By AKIKO TADA/ Staff Writer
September 6, 2022 at 16:52 JST
Prince Hisahito, second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, is enjoying his first year at high school, including playing badminton during club activities, as he turned 16 on Sept. 6, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
Hisahito, the only son of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, attends the University of Tsukuba’s Senior High School in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward.
An agency official said Hisahito is working hard in his studies and school activities with his classmates, and that he enjoys studying every subject.
He joined the school’s badminton club and is practicing basic steps and doing other training to build up his physical strength by receiving advice from senior club members and coaches, according to the official.
Hisahito stayed in Tateshina, Nagano Prefecture, for three days and two nights in late July during a summer holiday event. He participated in various recreational activities, including using only a map and compass to reach a destination in a mountain, as well as climbing Mount Tateshinayama.
Hisahito grows rice and vegetables on the grounds of the Akasaka Estate in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, where he lives with his family.
The family cultivated roughly 100 square meters of unused land on the premises and started growing rice there last year. They sometimes eat rice harvested from the paddy field, said the agency official.
Hisahito began growing vegetables when he was a kindergartener. He tried his hand at okra and watermelons this summer.
He also continues researching the habitats of dragonflies, a species he has been passionate about since he was an elementary school student. He is creating an ideal habitat for local species.
Hisahito graduated from Ochanomizu University Junior High School in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward in March. He performed a dance with his classmates on behalf of other classmates at the school’s farewell ceremony for graduates, according to the agency official.
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Prince Hisahito checks on rice his family is growing in a paddy field on the grounds of the Akasaka Estate in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on Aug. 7. (Provided by the Imperial Household Agency)
