The Emperor and Empress of Japan hosted a royal tea on Wednesday afternoon for the royal guests who attended Emperor Naruhito’s Enthronement Ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday.
The tea was a thank you to those who had travelled from their home countries to watch him proclaim his enthronement to the world from the State Room in a ceremony steeped in Japanese tradition. It was hosted at the Emperor and Empress’s home at Akasaka Palace.
Their Imperial Majesties welcomed their guests at the front before heading to another room for tea where they chatted with guests for 45 minutes in English.
Some of the royals who attended the Enthronement Ceremony on Wednesday had already departed Japan so they were unable to attend. These include Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and the King and Queen of Spain; the latter two had travelled on to South Korea to begin a state visit at the invitation of South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Those who did attend included Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands (the Queen is known to be a close friend of Empress Masako), Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Prince Albert of Monaco, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, the King of Bhutan, and Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
Emperor Naruhito’s recently abdicated father, Emperor Emeritus Akihito and his wife, Empress Emerita Michiko also attended, as did other members of the Japanese Imperial Family including the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.
A parade that was due to take place in the streets of Tokyo this week has been delayed until next month after the recent typhoon that caused devastation and dozens of deaths hit the country earlier this month.