Emperor Akihito & Empress Michiko Current Events Part 4: May 2017 - April 2019


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She's certainly not looking well in those pictures. I hope she is able to rest and recover soon.
 
Empress Michiko turns 84 on October 20th. IHA released 2 sets of photos, video, and an English translation of her birthday press conference and schedule.

Photos of the Imperial couple looking a map of all their visits in Japan (marked in blue and red pins) were taken at the Imperial Residence on October 10th. Photos of the Imperial couple strolling in the courtyard of the Imperial Palace were taken on October 12th.

Mainichi, Asahi, Asahi 2 galleries

Press Conferences on the occasion of Her Majesty's Birthday (Written Answers) (2018) - The Imperial Household Agency
ETA: Imperial family members visited the Imperial Palace to give birthday greetings to Empress Michiko in the morning.

Sankei gallery (click the photo to open the gallery)

I don't like this part of Sankei's new layout. It's not clear whether there's one or more photos.
 
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Today, October 22, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited the Museum of the Imperial Collections in Tokyo:


** gettyimages gallery **
 
iceflower said:
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Today, October 22, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited the Museum of the Imperial Collections in Tokyo:


** gettyimages gallery **
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Thanks!

Some more info and video. The Imperial couple are viewing scrolls of "Kasuga Gongen Genki E" which were restored using Koishimaru silk the Empress cultivated. The stories revolve around Kasuga shrine and Kōfukuji temple; restoration took 13 years.

https://www.sankei.com/images/news/181022/lif1810220031-p2.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasuga_Gongen_Genki_E
 
Imperial couple not invited to event celebrating start of Meiji Era: The Asahi Shimbun
Two dignitaries--Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko--were noticeably absent from a government-sponsored ceremony to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration that restored imperial rule in Japan.

The Abe administration did not invite the imperial couple to the Oct. 23 event in Tokyo in an apparent attempt to avoid embroiling them in controversy stemming from “dark side” of the period, according to government officials.

[...]

The Meiji Restoration refers to a political revolution in 1868 that brought down the Tokugawa Shogunate and restored imperial rule, laying the foundation for a modern Japan. Emperor Meiji, Akihito’s great-grandfather, ascended the throne on Oct. 23.

But the difference between the 100th anniversary and the 150th anniversary rests mainly with what critics say is the Abe government’s constant glorification of the period.

They say the Abe administration has glossed over the Meiji government’s drive for wealth and military strength that resulted in destructive wars.

[...]

People in Aizuwakamatsu, home to the Aizu han (feudal domain) in Fukushima Prefecture, call 2018 the 150th year of Boshin.

The domain was fiercely loyal to the Tokugawa Shogunate. Labeled as “rebels,” the domain was defeated by pro-imperial forces led by the Choshu (today’s Yamaguchi Prefecture) and Satsuma (Kagoshima Prefecture) domains in the 1868-1869 Boshin War.

Wider criticism stems from the Meiji government’s push for national wealth and military strength, which led in part to the 1937-1945 Sino-Japanese War and the 1941-1945 Pacific War against the United States and its allies.

Akira Koike, secretary-general of the Japanese Communist Party, announced on Oct. 22 his decision not to attend the ceremony, citing the “dark side” of history since the Meiji Restoration.

“I am not going to take part in an event to celebrate and affirm all of the 150 years,” he said at a news conference.

Lawmakers from other opposition parties, including the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party, also skipped the event.

[...]

About 40 people gathered in front of the Diet building to protest the ceremony, holding placards that read, “No to Glorification.”
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On October 27th, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko began a 3-day visit to Kochi Prefecture for the 38th Sea Enrichment Festival.

27th: visit prefectural forestry college in Kami city
28th: 38th Sea Enrichment Festival ceremony in Kochi city, welcoming events in Tosa city
29th: visit facilities in Nankoku city that study seabed sediments

Arrival photos: Sankei

ETA: Sankei, Asahi galleries of arrival and forestry college visit
https://cdn.mainichi.jp/vol1/2018/10/28/20181028k0000m040015000p/9.jpg

ETA: They also attended a reception in the evening.
https://twitter.com/x/status/1056396387334598656
 
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On October 28th, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko attended the opening ceremony of the 38th National Convention for the Development of an Abundantly Productive Sea in Kochi city and then released fish into the sea in Tosa city.

In the evening, about 1,100 people held lanterns along the Kagami river to welcome Their Majesties, who responded by waving their own lanterns from the hotel window. [Jiji]

Photos: Asahi, Asahi 2, Sankei
https://www.jiji.com/news/photos/photo_news/images/658/0028704754.jpg
https://www.jiji.com/news/photos/photo_news/images/658/0028704624.jpg

Imperial Couple make last visit to regional area for regular event before abdication - The Mainichi
[...]

Emperor Akihito changed the style of such visits to Japanese regional areas from the way in which his father, Emperor Showa, had conducted them. For example, instead of eating lunch made by a chef that accompanied the Emperor in private, Emperor Akihito had lunch with governors, assembly speakers, and other local figures. When traveling from one location to another, he traded in his father's limousines for sedans, which brought his line of sight lower and therefore closer to those who welcomed him on the streets.

When visiting local welfare facilities and cultural facilities, Emperor Akihito invited facility staff to rooms they had set aside for him to take breaks in, so that they could chat. A former aide to the Emperor said, "He had a strong desire to learn more about society by speaking with as many people as he could, rather than take a break." The former aide also recalled that the Emperor had said that he wanted to visit all 47 prefectures as soon as possible after he succeeded to the throne in January 1989. Between 1989 and 2003, he visited all of them. By 2017, he had visited all of them twice.
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:previous: Thanks!

On October 29th, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited the Kochi University Center for Advanced Marine Core Research in Nankoku before returning to Tokyo.

Getty Images

ANN video of Days 3 and 2:
 
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Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko saw off the Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Bin Mohamad and his wife today, November 7.

The Prime Minister had received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers by Emperor Akihito yesterday (see above).


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 **
 
On November 7th, Empress Michiko enjoyed Mitsuko Uchida's piano recital at Suntory Hall in Minato, Tokyo. The empress supports female Japanese musicians and often attends Ms. Uchida's concerts. The evening featured Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 4, No. 15, and No. 21.

Photo: Jiji

ETA: From Sankei Imperial Weekly #564
https://www.sankei.com/images/news/181108/lif1811080039-p2.jpg
https://www.sankei.com/images/news/181108/lif1811080039-p4.jpg

On November 8th, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited the Meiji Restoration 150th Anniversary Special Exhibition "The World according to Meiji Japan – The Opening of Japan: A History in Murals" at Meiji Jingu Gaien in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Photos: Jiji, Getty Images
 
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That looks like an amazing exhibit, I wish I could see it. The Meiji restoration after the Tokugawa shogunate is such an interesting time period, and it seems as though the murals would shed some fascinating light on it.
 
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will visit earthquake-hit Atsuma, Hokkaido on November 15th.

Imperial couple to visit Hokkaido quake-hit area - News - NHK WORLD - English
[...]

They will first board a flight and, if weather permits, observe from the air the town of Atsuma, which was devastated in an earthquake in September.

The town was deluged by a large mudslide during the quake, leaving 36 people dead. Many survivors who evacuated from their homes are still living in temporary accommodation.

[...] they will be briefed by Hokkaido Governor Harumi Takahashi about the damage.

They will then to move to a location where they can oversee the damage in Atsuma and hear explanations from the town mayor.

At a town facility, the Imperial couple is expected to offer condolences and words of encouragement to survivors and bereaved families. They will also express their appreciation to police, fire fighters, Self-Defense Force personnel and other disaster response officials. [...]
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On November 13th, Empress Michiko attended the 40th anniversary charity concert of Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan) at Kioi Hall in Chiyoda, Tokyo. She enjoyed Debussy's "Light of the Moon" by pianists Ikuyo Nakamichi and Miyuji Kaneko.

Photos: Jiji, AP Images

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will privately visit Shizuoka Prefecture November 27-28th. This trip was cancelled in July due to heavy rain disaster in western Japan.

On the 27th, the couple will visit the first school for disabled children in Japan, Nemunoki Gakuen, founded by actress Mariko Miyagi, in Kakegawa and a monument for a Japanese doctor who supported the Vietnamese independence movement in Fukuroi. The next day, they will visit a foreign resident study support center in Hamamatsu.

Source: Sankei
 
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Today, November 14, Empress Michiko attended the unveiling of a statue of Hungarian doctor Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis at the Japan Red Cross Medical Centre in Tokyo. 2018 marks the 200th anniversary of Semmelweis's birth.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 ** Pic 5 **
 
On November 18th, Empress Michiko attended Noh performance "Okinomiya" at the National Noh Theatre in Tokyo.

AP Images

ETA: "Okinomiya" is based on the late Michiko Ishimure's work; Ms. Ishimure died in February, age 90.
The empress and Ms. Ishimure were friends; an October 2013 letter from Ms. Ishimure to the Empress, triggered a meeting between the Imperial couple and a patient with Minamata disease. Another longtime friend, Fukumi Shimura, supervised the costumes for the Noh drama. [Asahi]
 
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On November 19th, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko released 15 special carp or "Hirenaga Nishikigoi" into a pond at the Imperial Palace East Gardens. The carp population has decreased and His Majesty wished to increase their numbers before abdication.

AP Images, Getty Images
https://www.jiji.com/news/photos/photo_news/images/658/0028902402.jpg
https://twitter.com/x/status/1064465536963223552

Imperial couple release special carp at palace - News - NHK WORLD - English
[…] The carp are a result of a crossbreeding experiment about 30 years ago, proposed by the Emperor, who is known for his scientific interest in fish. A Japanese nishikigoi was bred with a long-finned type from Indonesia.

[…] There were about 60 at one point but their number has declined to 19.

[…] The more recent carp are said to have more beautiful fins than the original crossbred fish.
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The fins and tails of the new fish are beautiful, almost fringed or lacy-looking. I wonder if the Emperor will continue to take an interest in the breeding of the carp after he's retired? It would be nice if he had more time for long-standing interests like that.
 
:previous: I believe he will. There were reports the IHA planned for space for Emperor Akihito's research in the temporary residence in the abdication thread. The couple's eventual residence, Sento Palace (currently Togu Palace), should have plenty of room.

On November 20th, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko met Roch Marc Christian Kabore, President of Burkina Faso, and his wife, Mrs. Adjoavi Sika Kabore at the Imperial Palace for about 20 minutes. The President is paying an official visit to Japan from November 18-22.

AP Images, Getty Images

https://www.jiji.com/news/photos/photo_news/images/658/0028910851.jpg
 
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King Abdullah II of Jordan will visit Japan November 25-28. He'll have lunch with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.
Source: Nikkei

ETA: King departs on working visit to Japan | King Abdullah II Official Website
His Majesty King Abdullah, accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, departed on Thursday on a working visit to Japan.

[...]

In Japan, King Abdullah is scheduled to meet with Emperor Akihito and Crown Prince Naruhito, and to hold talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on bilateral ties and advancing political, economic and development cooperation, as well as current regional developments. [...]
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Emperor Akihito to take part in last harvest festival before abdication - The Mainichi
[...]

Niiname-sai is performed at the Shinkaden inside the Imperial Palace. There are two rites, "Yoi-no-gi" in the evening from 6 p.m. and another "Akatsuki-no-gi" later from 11 p.m. Each of the rites continues for about two hours without a heater. Only torchlight illuminates the cold and silent space.

The Emperor purifies himself by bathing and puts on a robe called "Gosaifuku" made of white silk. He then offers new crops along with other tributes to the ancestral and other gods. He eats some of the crops himself after reading aloud Shinto prayers to give thanks for the rich harvest and prays for peace for the nation. Crown Prince Naruhito waits near him.

Emperor Akihito continues to sit up straight with his legs folded under him for the entire ceremony, while following procedures passed down from previous emperors. The Emperor has taken part in the ritual for a shorter length of time since 2009 when he turned 75, and has attended only the evening rites from 2014. However, the shortened duration does not mean a considerable reduction in the burden of the Emperor, including time spent on preparations.

[...] The Emperor trains himself before the Niiname-sai by sitting in the same posture as he will during the rites, such as when watching television and when joining meetings. [...]

The rice offered at the ritual is a mix of crops grown by farmers from each prefecture and grains that the Emperor grew himself in a paddy field inside the Imperial Palace. Emperor Akihito usually arranges a face-to-face meeting and engages in conversation with the growers of the rice from various areas and did so in late October this year at the Imperial Palace. [...]

An 81-year-old man delivered about 1.5 kilograms of rice with his wife from the Kinki region in western Japan. Emperor Akihito is quoted as telling the man, "You must have had a hard time because of so many typhoons." The man said he was touched by the Emperor who "looked us in the eyes while he spoke to us."

[...]
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