Emperor, Empress of Japan Fly to Kanazawa to Attend Festival to Foster Exchanges Transcending Generations, Regions and Disabilities

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:25 JST, October 16, 2023

The Emperor and the Empress attended the opening ceremony of the Ishikawa Hyakumangoku Cultural Festival 2023 in Kanazawa on Sunday.

The event combines the 38th National Cultural Festival and the 23rd National Art and Cultural Festival for People with Disabilities.

“My hope is that this event will lead to the creation of new culture,” the Emperor said in his address.

The festival aims to foster exchanges among people, transcending generations, regions and disabilities.

The special charter flight to take the Imperial couple from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to the airport serving the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture on Sunday had some trouble and could not take off. The Emperor and the Empress had to take a different plane, which departed about 90 minutes later. Their schedule in Kanazawa was accordingly changed so they could attend the event as planned.