On April 10, 2024, Japanese Princess Aiko visited Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu) in Tokyo for the first time to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the death of Empress Shoken. Empress Shoken (9 May 1849 - 9 April 1914), who adopted the imperial given name Haruko in 1867 and was posthumously honoured as Empress Dowager Shoken, was the wife of Emperor Meiji. The Meiji Jingu was established in 1920 to honor Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken.
I think she looks absolutely lovely…so elegant and poised. It’s a treat for us to have these glimpses into Japanese traditions. (V.M.)
ReplyDeleteAgree! She has really blossomed!
DeleteI must agree with you. Her posture is most admirable.
Delete- Anon 9:13
Yes she looks lovely and the sun is shining.
DeleteI agree completely, she is so elegant and she looks so happy!
DeleteDamsel Dragonfly
Happy to see that it was a dry, sunny day when P.Aiko attended, unlike the wet day when her parents and grandparents attended.
ReplyDelete- Anon 9:13
La présence de la princesse Aiko illumine cette journée ; elle est vraiment ravissante !
ReplyDeletePrincess Aiko looks lovely today, This style does not seem as matronly as many of the ensembles chosen for her. So nice to see.. Uba
ReplyDeletePrincess Aiko is very beautiful and always shining.She looks like the goddess of the sun.It is strange that Princess Aiko cannot succeed to the throne because she is a woman.
ReplyDeleteHope we will see the Pss more often now. Strict dress code. css
ReplyDeleteHow lovely Aiko looks! I am so impressed at how marvelously Aiko has matured--she is lovely, graceful, and so self-assured. Her parents must be so proud of her.
ReplyDeleteJanet
Are they all in uniform in the royal family ? She is wearing the same as her mother and aunt. This young lady can’t never live her age and time.
ReplyDeleteIf they must wear a dress like that because it is tradition, I would at least have tried to obtain a dress with a smaller skirt and a different hat. The older princess who is behind Princess Aiko in the 2nd picture is wearing a dress with a better cut and also a nicer hat. Former Empress Michiko was wearing also a beautiful outfit the other day. Why must Princess Aiko wear exactly the same style as her mother (also the same hat) ?
ReplyDeletePeople think she is happy because she is smiling. Could be, but we cannot be sure of it. Don't forget that Japanese and even more Chinese can have a smile on their face and being very unhappy at the same time. These people are masters in hiding their real feelings.
The Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu) in Tokyo is a lovely place to visit. Have been there several times through out the years. Aiko looks as lovely as her Mum and Grandma.
ReplyDeleteEdwina
These outfits simply represent their country. I don't think it is their personal wardrobe. In Bhutan, for example, the public must wear national dress in public. And I think we see the same thing play out here with Japan's royals. As we have discussed before on this forum, the Japanese princesses all are well educated and well traveled. They are quite sophisticated. Empress Masako and Princess Kiko spent a great deal of time in the U.S. Masako graduated from an American high school in Massachusetts. They are not unhappy. These are not forced smiles. They know full well what they are doing. Aiko knows she cannot take the throne and she can leave anytime. Yet, she is choosing to stay and work for the Red Cross.
ReplyDeleteOf course she is choosing to stay. When she leaves she is all alone.
DeleteShe has been bullied at school when she was a child. This memory is not gone all of a sudden and has consequences. Her mother had a severe depression because she couldn't coop with the life at the Imperial court. Just because she knows the difference between her life as a student in the US and her life as a princess and an Empress.
One cannot look into their minds too see what they think. If she is choosing to stay her work for the Red Cross can be a relief for her until she is a bit older. She will be able to meet other young people of her age. Maybe one day she will be strong enough to fly away and leave the nest in which she must live according old rules and traditions dictated by old people for the rest of her life.
It's strange that Princess Aiko, who deserves to be crown prince more than anyone else, can't become emperor just because she's a woman.
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