Emperor, Empress arrive in Hyogo to attend sea festival

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:02 JST, November 12, 2022

The Emperor and Empress arrived in Hyogo Prefecture on Saturday, a day before the couple is scheduled to attend in person an annual sea festival for the first time in three years.

Meant to promote the nation’s fishing industry, the Festival of Celebration for Maritime Resources is one of the four regional events that the Emperor and Empress attend every year. After the event was postponed in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the couple attended last year’s event remotely from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

Following their arrival in the prefecture by plane, the Emperor and Empress are to view the winning paintings and calligraphy pieces by local children in a competition held on the sidelines of the event.

On Sunday, the couple will attend a ceremony in Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, before releasing juvenile fish into the water at a local port.