Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako were greeted by residents of Aichi Prefecture on Saturday where they are to carry out their first official duty outside Tokyo since the emperor ascended the throne on May 1.
The imperial couple arrived in the central Japan prefecture on a bullet train to take part in the National Arbor Festival in Owariasahi on Sunday.
(Pool photo)
The event makes up one of the main festivals the emperor has traditionally attended in Japan along with the National Sports Festival and the Festival for the Cherished Sea. Attendance at the events was handed down to Emperor Naruhito from former Emperor Akihito after his abdication on April 30.
The emperor and empress visited a facility in Ama exhibiting the city's traditional craft of cloisonne enamelwork on Saturday prior to a reception for the National Arbor Festival at a hotel in Nagoya.
On Sunday, the two are to attend the festival at Aichi Prefecture Forest Park in Owariasahi and visit a medical facility for disabled children in Okazaki.
They will return to Tokyo by plane on Sunday evening.
