museum Akishino and Kiko toured was the Van Gogh Museum, which has the largest collection by the legendary Dutch painter.
Princess Kiko mentioned she was pleased to be able to walk the streets of Holland, something she cannot do back in Japan as a member of the Imperial family.
The Prince and Princess will be staying in the Netherlands for a full week.
Japan’s Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko made their final stop on their European tour in Romania Tuesday. They arrived mid-day, and began their official duties on Wednesday.
 - Reuters
One of the first things they did was lay a wreath at the memorial of the Unknown Soldier in Bucharest.
The royal couple went on to meet with Romania’s leaders, such as President Traian Basescu at Cotroceni Palace, and Cultural Minister Theodor Paleologu.
Afterward, Akishino and Kiko met with Mircea Geoana and Roberta Anastase, the chairmen of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.
Later on in the afternoon, the prince and princess went to Bucharest University to see it’s Japanese language department. There, they chatted with professors and students and saw how the students learn to read and speak Japanese using computers.
Following the visit to the University, their royal highnesses will go to the Village Museum to plant cherry trees, and then visit the Ministry of Culture, Religious Affairs and National Heritage.
Wednesday evening would see an official dinner in honor of the Japanese royals.
Akishino and Kiko’s visit to Romania was extended from three to four days. Their stay will end Friday.
Romania is their last stop on their tour of the Danube region, in which they are marking bilateral tie anniversaries between Japan and four European nations.
Japan’s Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko made their third stop on their two week European tour in Hungary on Friday. There, the royal couple witnessed how 50 years of bilateral ties between their country and Hungary has effected the people there.
 - Reuters
The two arrived in the Eastern European nation late Saturday, after ending their trip to Bulgaria.
When the Japanese royals came to Hungary, they quickly went to the Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest, where they took a look at the “Spirit of Harmony Japanese Design Today” exhibition. The exhibit focused on modern Japanese designs and art.
On Sunday morning, they went to see a Hakkoda Dojo Japanese fighting show in Kecskemet, which is south of Budapest. Akishino and Kiko saw how Hungarians are willing to learn the Japanese version of martial arts.
Later in the day, the couple took a ride to the Hungarian plains where they saw gray cattle being raised by traditional Hungarian herders.
Finally, Akishino and Kiko went back to Budapest for some more official sightseeing. They toured the Matthias Church and the Fisherman Castle.
The Prince and Princess’ visit to Hungary will end Tuesday, as they make their final stop in the Danube region for a four day visit to Romania.
As Japan’s Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko wrapped their visit to Bulgaria, they took time to meet who once ruled Bulgaria – in two different ways.
 - Reuters
Simeon Saxe-Coburg was briefly King of Bulgaria back in the 1940′s, until he was overthrown by the communists. Early in the millenium, he returned to his country to run as prime minister. He served as Bulgaria’s premier until 2007.
Akishino and Kiko met with Saxe-Coburg, along with his wife, Margarita Gomez-Acebo y Cejuela, as part of their final engagement in Bulgaria early Saturday.
The former King and prime minister visited Japan in December 2004, where he was welcomed by Akishino’s father, the Emperor. His visit was unprecedent, as Saxe-Coburg had a private meeting with Emperor Akihito. He also took part in a tea ceremony.
Japan’s Prince and Princess are on a two week tour of Europe where they have been celebrating Japan’s bilateral ties with four countries. Bulgaria was their second stop.
Hungary and Romania will be up next.
Japan’s Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko went on the second stop of the Danube region tour Wednesday. They arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria and were greeted by President Georgi Parvanov and his wife, Zorka.
 - Reuters
The point of this official visit was to mark 50 years of Japanese- Bulgarian relations.
President Parvanov had already been to Japan back in January to celebrate the two nation’s bilateral ties.
For this visit, Akishino and Kiko will stay until May 16th before moving on to another European country. Already, the couple laid a wreath at the Bulgarian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, along with the Parvanovs’.
The royal couple will also visit several museums and sights during its stay, including the golden-domed Alexander Nevski cathedral in Sofia and the Boyana Church, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
They would also meet with Bulgarian students studying Japanese, Sofia’s mayor, Boyko Borisov, and the former King of Bulgaria, Simeon Saxe-Coburg, who is now the prime minister.
Later on Friday, Akishino and Kiko will visit a Thracian tomb in the south of Bulgaria.
Japan’s Akishino and Kiko began their four day tour of Austria Sunday. Their visit marks 140 years of relations between their country and the European nation.
 - AFP
The couple met with Austrian President Heinz Fischer at Hofburg Imperial Palace, and began to discuss ways to strengthen ties between Japan and Austria. Cultural and scientific ties were among the topics discussed, according to a presidential spokesman.
Cultural sights, visits to Japanese schools in Vienna will take place during the four days in Austria. Akishino and Kiko will also visit the home of composer Josef Hadyn, while Austria marks 200 years since his death.
President Fischer will be making a trip to Japan in September.
After Austria, Akishino and Kiko will move on to other places in Europe, such as Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. The former was once part of Austria, while the other two nations will be marking 50 years of relations with Japan.
Akishino is the second son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. He has two daughters, Kako and Mako, both teenagers, and a 2 year old son named Hisahito. The son is third in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
Princess Kiko once spent part of her youth in Austria. She speaks German rather well.
Two members of the Japanese Imperial Family celebrated their birthdays Sunday and Monday. None were milestones, but still worthy of celebrating. 
First was Prince Akishino, the second son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. He turned 43 on Sunday, and gave a press conference where he spoke fondly of his two year old son, Hisahito.
The prince, with his wife Princess Kiko alongside of him, revealed how Hisahito is slowly learning to speak, and loves running around and playing outside.
“It seems the scope of Hisahito’s interest and activities are expanding. He is playing actively outside and running around,” said Akishino.
“He has increased his vocabulary and greeted his grandparents – Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko – by expressing his feelings with his words and gestures.”
‘‘I see from his smile that he is enjoying the moments of being connected’’ with his grandparents, Princess Kiko added.
Prince Akishino also suggested his father reduce his number of duties due to the Emperor’s frail health and old age. Akishino went on to say that each one of Akihito’s official duties can be examined and the contents altered if necessary.
Akishino is second in line to the throne, after his brother Prince Naruhito.
 And it was Naruhito’s daughter, Princess Aiko, who turned 7 on Monday. The little princess is said to be enjoying elementary school life, according to the Imperial Household Agency. This spring, Aiko graduated from Gakushuin Kindergarten and entered Gakushuin Primary School in Tokyo.
It is said the princess likes putting her thoughts into words and occasionally creates scenarios for plays. She also enjoys taking care of animals and flowers, as well as singing and playing musical instruments such as the piano and violin.
Unfortunately for Aiko, she was unable to celebrate her birthday as she came down with a fever. Events planned for the celebrations were cancelled, and it is believed it will be several days before the young princess feels better.
Princess Aiko, along with her two cousins – Princesses Mako and Kako – cannot succeed the Chrysanthemum Throne, simply because they are girls. When Aiko was born, there were some talks of allowing women being heirs to the throne. But that all changed with little Hisahito was born two years ago.
Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko set free 10 ibises into the Japanese wild for the first time since 1981. 
The birds are on the endangered species list, and Japan plans to release 60 more by the year 2015.
Red-faced, with pink-white feathers, a curved black beak and a floppy feathered crown, the crested ibis was once common in rice fields in Japan and across Asia, where it feasted on bugs and frogs.
But the birds - a national Japanese treasure - were nearly wiped out due to hunting, pesticides and development.
But currently, ibises are being bred in Japan after China gave two of the birds to its once sworn enemy.
Some of the 10 birds that were released wore small GPS devices on their backs for tracking.
When the ibises were set free, they headed to rice paddies, with a crowd cheering them on.
|
|
Recent Comments