[...]
A bird scholar, the Japanese emperor's only daughter took particular interest in quail and other winged species in the historic paintings.
"She explained some of the bird exhibits to us," said Yoko Woodson, curator of Japanese art in the museum. "She really revealed that she was a scholar. She taught us a lot."
Besides the press and a lone pedestrian who was stopped on the sidewalk by security as the princess made her exit, few noticed the royal presence. In a simple blue dress, Princess Sayako, 34, seemed no different than the other few pedestrians who dotted San Francisco's empty downtown streets. Her equally demure entrance -- in a jet black Lincoln limousine led by a single San Francisco police car -- had no impact on the nonexistent holiday traffic.
But a list of rules made her status evident to the media: no audio recording, no speaking to the princess, no shouting, and, please, no photographs or videos of her imperial highness from behind.
Princess Sayako has no problem with being photographed from behind, Japanese Information Center director Akiko Sugita assured the press. It's just custom.
It was the princess's first time in San Francisco, an overnight stop in her trip from Honduras to Japan.
Her modest entourage arrived at the Asian Art Museum at 9:30 a.m. for a 45-minute tour of the museum's Japanese art collection.
[...]
"She had so much knowledge of Japanese art and culture. She seemed truly very interested," said Emily Sano, director of the Asian Art Museum, after the princess rushed off to San Francisco International Airport to catch her flight.
Princess Sayako's parents, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, visited the museum in 1994. A fan of baseball, the emperor concentrated on the all- American sport instead of birds. He received a baseball signed by Joe DiMaggio.
[...]
