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▼ Imperial Couple Undertake 1st Official Duty Outside Tokyo
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With help from children, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako plant trees at the national tree-planting ceremony at the Aichi Prefecture Forest Park in Owari-Asahi in Aichi Prefecture on June 2. (Kazuyoshi Sako)
OWARI-ASAHI, Aichi Prefecture--Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended an annual tree-planting ceremony in central Japan on June 2, their first official duty outside Tokyo since Naruhito’s ascension last month.
The tree-planting ceremony is one of four key national events that the emperor and empress attend. The other festivals are connected with sports, culture and healthy oceans.
“It is an important mission for us to grow healthy forests for future generations,” Naruhito said in his address during the 70th event held in this city's Aichi Prefecture Forest Park.
It was the first address given by an emperor at the national tree-planting ceremony since 2009, when the aging Akihito, Naruhito’s father who is now emperor emeritus, stopped doing so as a step to reduce his work burden.
The couple, who arrived in Nagoya on June 1, was greeted with crowds of flag-waving well-wishers wherever they went.
They visited the Ama City Shippo Art Village, showcasing the prefecture’s famed Owari Shippoyaki cloisonne ware. They also watched local elementary school children making key holders at the facility.
“Which part is the hardest for you?” the emperor asked the children. “I hope you can come up with very nice design,” the empress chipped in.
On the evening of June 1, the couple chatted in Nagoya with students and children who won prizes in a contest for tree-planting campaign posters.
One of the students was a junior high school girl from Hyogo Prefecture who drew the scenery when she took part in the last year’s tree-planting ceremony as a volunteer.
“You did well,” Masako told her. “I hope the tree you planted will grow to be huge.”
OWARI-ASAHI, Aichi Prefecture--Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended an annual tree-planting ceremony in central Japan on June 2, their first official duty outside Tokyo since Naruhito’s ascension last month.
The tree-planting ceremony is one of four key national events that the emperor and empress attend. The other festivals are connected with sports, culture and healthy oceans.
“It is an important mission for us to grow healthy forests for future generations,” Naruhito said in his address during the 70th event held in this city's Aichi Prefecture Forest Park.
It was the first address given by an emperor at the national tree-planting ceremony since 2009, when the aging Akihito, Naruhito’s father who is now emperor emeritus, stopped doing so as a step to reduce his work burden.
The couple, who arrived in Nagoya on June 1, was greeted with crowds of flag-waving well-wishers wherever they went.
They visited the Ama City Shippo Art Village, showcasing the prefecture’s famed Owari Shippoyaki cloisonne ware. They also watched local elementary school children making key holders at the facility.
“Which part is the hardest for you?” the emperor asked the children. “I hope you can come up with very nice design,” the empress chipped in.
On the evening of June 1, the couple chatted in Nagoya with students and children who won prizes in a contest for tree-planting campaign posters.
One of the students was a junior high school girl from Hyogo Prefecture who drew the scenery when she took part in the last year’s tree-planting ceremony as a volunteer.
“You did well,” Masako told her. “I hope the tree you planted will grow to be huge.”
- June 4, 2019
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