Crown Princess Masako Current Events Part 1: July 2005 - April 2019

[Emily]

We don't know if Masako is really ill or if the IHA is deciding that she is too ill to accompany Naruhito. For that matter, we don't know for how long the IHA has been playing this little game.

Additionally, Emmily, it was suggested somewhere on this forum that, just maybe, Masako would like to be with Aiko while she is young since this is, at least until now, her only child. It could also be that Masako doesn't want to travel with Naruhito on the same plane to avoid Aiko having to be raised without she or N's guidance. Whatever the reason...the IHA sure makes it look as though she is "too ill".

 

[Emily]

I believe Masako has younger twin sisters -- does anyone know what they are doing now? Are they married? Do they have careers? Does anyone know what kind of contact Masako has with her sisters/family?

 

[mandyy]

Stressed Japanese princess in shadow of pregnant sister-in-law
It was in 1993 when Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito gently smiled and said the number of children he would have would be "up to the stork's mood".
Now that feels like ancient history.
Thirteen years since his engagement press conference, Naruhito and his wife Masako have produced one child, Princess Aiko, spelling crisis for the centuries-old royal tradition of male-only succession.
While politicians were sparring over the royal code this year, the stork visited his younger brother Prince Akishino and wife Kiko, raising hopes for a male heir and slamming the brakes on moves for reform.
Now Masako, a US-educated former career woman suffering severe stress, is coming under a new kind of media glare. The question on everyone's mind is: how does Masako feel about her housewife sister-in-law's pregnancy?..................................
http://servihoo.com/Aujourdhui/kinews/afp_details.php?id=113332&CategoryID=74

 

[lynn]

I find this whole thing disheartening. An impending baby should be a good thing but it has been filled with so much controversy. I can only imagine how Princess Masako actually feels right now....

 

[mandyy]

There are rumours from Japanese weekly gossip magazines reported by Chinese reports saying that Princess Masako is planning to get pregnant again.

 

[mandyy]

The current issue of Point de Vue has 6-page coverage on Princess Masako

Photos from pointdevue.fr

 

[merampo]

Crown Princess Masako and Princess Aiko attended
Hinamatsuri(the Doll's Festival) today at
Gakushuin Kindergarten which Princess Aiko go to from this April.

1:The Chugoku Shimbun
2:FNN news
3:TBS news

 

[mandyy]

Crown Princess Masako and Princess Aiko attended
Hinamatsuri(the Doll's Festival) today at
Gakushuin Kindergarten which Princess Aiko go to from this April.

(March 3)
#1: FNN news video- http://meta.cdn.yahoo-streaming.jp/cgi-bin/yahoo/news.asx?cid=20060303-00000053-fnn-soci-movie-001&media=wm300k
#2: TBS news video- http://meta.cdn.yahoo-streaming.jp/cgi-bin/yahoo/news.asx?cid=20060303-00000028-jnn-soci-movie-001&media=wm300k
#3: A big photo from Nikkei net
#4: NNN news video- http://meta.cdn.yahoo-streaming.jp/cgi-bin/yahoo/news.asx?cid=20060303-00000024-nnn-soci-movie-000&media=wm300k
#5: Yomiuri news (big photo)
#6: NHK news
#7-8: Japan's Crown Princess Masako and her daughter Princess Aiko arrive at Gakushuin Kindergarten in Tokyo March 3, 2006. Four-year-old Princess Aiko attended a Doll Festival at the kindergarten where she will attend from April. REUTERS
#9-10: Japan's Crown Princess Masako and her daughter Princess Aiko walk in the school grounds of Gakushuin Kindergarten during a Doll Festival at the kindergarten in Tokyo March 3, 2006. REUTERS
Aiko smiling in pic #10

 

[mandyy]

Japanese Crown Princess Masako and her daughter Princess Aiko arrive at Gakushuin Kindergarten in Tokyo to attend a special event for Hina Festival, or Girls' Day, Friday, March 3, 2006. Four-year-old Aiko who enrolls the preschool in April was greeted by about 100 kindergarteners along with other 50 enrollees.

Below 2 from Polfoto


#1-2: More photos from Reuters
#3: AP
#4: Newscom
#5: ANP
#6: ANN news video- http://meta.cdn.yahoo-streaming.jp/cgi-bin/yahoo/news.asx?cid=20060303-00000034-ann-soci-movie-001&media=wm300k
#7: TVBS news
Big photo from GREMB


Photo of the gate of Gakushuin from TVBS news

 

[rchainho]

one from actionpress

 

[purple_platinum]

MASAKO ACCOMPANIES AIKO TO NEW SCHOOL FESTIVAL

Smartly dressed and in matching navy blue outfits, Japan's Crown Princess Masako and her daughter Princess Aiko arrived at the Tokyo kindergarten where the young royal will begin her education from April.

With the shy but steady smile she adopts when facing the cameras, the 42-year-old royal walked confidently up to the Gakushuin Kindergarten.

In the spotlight more than ever, Masako - who has gradually re-emerged into public life after suffering a stress-related illness - seems to take comfort from her daughter. Aiko is, say her parents, a happy child who loves sumo wrestling and playing in the Palace vegetable garden.

http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2006/03/03/princessaiko/

 

[Emily]

Lovely photos! Little Aiko looks adorable in that outfit. Do you know what the Dolls' Festival is? Just for future female students?

 

[mandyy]

Do you know what the Dolls' Festival is? Just for future female students?

Hope the link below helps
http://www.farstrider.net/Japan/Festivals/HinaMatsuri/

 

[carlota]

aiko is such a lady with 4 years old! it's incredible how well she behaves, how well she walks and how she mantains her posture with such a young age. both ladies looked great. masako is as diplomatic and perfect as always.

 

[Charlotte1]

Lovely photos! Little Aiko looks adorable in that outfit. Do you know what the Dolls' Festival is? Just for future female students?

Aiko's outfit is the uniform of a private school kindergarten student. Gakushuin Kindergarten is a private school where the Imperial Family send their children, it's close to the Imperial Palace.

The Doll's Festival before WW2 was called 'Girl's Day' so the festival has a connotation that it's mainly for girls. Greeting cards are sent for The Doll's Festival and they're pink with dolls on them. Boy's Day on May 5th after WW2 became "Children's Day".
The Doll's Festival isn't celebrated just at school as families with girls set up the Doll displays in their homes. The dolls are an imperial court. The top are the Emperor and Empress and each layer down are the various members of the court, the attendants, the guards, the musicians. Also displayed are furniture of the imperial court, modes of transport. A full Doll's Festival display costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, families often pass them on from mother to daughter, grandmother to grand-daughter. Simpler displays are also put in homes with just the Emperor and Empress dolls. Children have a party around the display with special food relevant to that particular day. ( Children's day also has special food)

 

[merampo]

For example,this is Princess Kikuko Takamatsu's(1911~2004)
full Doll's Festival display.


You can see about this display here.
(Japanese only,but great photos can be seen)
http://www.granship.or.jp/event/ohinasama/

http://img488.imageshack.us/my.php?image=14zs4.jpg

 

[ichigo]

The Doll Festival was my favorite festivity when I was little. I had my own dolls but now they're just in storage somewhere in my home. The dolls aren't regular dolls. Like Charlotte said, the dolls represent the members of the court (which took me years to understand when my mother first tried to explain to me about the dolls... I was just interested in how pretty the dolls were).

As for Gakushuin, it's a really gorgeous institution from what I remember. I only attended kindergarden there for half a year before I moved to the United States. The kindergarden school is REALLY huge. I remember roaming around for hours and how everything looked so big (probably because I was so small).

I hope Aiko enjoyed her festival celebrations. They're probably the best times of a little girl's life

 

[Emily]

Hope the link below helps
http://www.farstrider.net/Japan/Festivals/HinaMatsuri/

Mandy -- Thank you for the link -- it's a lovely idea to have a day like that. Do we assume a girl's "first" Doll celebration is during her first year of life?

 

[Emily]

Ooops - I should have read all the posts, first! Thanks to all of you for the wonderful photos and explanations. It makes me wonder what Aiko's dolls look like? I imagine they are something quite special. One question: do you get to play with the dolls and move the furniture around or is it more for observation? Thanks in advance for the answers!

 

[ichigo]

The dolls really are technically for display since the dolls are really delicate. However, you could pretend to "feed" your dolls. Most of the time, I had some of my friends come over and just pretend like we were feeding my dolls (instead of touching them, we just had a plate in front of them as if we were serving them).

I received my first doll set when I was five. The first year that you receive your set is very special. After that, there are times when you bring out the dolls for display but I don't think any other year besides the first few years of having your doll set is as special.

 

[monica17]

What a unique and fun celebration! Thanks, everyone, for the contributions on what it is all about and for the pictures.

It's really good to see Princess Masako up and about. I'm really glad to see her resume official duties little by little along with bringing up Aiko.

 

[mandyy]

Japanese Crown Princess Masako arrives at the St. Luke hospital for a visit to its pediatrics centre in central Tokyo, 23 March 2006.
It has been about 4 months ever since Princess Masako has performed an official duty alone.

#1-3: Profimedia
#4: FNN news video- http://meta.cdn.yahoo-streaming.jp/cgi-bin/yahoo/news.asx?cid=20060323-00000114-fnn-soci-movie-001&media=wm300k
#5: ANN news
#6,9: AP
#7-8: Polfoto
#10: JIJI press

 

[wlee]

It's great to see her coming out again! From Hello Magazine:

Masako takes a solo step into public life

Japan's Crown Princess Masako has given further proof that she's on the road to recovery from the stress-related illness that has blighted her life since 2003. Looking relaxed and confident on what appeared to be her first solo engagement in two years, the 42-year-old royal stepped out on Thursday to meet medical staff at Tokyo's St Luke hospital.....

http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2006/03/23/princessmasako/

 

[Akilah]

I am so glad to see Princess Masako out alone. I did not think I would have ever seen her out alone for quite a while. I am overjoyed with her success in battling her illness.

 

[Emily]

I am so glad to see Princess Masako out alone. I did not think I would have ever seen her out alone for quite a while. I am overjoyed with her success in battling her illness.

I agree. I am so happy to see her out and looking so well. I hope she is doing as well as she looks. I'm also still keeping my fingers crossed that some of the Crown Princely couples will answer Naruhito's wish that he and Masako get to travel to a foreign country "in the near future"! I think it would be great for her to use some of her former diplomatic skills and to develop friendships with those close to her own age, in royal families, who share somewhat similar lifestyles and challenges.

 

[Eliza]

It's just wonderful to see CP Masako out on solo engagement!!! I hope this is the start of many more and the turn of her recovery.

It's still my wish to see the CP couple doing overseas trip in the future.

 

[Amina]

I agree. I am so happy to see her out and looking so well. I hope she is doing as well as she looks. I'm also still keeping my fingers crossed that some of the Crown Princely couples will answer Naruhito's wish that he and Masako get to travel to a foreign country "in the near future"! I think it would be great for her to use some of her former diplomatic skills and to develop friendships with those close to her own age, in royal families, who share somewhat similar lifestyles and challenges.

That would be fantastic. Its great to see that PM is on the road to recovery.

 

[Esmeralda]

Nice to see she's looking well. I've been reading about how the press in Japan are doing a real hatchet job on her in order to turn public sympathy away from her and Aiko and toward the Akishino family and the emperor.

It appears that her premarital fear about her future life has been amply justified. It's a good thing her husband has kept his promise about looking after her, because she doesn't seem to have many other friends in the family and IHA.

 

[mysunshine]

Welcome "Team Challenge" for Crown Princess Masako

Crown Princess Masako has been longly suffered from mal-understanding among imperial neighbours

However, as you know very well, Crown Prince Naruhito has well struggled to protect her, against miss-understandings and some denial of fundamental human-right.

Very fortunately, Issei Nomura, ex-Ambassador to Russia, is becoming Toguh Daifu or General Executive of Imperial East Annex. So we would appreciate such challenging trial and braveness, with thawing House Hold Agency.

 

[mandyy]

Japan's mummy gangs play deadly game
................When Crown Princess Masako recently took her four-year-old daughter, Aiko, to visit the kindergarten where the child has been enrolled, the pair strode proudly up the path in navy suits that looked to have been cut from the same cloth...................
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/japans-mummy-gangs-play-deadly-game/2006/04/14/1144521503443.html