Emperor Emeritus, Empress Emerita Visit Courtship Site

Jiji Press

10:47 JST, August 28, 2023

KARUIZAWA, Nagano (Jiji Press) — The Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita, who are staying in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, for a summer rest, visited on Saturday the tennis court in the highland resort town where they met for the first time 66 years ago.

During the first visit to the tennis court in four years, the couple interacted with members of Karuizawa-kai, an organization doing tasks such as managing the court.

The Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita arrived at the tennis court by car around 11 a.m. and greeted each of the Karuizawa-kai members who gathered to welcome the couple.

Seated on a bench, the couple talked to each other and watched the members play tennis on the court. They spent about 30 minutes there.

“He is doing well despite being old,” the couple said of a 94-year-old male member they know, according to Seiro Moroto, 74, an official of Karuizawa-kai who attended the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita during their stay at the tennis court.

The Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita met for the first time in August 1957, when they played against each other at the court in a doubles match of a tennis event called “ABCD Tournament.” They married in 1959.