By AYAKO NAKADA/ Staff Writer
December 1, 2024 at 18:42 JST
Marking her 23rd birthday on Dec. 1, Princess Aiko fondly recalled the first trip she made outside Tokyo alone this autumn as part of her growing official duties.
Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, went to Saga Prefecture in October for a first-hand look at traditional “washi” papermaking.
“I was able to feel new possibilities for ‘washi’ Japanese paper,” she said during a visit to a studio and store for Nao hand-made paper, a specialty of the area passed down over generations.
The studio has been restored since it was damaged by a mudslide triggered by torrential rain three years ago.
A photograph released by the Imperial Household Agency to coincide with Aiko’s birthday shows her looking at two sheets of paper she made herself at the studio.
Aiko is grateful for the warm welcome extended by residents of Saga Prefecture, an aide said.
Over the past year, Aiko has attended 54 events within the Imperial Palace and 35 elsewhere as a member of the imperial family.
At the palace, for example, she met with guests, attended lectures given by experts and received well-wishers.
The Imperial Household Agency said Aiko makes efforts daily to learn what is required of someone in her position.
She has expressed appreciation for “being warmly watched over by the people,” the agency said.
In February, Aiko for the first time joined her parents at a luncheon they hosted for Kenyan President William Ruto.
She found it “meaningful” to share Japan’s charms with foreign guests as well as a precious opportunity to help deepen her understanding of their country.
At garden parties held in spring and autumn, conversations with guests from all walks of life broadened her perspective, the agency said.
Aiko, a graduate of Tokyo’s Gakushuin University, started working at the Japanese Red Cross Society in April.
Among other assignments, she edits an information magazine and manages workshops.
The agency said Aiko finds the work rewarding.
She also attended imperial rituals in and outside the palace.
In April, she paid her respects at Meiji Jingu shrine for the first time after getting tips on comportment from her parents.
Aiko attended the funeral of Princess Yuriko, who was the aunt of Emperor Emeritus Akihito. She died in November at the age of 101.
She spent many precious occasions with Yuriko and harbored a profound sense of gratitude toward the longest-living imperial family member since the Meiji Era (1868-1912).
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Princess Aiko stands beside a persimmon tree in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace in November. (Provided by the Imperial Household Agency)
