Minimalist, serene and elegant photos in my opinion - not influenced overmuch by Western cultural expectations.
This family looks like the most unhappy family I have seen.............the Empress seems to always keep her head on a downward tilt, the smiles are frozen in time, this is not a normal family. I know people here where I live that have family in Japan, they feel the same way when looking at the photos. There is something not right with this family, over the years they look more unhappy then ever.
Thank you for your thoughts on the Imperial Family.I'm looking at the videos and it just seems that Prince Akishino just expects the adoration of the crowd, while his brother Naruhito waves to the crowd with no expectation. While the BRF is also remote, at least why try to connect more with the people than this Royal Family (understandable considering their circumstances, and the culture they are in).
Japan's royal family – the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world – has taken the unusual step of issuing a family photograph to celebrate the New Year.
The formal family photo shows Emperor Akihito, 80, and his wife Empress Michiko, 79, surrounded by their two sons, their wives, and the four grandchildren.
Imperial Family on their balcony again
Like Albina said, she has not been present at this event for many years, same thing for the (so to speak) "New Year tiara event" - we only see her in the car with a tiara. Her doctors have said that it is difficult for her to bear huge crowds. That means that we will probably have to wait some more time before we will see her at one of the spring or autumn garden festivals - and if we should one day, that will probably be the day of her full recovery.Can anybody tell me why the Crown P/P where not there?
Emperor Akihito captured the poignant moment when he saw the placid and tragic waters off Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, during his recent visit to the city in his poem for the New Year's Poetry Reading Ceremony on Jan. 15.
In the annual event at the Imperial Palace, “waka” poems composed by members of the imperial family, as well as 10 selected works from the public and those by judges, were recited. This year’s theme was “sei” (quiet). [...]
In her poem, Crown Princess Masako expressed her hopes that the sorrow of victims of the March 2011 disaster will be gradually eased, and that the sea will protect the livelihoods of the people and bring them bountiful blessings. Masako and her husband traveled to Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, part of the region devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, in November. She was heartened by the news that the harvesting of sea urchins had resumed in the city in May.
A translation of her poem read: As though it enwraps even the sorrow, the sea off Kamaishi lies in tranquility.
The Imperial Household Agency is considering opening up a road inside the palace grounds so that tourists and visitors may all the more enjoy the scenery when they visit during the spring and fall season. [...]
Normally, only staff and authorized people are allowed to freely walk on these roads and passersby have to undergo strict security checks by the Imperial Guards. They are only allowed access during special occasions like the Emperor’s birthday and New Year’s holiday but not for scenic purposes. The plan is to open the roads from morning to the afternoon for five days each during spring and fall, depending on forecasts from the Japan Meteorological Agency as to when cherry flowers blossom and the leaves change color.