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Prince & Princess of Wales

Duke of Cambridge’s itinerary for Japan and China tour released

After it was announced last year that The Duke of Cambridge would be planning on visiting Japan and China in 2015, the itinerary for Prince William’s tour at the end of this month has now been released. At the request of Her Majesty’s Government, The Duke will first travel to Japan on Thursday 26th February, and then depart for China on 1st March. William will then end his tour and depart for the UK on 4th March.

Thursday 26th February

After arriving at Haneda Airport on 26th February, The Duke will travel to Tokyo city on a cruise boat. He will be accompanied by Tim Hitchens, Her Majesty’s Ambassador, and Mr Masuzoe, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Governor. Once Prince William has disembarked in Tokyo harbour, he will visit the historic Hama Rikyu gardens and will visit a restored Tea House where he will have the chance to try Japanese tea.

Friday 27th February

On 27th February, The Duke will visit the Hodogaya British Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, Yokohama, where he will lay a wreath and tour the cemetery.

Later on, William will attend the campaign launch of Innovation is GREAT, in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo. The conference will celebrate British innovation, and during the event a video link will be shown with UK and Japanese astronauts. There will also be a sake barrel breaking ceremony during the conference, followed by the chance for The Duke to witness demonstrations of British innovation on the top floor of Mori Tower, a famous landmark in Tokyo.

The Prince will then attend an ambassador’s reception in the British Embassy in Tokyo.

Saturday 28th February

On 28th February, William will take a tour of NHK Broadcasting Studios, where he will meet some of the cast and crew from NHK’s Taiga historical drama. The drama has been running for 50 years. Alongside this, The Duke will witness how the broadcasters rehearse its emergency broadcasts in the event of an earthquake every evening.

After this, The Prince will visit the Tsutaya Bookshop, Daikanyama, where he will launch the Innovation is GREAT exhibition, which will be open for a week for the public. During his visit, William will meet a number of members of the public who use the bookstore, along with the British architect who designed the building. The Duke will highlight the strengths of the partnerships between the UK and Japan by witnessing an interactive display of UK advancement inside the bookstore.

Sunday 1st March

On 1st March, Prince William will visit the city of Ishinomaki, . There he will meet local people who were affected by the Great Eastern Earthquake and tsunami that occurred on 11 March 2011. The Duke will meet a local newspaper editor who, after witnessing the devastating effects of the earthquake and tsunami, produced handwritten newsletters during the aftermath in order to keep the local community in communication which each other. Since then, he has also created a children’s newspaper.

William will pay his respects to those who have been affected by the tsunami during his visit to the Viewing Point overseeing the ‘Bay of Destruction’. When here, The Duke will be able to view the land clearance from this vantage point. During a visit to the Onagawa Hospital Stone Memorial, William will be able to see for himself the shocking height of the waters that devastated peoples’ lives after the tsunami.

For his final event of his tour of Japan, The Duke will visit the Chime of Hope Shopping Centre. He will visit a number of local shopkeepers and residents who have established a new hub for the local community. They have also restored a number of businesses in the local area, including a greengrocer, tailors, and a design studio for a graffiti artist. During his visit, William will ring one of Onagawa’s lost bells, which was rescued from the wreckage of the earthquake, and since then has been named as the Chime of Hope.

After this, Prince William will travel to China, where he will visit the country between 1st to the 4th March.

Monday 2nd March

On 2nd March, The Duke will travel to Shijia Hutong in Beijing, where he will visit a number of charities that support vulnerable young people in China. The particular Hutong alley that William will visit was restored and renovated by The Prince of Wales’s China Foundation and The Prince’s Foundation for Building Communities.

After this, The Prince will visit parts of the Forbidden City in Beijing, which was the imperial palace of the Ming dynasty. The Duke will then move on to be officially welcomed to China.

During his visit to Shanghai, Prince William will officially launch the GREAT Creativity Exhibition during his visit to the Long Museum. The Duke will have the chance to meet a number of Chinese business leaders and delegates during the event and will be accompanied to the launch by the new British Ambassador to China Barbara Woodward.

The GREAT Festival is a part of the GREAT campaign, a British Government and private enterprise initiative to promote the business partnerships from the UK and China. The Festival will showcase examples of British innovation and creativity in areas such as entertainment, design, healthcare and fashion, over three days.

Tuesday 3rd March

On 3rd March The Prince will return to The Great Festival at the Long Museum. There he will witness demonstrations and exhibitions from a number of companies, including British Airways, Jaguar Land Rover, the BBC and De Monfort University.

The Duke will then visit Nanyang Secondary School where he will watch students taking part in a football training session run by the Premier Skills programme, and will be led by Premier League-trained coaches. Recently, football has been added to the Chinese National Curriculum in order to promote good health and skills improvement.

Prince William will then attend the Inaugural British Council Global Alumni Awards, which are being held at the Ruijin Hotel. The Awards are a celebration of the academic achievements of Chinese students who have previously studied in the UK. After his arrival and meeting the students, The Duke will officially open the Awards ceremony.

The Duke will then attend the official opening of the British Centre in Shanghai, where he will meet the staff at the Centre and open the new offices. The Centre is home to the Shanghai Consulate General, China British Business Council, The British Council and UKTI.

After this William will attend the premiere of Paddington at Shanghai Film Museum in association with the GREAT Festival. During the event, The Prince will meet leading figures from the Chinese film industry, along with some of the members of the Paddington production team. Before the premiere of the film, a Chinese government representative will receive a collection of recently restored old footage of Shanghai as a gift from The Duke. William will also get to witness some creative work completed by children from the local Chinese and local English schools. The Duke will end his busy day with the GREAT Festival official dinner at the Long Museum.

Wednesday 4th March

On 4th March Prince William will visit a Dai village and will meet the village elders where he learn about how the locals are adapting to living with wild elephants

The Duke will then visit the Asian Elephant Rehabilitation Sanctuary where he will have the chance to meet a rescued elephant which was previously injured by a trap and is now being cared for at the Sanctuary.

After this, William will climb up the Wild Elephant Walkway at the XSBN National Nature Reserve to two different viewing points. After climbing to the top of the first walkway, The Duke will meet a number of local and national Forestry officials, where he will be able to hear about the efforts and policies being put in place in China to help conservation of wild Asian elephants and their co-existence with humans. During his visit to the second viewing point, William will meet with some young Chinese conservationists and learn about how they are attempting to raise awareness of the difficulties the Asian elephant currently faces.

The Duke will also have the chance to witness a wildlife conservation exhibition of photographs and possibly have the opportunity to see some wild elephants in the forest from a viewing point.

Prince William will then visit the XSBN Botanical Gardens where he will plant a tree close to where his grandfather, Prince Philip, previously planted a Sky Tree during his last State visit to China in 1986 with The Queen.

After this, The Duke will pay a visit to the Medicinal Plant Garden in XSBN Botanical Gardens where he will be accompanied by some experts from the Dai medical research hospital.

The Prince will end his visit to the gardens by attending the Regional Wildlife and Conservation Conference at the Botanical Gardens Conference. The conference will be attended by delegates from China and British research students. During the conference, The Duke will make a short speech upon reflection of his visit and discuss the initiatives to prevent the illegal wildlife trade in China. Before his departure, William will meet some Chinese and international students attending the conference and discuss their research work.

The Duke will then end his tour and return to the UK. With today marking the Chinese New Year and with his upcoming tour in mind, Prince William released a video of him wishing everyone a happy Chinese New Year, and spoke of his anticipation for his tour to China in just over a week’s time.

Featured photo credit: HRH Prince William Duke of Cambridge Speaks the Third Annual International Corruption Hunter Alliance via photopin (license)

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