Princess Aiko Current Events: July 2005 - June 2006

[ichigo]

Wow, she's only 4 and she owns elephants already

She's so adorable

 

[monica17]

As said earlier, the elephants were a present from the government/people of Thailand on the occasion of Aiko's birth 4 years ago. The names of the elephants, when translated and combined, mean "rising sun", as a reference to Japan.

Here is a link on an article the elephants and Aiko's birth. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WDP/is_2002_July_22/ai_89564028

Finally, she was able to see her elephants! And this was her first time to visit a zoo!

 

[mandyy]

Japan's Princess Aiko, accompanied by her parents Crown Prince Naruhito, and Princess Masako, is greeted by Mickey and Minnie Mouse upon arrival at Tokyo DisneySea in Urayasu, east of Tokyo, Monday, March 13, 2006. The family spent a day touring the amusement park.

#1: AP
#2: JIJI press
#3: Yomiuri news
#4: Mainichi news
ANN news video- http://meta.cdn.yahoo-streaming.jp/cgi-bin/yahoo/news.asx?cid=20060313-00000014-ann-soci-movie-001&media=wm300k
TBS news video- http://meta.cdn.yahoo-streaming.jp/cgi-bin/yahoo/news.asx?cid=20060313-00000016-jnn-soci-movie-001&media=wm300k
FNN news video- http://meta.cdn.yahoo-streaming.jp/cgi-bin/yahoo/news.asx?cid=20060313-00000552-fnn-soci-movie-001&media=wm300k


Japan's four-year-old princess goes to Disneyland
.......Aiko........ held her parents' hands as she was greeted by an entourage of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Aladdin and Jasmine. The young princess, wearing a pale blue coat, turned her face shyly to her mother, Crown Princess Masako, as Mickey Mouse leaned over to welcome Aiko with a hearty laugh, television footage showed.
As regular visitors to Tokyo Disneyland snapped photos, Crown Prince Naruhito, wearing a casual red jacket, and his family headed on a tour of the theme park by miniature train....................
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060313/en_afp/afpentertainmentjapanroyalpeopledisney_060313045857

Crown prince, princess take Princess Aiko to Tokyo Disney Resort
................When the characters greeted Princess Aiko she appeared surprised and held on to her mother's hand..........On their tour of Tokyo Disney Sea, the family boarded a classic style bus usually reserved for attractions. Princess Aiko's friends and their families joined them on the visit. They were expected to visit Tokyo Disneyland, located next to Tokyo Disney Sea, on Monday afternoon.
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20060313p2a00m0na012000c.html

Yomiuri news says that Masako's sister Reiko(and probably her son) and Aiko's friends also join them on this visit.

Japanese 4-yr-old princess gets taste of Magic Kingdom
Last week, it was the zoo. On Monday, it was Disneyland.................Aiko.......... appeared a bit perplexed, if not scared, by the welcome she received by the Magic Kingdom's symbols, Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Dressed in a pale blue coat and grey trousers, Aiko shrank back and clung to her mother, Crown Princess Masako, when the characters approached to shake hands.....................
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/13032006/325/japanese-4-yr-old-princess-gets-taste-magic-kingdom.html

 

[janos614]

She totally looked like she wanted to retreat in that picture where she's greeting Mickey and Minnie- is it me, or did her parents look like they were prodding her forward? I think the only benefit of being in the public eye is not having to worry about taking pictures- someone's always there to document this event or that one for you.

How does the agency that oversees the operations of the Imperial family plan for security at events? It must be difficult, logistically speaking, at a place like Tokyo Disney.

 

[corazon]

aiko is a very beautiful girl. She look like a normal child not like a imperial princess.
Her parent are doing a great job with the little princess.

 

[mandyy]

Japanese Imperial family, Crown Prince Naruhito, Crown Princess Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko are welcomed by Disney charactors upon arrival at Tokyo DisneySea in Urayasu, suburban of Tokyo, 13 March 2006. Four-year-old Japanese Princess Aiko, the only child of the crown prince, toured Tokyo Disneyland, with her parents hoping to give her some trappings of a normal childhood.

Below are larger photos from Polfoto



#1-8: Photos from Profimedia
#9: AP

Japanese princess meets Mickey Mouse under tight security
................About 1,000 police officers guarded her previously unannounced first excursion to the park, although most dressed casually so as not to ruin the outing for Aiko and other visitors, a police official said.
"They dressed and acted as if they had been ordinary visitors," he said.
About 55,000 people were at Tokyo DisneySea park as the family arrived to the entourage of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Aladdin and Jasmine. The three went later to the main area of Tokyo Disneyland..............
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060313/wl_asia_afp/afpentertainmentjapanroyalpeopledisney_060313081752;_ylt=Aq_Ios9gwF68N9Yu1Hhd9OcZO7gF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5bGVna3NhBHNlYwNzc3JlbA--

 

[paulette]

Very Cute photos of the family.

I must admit that Princess Aiko is growing up fast. She looks tall and more cute to me. I am very happy to see the family in outings like this. I am even more amazed with Princess Masako. I loved the way she looked during the visit to Disneyland. She was happy and relaxed.

 

[alenka]

Cute photos of the family.It is nice to see Princes Masako smiling again.

 

[mandyy]

Aiko make some new friends in Magic Kingdom
...............Aiko, who is due to start kindergarten in April, seemed a little unsure when the two characters came forward to shake her hand. The youngster shrunk back and clung to her mother's leg at first, but she soon regained her confidence and got into the swing of life inside the walls of the Magic Kingdom.......................
http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2006/03/13/princessaiko/
Crown Princess Masako is snapped in a tender moment with her little girl
Mickey welcomes the young royal to his 'Magic Kingdom
Masako waves to well-wishers after she and her daughter boarded an open-sided bus to take a tour of the theme park.

Japan princess visits Disneyland
A potential heir to Japan's throne, Princess Aiko, has visited Tokyo Disneyland, in a bid to give her the same experiences as other children.

Imperial Household officials said the princess was able to see what children her age get up to, as she prepares to start kindergarten in April. But the princess seemed slightly alarmed by the ordeal.........................
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4801172.stm

4-year-old Princess Aiko taken to Tokyo Disneyland for 1st time
.................The princess, looking rather surprised as she was greeted by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, enjoyed attractions in the parks and clapped her hands as Snow White and other Disney characters passed in front of her during a parade held in the Disneyland park...........The crown prince also took pictures of his daughter......................
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060313/kyodo/d8ganc7g3.html

A real princess in a magical kingdom
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200603140218.html

Princess Aiko pays visit to Tokyo Disney Resort
............................The royal family arrived at Tokyo Disney Sea shortly before 11 a.m., along with Princess Masako's younger sister, Reiko Ikeda, and some of Princess Aiko's friends.....................
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060314TDY03003.htm

For a young Japanese princess, Disneyland is a rare taste of the real world
FOR any child, Disneyland is a treat. For a young Japanese princess with the ultimate "fast pass", it is even better...................
The Disney trip on Monday was the first time that four-year-old Princess Aiko had been to the Tokyo branch of the fun park, which is, incidentally, the world's busiest. Waits of 120 minutes or more can be avoided only with a "fast pass" that permits queue jumping.......................
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/for-a-young-japanese-princess-disneyland-is-a-rare-taste-of-thereal-world/2006/03/14/1142098463789.html

 

[GrandDuchess]

Lovely pictures, Aiko is such an adorable little girl and it's great to see her together with Masako looking so incredibly happy and well!

 

[almab]

I love her hair-do...the braids are nice!

 

[corazon]

great photos! thanks for posted them.
Aiko is a loverly princess i hope she can be empress.

 

[carlota]

awww, what a great family! poor little aiko, she didn't seem to trust that man with the costume of mickey mouse...
it's great to see masako out and about, isn't it?

 

[bbb]

thank you for the photos of this happy family outing. Aiko is growing up so fast and looks like a sweet child. Seeing Masako looking so happy just makes my day.

 

[monica17]

Thank you for all the photos, links and thoughts. Seeing Aiko and her parents having fun at the park is great! I also hope to see more of Masako, even in unofficial outings.

Does anyone know what Aiko's day will be like when she starts kindergarten?

 

[Eliza]

It's wonderful to see Aiko and Masako out together and it's especially lovely to see Masako looking relax and happy.

HOwever, on a sepearte note, it's chilling to see the look of fear and confusion in Aiko when all the cameras are pointing at her and there are thousands of people waving and lining the street looking at her - i can't help feel sorry for little Aiko. It must be very tramatic for a 4yr old child.

 

[Adry]

Aiko is absolutely cute and lovely...just like a japanese doll

 

[monica17]

HOwever, on a separate note, it's chilling to see the look of fear and confusion in Aiko when all the cameras are pointing at her and there are thousands of people waving and lining the street looking at her - i can't help feel sorry for little Aiko. It must be very tramatic for a 4yr old child.

I agree that it can be traumatic for a young child such as Aiko. However, she does her share of waving, and according to her father, is concerned about all those people standing out in the cold waiting for them to pass by (this happened during the past New Year's Day).... how sweet. I agree that having such a huge crowd - plus a 1,000 strong police force - can indeed be very scary, especially if you're the center of attraction.

 

[puresnow]

thans you very much.

 

[malisamartin]

Princess Aiko is sooooo cute.... time travels so fast and now she's 4 years old and will be starting kindergarten soon. Love to see all of her pics.

 

[mandyy]

New pics of Aiko as she sees off her father Naruhito on March 15, 2006.
http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/400624-post3.html

 

[soCal girl]

Thanks for the pictures Mandyy. Princess Aiko is adorable! Her little red dress with a white cardigan, so grown-up! I'm glad to see Masako being out in the public eye a little more, now if we could just get that succession law going....

 

[Xandra]

The family is adorable, and I think Naruhito is a GREAT man, for standing up for his wife against all the pesky old-fashioned courtiers. Would be a pity of the throne went to his younger brother-who strikes me as an opportunist. I disliked him for criticising his elder brother in public, for his standing up for his wife.

 

[almab]

Article shows up in Hello magazine
http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2006/03/15/princessaiko/

 

[wittykitty]

thanks for the pictures,

P. Aiko is sooo cute, and her parents look happy. but I wonder if she was a little scared of Mickey because she hadn't been exposed to the (classic) Disney characters? Does anybody know if the Imperial Househild control what books, videos, or kiddie programes she gets to see at the palace?
Wittykitty

 

[Capricorn]

Aiko is such an adorable child. Let's hope that these lovely pictures don't outshine too much the purpose of the CP's trip to Mexico.

 

[wlee]

What an adorable family! It's great to see Masako who looks relaxed and happy.

 

[purple_platinum]

Fantasy meets royalty: Mickey Mouse greets Japan's Princess Aiko, who visited Tokyo's Disneyland with her parents Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako.

Picture: AP (via theage.com.au)

 

[Smilla]

Do you also get the impression that Aiko must be a very shy little girl? She always looks so serious and never as lighthearted and gleeful as Amalia, for example. Maybe she is influenced by her mother's unhappiness at the court. what do you think?

 

[monica17]

Do you also get the impression that Aiko must be a very shy little girl? She always looks so serious and never as lighthearted and gleeful as Amalia, for example. Maybe she is influenced by her mother's unhappiness at the court. what do you think?

My guess is that she just hasn't had a lot of exposure to the outside world that's why she seems so serious and shy. The Imperial Family doesn't do a lot of socializing and visits/communication with other people. It has been said that Masako needs the IHA's approval to call her parents. And I don't think Aiko has regular playmates, except for the kids at the National Children's Castle. Hopefully, that will change once she starts kindergarten.

I love the pics of Aiko meeting Mickey Mouse and those seeing her father off to Mexico. Father and daughter look so amazingly alike. Thanks, purple platinum and mandyy!