Princess Aiko 3: April 2008-

[Kasumi]

Originally Posted by Charlotte1

...Aiko isn't being bullied! ... Aiko seems to be quite a strong willed little girl and in the past year has dictated how much school she's attending...

Well said, Charlotte1!
HIH the Princess Toshi does not look to be unhappy child with her new haircut during welcoming her father back home from his visit to Germany on June 25th, 2011.

**Pic** - capture from NHK News

[CrownPrincessJava]

Originally Posted by Kasumi

Well said, Charlotte1!
HIH the Princess Toshi does not look to be unhappy child with her new haircut during welcoming her father back home from his visit to Germany on June 25th, 2011.

**Pic** - capture from NHK News

She is the splitting image of her father!

[Renata4711]

Shouldn't that be "spitting" image ??

[Kasumi]

Originally Posted by CrownPrincessJava

She is the spitting image of her father!

Yes, she is!
And her smile is gorgeous

[CrownPrincessJava]

Originally Posted by Kasumi

Yes, she is!
And her smile is gorgeous

Her smile is infectious...hopefully HRH The Crown Prince takes solace in the fact he has a beautiful daughter who looks exactly like him.

She is a beautiful girl, with a beautiful soul. She makes me smile!

[Kasumi]

Originally Posted by CrownPrincessJava

...HRH The Crown Prince ...

It's His Imperial Highness, CrownPrincessJava, not Royal.

[CrownPrincessJava]

Originally Posted by Kasumi

It's His Imperial Highness, CrownPrincessJava, not Royal.

Oooppps

[ChiaraC]

In this forum it is said: "A finales de Junio, Aiko retorno a la escuela sin ser acompañada hasta esta o retirada por su madre, y se convirtió en el primer miembro de la familia en concurrir en subte:", which means, as far as I understand, that, at the end of June, Aiko went back to school without being accompanied to or from it and that she has become the first member of the imperial family to make her way to school by underground. They also give these pics/video that show her on her way.

If that is true, it is really good news!

[Charlotte1]

Originally Posted by ChiaraC

In this forum it is said: "A finales de Junio, Aiko retorno a la escuela sin ser acompañada hasta esta o retirada por su madre, y se convirtió en el primer miembro de la familia en concurrir en subte:", which means, as far as I understand, that, at the end of June, Aiko went back to school without being accompanied to or from it and that she has become the first member of the imperial family to make her way to school by underground. They also give these pics/video that show her on her way.

If that is true, it is really good news!

I wouldn't put too much belief in this story since the elementary school attended by Aiko is within walking distance of her home. She doesn't need to catch the underground to it! She has walked home before on her own (with security officers probably following her) In Japan it's unusual for parents to walk their children to and from school, children go to school on their own, it's quite safe.

Aiko did ride the underground once when she was in kindergarten. The Gakusuin kindergarten is further away. Masako wanted Aiko to experience travelling home the same way as the other children in her kindergarten. Aiko asked why she was the only child being driven home. (The norm in Japanese schools is either walking if close enough or if further away then public transport is used. It's not permitted to drive your child to school, traffic would be chaotic!!) Masako and Aiko caught the subway train to the nearest station to the palace complex where they live and then were driven home from the station.

[ChiaraC]

Originally Posted by Charlotte1

[...] the elementary school attended by Aiko is within walking distance of her home. She doesn't need to catch the underground to it! She has walked home before on her own (with security officers probably following her)[...]

That makes sense, but then WHERE is Aiko going on her own? (At least, more or less on her own, I suppose that there is a bodyguard somewhere around - but no family member, as far as I can see.)

It is true that in these pics one sees her only walking, but there is a second pic in the forum (probably the cover of some periodical) that shows Aiko by herself in the underground. Unfortunately, I cannot find a way to create a direct link to the second pic, but you can easily find it by just scrolling down this page to the fifth post. There you´ll find, first, the Spanish text I have quoted, second, a smaller version of the pics showing Aiko walking and third, the said periodical cover (if you click on "Ampliar esta imagen", it´ll get bigger).

I cannot really conceive that Aiko should be allowed (or even feel the wish) to go shopping or to make an outing by herself, so, at least, until we get a better explanation, I still suppose that she is on her way to school.

[Charlotte1]

Originally Posted by ChiaraC

That makes sense, but then WHERE is Aiko going on her own? (At least, more or less on her own, I suppose that there is a bodyguard somewhere around - but no family member, as far as I can see.)

It is true that in these pics one sees her only walking, but there is a second pic in the forum (probably the cover of some periodical) that shows Aiko by herself in the underground. Unfortunately, I cannot find a way to create a direct link to the second pic, but you can easily find it by just scrolling down this page to the fifth post. There you´ll find, first, the Spanish text I have quoted, second, a smaller version of the pics showing Aiko walking and third, the said periodical cover (if you click on "Ampliar esta imagen", it´ll get bigger).

I cannot really conceive that Aiko should be allowed (or even feel the wish) to go shopping or to make an outing by herself, so, at least, until we get a better explanation, I still suppose that she is on her way to school.

I can't read enough of the kanji to tell you exactly where she's going but can glean some information from what's there and I can read. The walking footage is taken "this morning at 8am", she's in her school uniform, carrying a bag but not her school packpack (the Japanese ones are all the same type). One of the kanji is 'learning' but there's no kanji for school or elementary school so she's not on her way to school. It could be a field trip or another education type outing, she sings in the school choir so could easily be going to a performance out of school hours. Japanese children do attend school related events on weekends and are expected to wear their school uniform to those events.

The picture from the magazine with Aiko on the platform doesn't really show that's she's on her own, it's a close up shot and she's clearly looking up at someone, who's probably with her. Regardless Aiko is never 'on her own' from the point of view that there's always a security officer with her, but 'on her own' without parents or other adults is fairly normal for Japanese children. If they need to catch a train or subway train to school from the age of 6 you will see Japanese children riding these trains without their parents. It's normal, Aiko is now 9 years old and in the 4th grade, the other children in her class would all be roaming to school and school events on their own, riding public transport on their own. (Masako was doing it from when she was 8 and her family returned to Japan) Naruhito and Masako stated in the past they wanted Aiko to have similar childhood experiences as other children her age, so they took her to Ueno zoo, to Tokyo Disney, having her catch the subway is giving her similar experiences to her peers.

[ChiaraC]

Originally Posted by Charlotte1

I can't read enough of the kanji to tell you exactly where she's going but can glean some information from what's there and I can read. The walking footage is taken "this morning at 8am", she's in her school uniform, carrying a bag but not her school packpack (the Japanese ones are all the same type). One of the kanji is 'learning' but there's no kanji for school or elementary school so she's not on her way to school. It could be a field trip or another education type outing, she sings in the school choir so could easily be going to a performance out of school hours. Japanese children do attend school related events on weekends and are expected to wear their school uniform to those events.

That seems to be a good explanation that she could be on some sort of field trip. As for a performance of the choir, do not you think her parents would be there to attend? Or is it customary for elementary pupils in Japan to perform in hospitals, homes for the aged etc., where, of course, the parents would not always be present?

Originally Posted by Charlotte1

The picture from the magazine with Aiko on the platform doesn't really show that's she's on her own, it's a close up shot and she's clearly looking up at someone, who's probably with her. Regardless Aiko is never 'on her own' from the point of view that there's always a security officer with her, but 'on her own' without parents or other adults is fairly normal for Japanese children. If they need to catch a train or subway train to school from the age of 6 you will see Japanese children riding these trains without their parents. It's normal, Aiko is now 9 years old and in the 4th grade, the other children in her class would all be roaming to school and school events on their own, riding public transport on their own. (Masako was doing it from when she was 8 and her family returned to Japan) Naruhito and Masako stated in the past they wanted Aiko to have similar childhood experiences as other children her age, so they took her to Ueno zoo, to Tokyo Disney, having her catch the subway is giving her similar experiences to her peers.

As I already mentioned, we agree in that Aiko is never on her own insofar as there is always some security around. The person she is looking up to in the underground may or may not be someone she knows (well, probably the person will, at least, know Aiko, even if Aiko does not know her/him ), but I think it is very improbable that it should be someone of the imperial family because then I think he or she would have ended up being on the cover, too.

I did not expressly say so but I would have thought that it is obvious that neither I nor (I suppose) the Spanish forum think it worth mentioning that Aiko seems to be on her own because that would be so very remarkable for a nine-year-old in general, but because she has lately been accompanied by her mother most of the time. And whatever the context, I think, in any case, it is good to see her getting at least glimpses of normal life and apparently feeling rather comfortable with it. Maybe when she marries one day, the IHA will not even have to organize grocery-shopping lessons for her...

[Kasumi]

Princess Aiko, the 9-year-old daughter of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, on Tuesday went to and from school without being accompanied by her parents for the first time in around a year and a half, an Imperial Household Agency official said. - Kyodo

[IloveCP]

I feel sorry for Aiko.But Im glad she's more brave!

[Mermaid1962]

This is good news. I hope that Princess Aiko can keep it up.

[PrincessKaimi]

That is very good news, and seems about the right amount of time for a child that age to get over the problems she was having with the other kids. Also, at about 9-10, kids become much braver and less dependent on their parents, anyway. I think the little girl's situation is so complex, and there's no telling what the other kids said or what they implied, as well.

[ChiaraC]

I agree with both of you: it is happy news indeed.

Here is another article about Aiko attending school again on her own. Although the pic is by no means new, it is imo quite nice.

[iceflower]

___________________


Princess Aiko had her annual school's athletic festival at the Gakushuin elementary school
again on October 8, 2011. Her parents were there as well and enjoyed the matches.



** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 ** daylife **

[Tilla]

These pictures make me so happy.

[Florencia]

Japan's 9-year-old princess hospitalised