Imperial Family

Crown prince, princess depart for Ise Grand Shrines

Courtesy of Imperial Household Agency
In this file photo, Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko chat online with a wheelchair marathon athlete at their Tokyo residence last November.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:46 JST, April 20, 2022

Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko left Tokyo on Wednesday to visit Ise Grand Shrines in Ise, Mie Prefecture.

During the visit, which had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Crown Prince Akishino will report that he has ascended to first in line to the Imperial throne. It will be the couple’s first trip to a regional area since the pandemic began.

The visit will last four days and three nights. In addition to Ise Grand Shrines, where Imperial ancestor Amaterasu Omikami is enshrined, the couple also plan to visit the mausoleum of Emperor Jimmu — Japan’s first emperor — in Nara Prefecture and the mausoleum of Emperor Meiji in Kyoto.

They are scheduled to return to Tokyo on Saturday.